Once upon a time—before TikTok, before influencers, before every website looked the same—we had the internet in its purest, weirdest form. If you were online in the early 2000s, you remember the thrill of picking the perfect Winamp skin, the crafting of the perfect AIM away message, and the struggle of choosing a MySpace top eight without making enemies.
Back then, being online wasn't just about mindless scrolling. Your chat handle, your forum avatar, your deeply personalized (and possibly blindingly neon) website—each one was a declaration of who you were. And let's be real, some of us took it very seriously.
So, who were you in the chaotic, wonderful mess of the early 2000s internet? This quiz is here to find out.
What Kind of Internet User Were You?
Everyone had their own niche in the digital world of the early 2000s. Maybe you were always online, or maybe you just logged in after school to check your inbox and update your away message. Either way, there's a good chance you fit one of these classic archetypes:
- The Emo Teen: You lived for the perfect MySpace song and used song lyrics as your AIM status. You *felt* things.
- The Early Troll: You posted chaos on forums for the reactions and had a love-hate relationship with moderators.
- The Gamer: Whether it was Runescape, Neopets, or Halo LAN parties, you were always in-game.
- The Techie: You built your own PC, knew what Linux was, and considered yourself "1337."
- The GeoCities Architect: You hand-coded your own website with sparkly GIFs and MIDI music.
- The AIM Addict: You lived for late-night chat sessions and had a buddy list filled with inside jokes.
- The Digital Hoarder: Your hard drive was stuffed with downloaded music and every episode of Lost or The OC.
This quiz will match you with the role that fits you best, so choose your answers carefully.
What Was the Early 2000s Internet Like?
What was the most popular chat software?
AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and MSN Messenger ruled the world. ICQ was also big, but let's be honest—if you had an ICQ number, you were either a techie or a parent trying to be hip.
What did people do online before social media?
We built personal websites, spent hours customizing forum signatures, downloaded questionable files on Limewire, and got into way too many arguments on message boards.
How did MySpace let people edit their pages with HTML?
MySpace was the Wild West, where you could express yourself with autoplaying music, glittery text, and eye-searing color schemes.
What was the best early 2000s meme?
It's a tough call between "All Your Base Are Belong to Us," the dancing baby, and the Hamster Dance. But if you really know your stuff, you remember The End of the World flash animation.
How to Take the Quiz
This quiz is super simple—just pick the answers that feel the most like you, and we'll do the rest.
- Read each question and all the following options.
- Go ahead and pick the option that resonates with you most.
- We'll crunch the numbers so at the end, you'll get a result that reveals your early 2000s online persona.
It's time to rediscover the internet of the past. Let's see who you really were in the early 2000s!
I got: The Emo Queen/King!
Your online presence was drenched in angst—dark backgrounds, song lyrics as statuses, and cryptic blog posts. You poured your soul into Xanga or MySpace, and your AIM away message was practically a poetry anthology. Life was pain, but also art. Even now, a good sad playlist still hits different. And yes, you *do* still love eyeliner.
I got: The Meme Pioneer!
You were there for ‘I Can Has Cheezburger’ and the dancing baby GIF. Before TikTok and Twitter memes, you were right-click-saving pixelated hilarity to share on forums and early social sites. You knew the power of a well-placed reaction image. To this day, your meme game is still strong, and your folder of classics is legendary.
I got: The Early Troll!
Before ‘trolling’ became mainstream, you were already causing chaos on message boards. Whether posting fake rumors, sarcastic comments, or clever comebacks, you lived for reactions. You weren’t mean—just mischievous. Now, with internet culture evolving, you’ve refined your skills. But deep down, you still chuckle at a perfectly executed bait post.
I got: The Emo Queen/King!
Your online presence was drenched in angst—dark backgrounds, song lyrics as statuses, and cryptic blog posts. You poured your soul into Xanga or MySpace, and your AIM away message was practically a poetry anthology. Life was pain, but also art. Even now, a good sad playlist still hits different. And yes, you *do* still love eyeliner.
Social butterfly
I got: The Gamer!
You spent your time grinding in MMORPGs, mastering RTS strategies, or dominating early online shooters. Whether it was Runescape, Counter-Strike, or Neopets, gaming was your true online home. Guild drama? You lived through it. LAN parties? You hosted them. And let’s be honest—you probably still have a Steam backlog haunting you to this day.
I got: The Social Butterfly!
