New MAX Report Separates True Gen Z Behaviors From Life-Stage Trends

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 26, 2026--

A new report from Wavelength™ by MAX (Music Audience Exchange) suggests that many behaviors commonly labeled as “Gen Z trends” may not be generational at all. Instead, they often reflect the life stage of younger consumers or habits already established by millennials.

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The report, “The Practical Radicals: What’s Actually Gen Z, What’s Borrowed, and What’s Just Being 24,” takes a different approach to generational research. Rather than treating Gen Z as a single group, it separates respondents into “At Home” Gen Z, ages 13–20, and “Independent” Gen Z, ages 21 and older. It then compares Independent Gen Z with millennials to determine which behaviors change after age 21 and which remain consistent.

The analysis found that behaviors moving closer to millennial levels after age 21 are more likely tied to life stage. Those that remain consistent across both Gen Z groups are stronger indicators of a lasting generational difference.

Five Common Gen Z Assumptions Reconsidered

The report challenges five widely repeated beliefs about Gen Z:

The Behaviors That Appear to Be Truly Generational

The report identifies six characteristics that remain consistent across both younger and older Gen Z respondents:

“Marketers are handed a new list of ‘Gen Z trends’ every year, but many of those trends are really about becoming an independent adult,” said Jeff Rosenfeld, Chief Product Officer at MAX. “If a behavior changes as soon as someone turns 21, brands should be careful about building a long-term generational strategy around it. The more meaningful signals are the behaviors that remain consistent, including how Gen Z searches, plays, creates, and thinks about value.”

One Generation, Two Distinct Strategies

The study also found that several behaviors often attributed to Gen Z, including TikTok Shop purchases, buy-now-pay-later use, and tequila consumption, are more closely associated with ethnicity than age.

Because Gen Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation included in the study, multicultural behaviors can appear to be generational when viewed only through an age-based lens. As a result, brands may unintentionally treat “Gen Z strategy” and “multicultural strategy” as separate initiatives while targeting many of the same consumers.

“Our findings make a strong case for looking beyond broad generational labels,” Rosenfeld said. “Age still matters, but life stage, ethnicity, and culture often provide the context marketers need to understand what is actually driving a behavior.”

The full report, “The Practical Radicals: What’s Actually Gen Z, What’s Borrowed, and What’s Just Being 24,” is available free at https://wavelength.max.live/reports/gen-z in both an interactive web format and a downloadable version featuring presentation-ready graphics.

Wavelength by MAX is based on a survey of more than 14,000 nationally representative U.S. consumers ages 13–64. The research includes additional sampling of young Black and Latino consumers to support reliable analysis of more narrowly defined audience segments.

About MAX (Music Audience Exchange):

MAX (Music Audience Exchange) is the marketing technology company powering authentic partnerships between brands and music artists. More than 7,000 artists (including Alicia Keys, Luke Combs, Jon Batiste) use MAX’s direct-to-fan platform, SET®, to engage with fans and better understand their audiences. These insights enable MAX to connect brands with the right artists and reach consumers through voices they already know and trust. Every partnership is designed to drive measurable brand outcomes, from awareness and brand lift to engagement and customer acquisition. Across content, social media, and interactive live music experiences, MAX turns fan passion into results for brands including Ford, McDonald’s, Dr Pepper, Credit Karma, and more.

Watch what happens when Gen Z gains independence: bar-going (predictably) jumps from 4% to 22%. Dining out, 37% to 58%. Coffee, 32% to 44%. Podcasts nearly double. Reddit and X adoption triple. BNPL doubles. Each bar on this chart stretches toward the millennial benchmark, and most of them get there within a few years of their first paycheck.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday awarded Elon Musk Ukraine's Order of Freedom, one of its highest state honors, for his “outstanding personal merits” in protecting human life and freedom and strengthening ties with the United States.

Musk, the founder of the aerospace company SpaceX, has become one of the most influential, and contentious, private sector figures in Ukraine’s war effort. His decision to provide access to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet network, was a lifeline for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and remains critically important.

Starlink has become deeply embedded in Ukraine’s military operations, with commanders and soldiers relying on satellite connectivity to communicate and coordinate operations.

Musk’s decision-making could shape Ukraine’s future military capabilities. Starlink doesn't currently operate over Russian territory, but Zelenskyy wants Musk to reconsider the policy. That would allow Ukrainian forces to maintain satellite connectivity for longer-range drone attacks targeting Russia's military and economic infrastructure.

Musk made no immediate comment on the award, which was announced by presidential decree.

The technology has been integrated into Ukraine’s drone operations, helping operators maintain links with drones and navigate them over longer distances. Ukraine's access to Starlink is the main reason for the early successes of its middle-strike drone campaign, which caught Russian forces off guard and undermined their logistics lines earlier this year.

The campaign has put pressure on Russian logistics in Crimea, giving Ukrainian forces a degree of battlefield momentum that Kyiv has not enjoyed since its successful counteroffensives around Kherson and Kharkiv in late 2022.

Musk has allowed the Ukrainians to use Starlink inside their own territory, including in Russian-occupied regions, but has restricted use of the satellite system inside Russia.

Earlier this year, SpaceX blocked unauthorized Starlink terminals being used by Russian forces in occupied territory, strengthening Ukraine’s position.

Musk is both a crucial partner for Kyiv and a potential source of vulnerability. As Starlink has become embedded in its wartime communications, Musk and SpaceX have significant influence over how the technology can be used, making it important for Kyiv to preserve a positive relationship.

Zelenskyy has sought U.S. help in persuading Musk to permit Ukraine to expand its ability to use Starlink beyond its borders. Musk has said he believes that would be a significant and dangerous escalation, Zelenskyy told reporters last week.

A reported mix-up over whether SpaceX had approved Ukraine’s use of Starlink for operations inside Russia contributed to tensions between Zelenskyy and then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was the government's main interlocutor with Musk.

Fedorov was dismissed in July as part of a broader government shake-up.

Zelenskyy said inaccurate information from the Defense Ministry that SpaceX had approved the bid had contributed to an awkward exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the Ukrainian president of deceiving him. He did not say when that occurred.

That contributed to “some of the steps” taken against Fedorov, Zelenskyy told reporters last week, without explicitly accusing him of deliberately providing false information.

Federov's dismissal also highlights the political element of Musk’s role in Ukraine’s war effort.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Horodetskyi House during their bilateral meeting in Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)