You were everywhere—chat rooms, MySpace, Friendster. Your status was always updated, and your top 8 was a constant political battlefield. You lived for social interactions and had the best song playing on your profile. Whether hyping up friends or spilling the latest gossip, you thrived on connection. Social media today? Just another evolution of your digital kingdom.
I got: The Forum Addict!
You had thousands of posts on your favorite forum, and your signature image was a work of art. Whether discussing gaming, anime, or conspiracy theories, you lived for deep-dive threads and post counts. You knew which users were legendary and which were annoying. Even now, Reddit or niche Discord servers have probably filled that void in your life.
Totally, true.
I got the gamer
I got: The Meme Pioneer!
You were there for ‘I Can Has Cheezburger’ and the dancing baby GIF. Before TikTok and Twitter memes, you were right-click-saving pixelated hilarity to share on forums and early social sites. You knew the power of a well-placed reaction image. To this day, your meme game is still strong, and your folder of classics is legendary.
I got: The Emo Queen/King!
Your online presence was drenched in angst—dark backgrounds, song lyrics as statuses, and cryptic blog posts. You poured your soul into Xanga or MySpace, and your AIM away message was practically a poetry anthology. Life was pain, but also art. Even now, a good sad playlist still hits different. And yes, you *do* still love eyeliner.
🤘🤘💀💀🤘🤘
I got: The Emo Queen/King!
Your online presence was drenched in angst—dark backgrounds, song lyrics as statuses, and cryptic blog posts. You poured your soul into Xanga or MySpace, and your AIM away message was practically a poetry anthology. Life was pain, but also art. Even now, a good sad playlist still hits different. And yes, you *do* still love eyeliner.
I got: The Emo Queen/King!
Your online presence was drenched in angst—dark backgrounds, song lyrics as statuses, and cryptic blog posts. You poured your soul into Xanga or MySpace, and your AIM away message was practically a poetry anthology. Life was pain, but also art. Even now, a good sad playlist still hits different. And yes, you *do* still love eyeliner.
I hated emo with a burning passion, lmao. I was more into rock/goth type of sh*t.
But it was the coolest quiz ever!
(Edited)
Same here. That’s why I had to correct my results to say goth or metal instead of emo, lol
(Edited)
I got: The Gamer!
You spent your time grinding in MMORPGs, mastering RTS strategies, or dominating early online shooters. Whether it was Runescape, Counterstrike, or Neopets, gaming was your true online home. Guild drama? You lived through it. LAN parties? You hosted them. And let’s be honest—you probably still have a Steam backlog haunting you to this day.
None of that, I“ve only been using the internet for about 10 years.
17 / 6 / 25
Social Butterfly. Not even close. I leave my little messages here. I occasionally leave a comment on a news item. I have facebook but almost never post anything to anyone. I play a game that is not what anyone would call serious gaming but don’t connect with others who play the game. Almost a non-entity.
I got: The Early Troll!
Before ‘trolling’ became mainstream, you were already causing chaos on message boards. Whether posting fake rumors, sarcastic comments, or clever comebacks, you lived for reactions. You weren’t mean—just mischievous. Now, with internet culture evolving, you’ve refined your skills. But deep down, you still chuckle at a perfectly executed bait post.
What
😅*might be guilty of doing this from time to time, in the past*😇
lol
sounds crazy.
Obviously not true though.
(Edited)
The Social Butterfly 🤣
I got: The Social Butterfly!
You were everywhere—chat rooms, MySpace, Friendster. Your status was always updated, and your top 8 was a constant political battlefield. You lived for social interactions and had the best song playing on your profile. Whether hyping up friends or spilling the latest gossip, you thrived on connection. Social media today? Just another evolution of your digital kingdom.
I got: The Goth King!
Your online presence was drenched in angst—dark backgrounds, song lyrics as statuses, and cryptic blog posts. You poured your soul into Xanga or MySpace, and your AIM away message was practically a poetry anthology. Life was pain, but also art. Even now, a good sad playlist still hits different.
@Rose., check out my results, lol.
More just metal than anything else.
(Edited)
Forum Addict.
True. I love debate.
You Got: The Gamer
You spent your time grinding in MMORPGs, mastering RTS strategies, or dominating early online shooters. Whether it was Runescape, Counter-Strike, or Neopets, gaming was your true online home. Guild drama? You lived through it. LAN parties? You hosted them. And let’s be honest—you probably still have a Steam backlog haunting you to this day.