20 celebrities that are forever millennial boyfriend-coded

In 2003, Fox introduced the world to not only the lavish and dramatic lives of teens living in Orange County luxury but also the cutest boy next door — ever — in Seth Cohen. Today, Adam Brody remains in the hearts of millennials everywhere because of that role, but in 2024 fans got a semi-Seth reunion when Brody played a similar character with just as much charm in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This.

Sibling actors were all the rage in the ‘90s, from the Olsen twins to the Mowry twins. Okay, so twins were also really huge, but when it came to brotherly love…no one could outdo the Lawrence brothers. Right smack in the middle of that trio was Matthew Lawrence. He was a cutie when he acted alongside Joey and Andrew, but something magical happened when he flew solo on Boy Meets World.

For many millennials, their teenage years were spent with bangs swooped across their foreheads as they played up the teen angst in the most emo of ways, and Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy led many down that path as one of the mainstay crushes of the genre.

If there are three letters every millennial immediately understands they are JTT, always, and forever because, for way too many, this was their first crush.  

The scene in Jurassic Park, where Jeff Goldblum lies way too seductively while dinosaurs terrorize, changed the hormonal makeup of millennials.

Back when NSYNC was the end all be all, conversations always centered around Justin and JC, but the real winner was Lance. In recent years, he’s replaced everyone’s original favs due to his online presence and aging like fine wine.

When Will Smith stepped into the role of The Fresh Prince, hearts could not contain themselves. Not only was he easy on the eyes, but he oozed an irresistible level of charisma and charm.

All Devon Sawa had to do was whisper, “Can I keep you,” into Christina Ricci’s ear in 1995’s Casper and a generation was hooked. Not to mention his role in everything from Little Giants to Idle Hands. There was a moment when he sort of went MIA, but thanks to social media, millennials fell in love once more with Sawa.

Millennials will always have a soft spot for a sk8er boi in Dickies and Vans, thanks to this Southern California trio.

Jake Epstein played the ultimate red flag on Degrassi, and fans could not get enough for some reason. He was a warning sign many ignored to the point that many went on to have their own Craigs in life.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s Zack Morris has become more cringe than crush over the years, but there’s something about that bleached blonde hair and the way he looked directly into the camera that originally melted hearts and still has the capacity to do so when caught off guard.

Backstreet Boys’ resident bad boy, AJ McLean was a rebel without a cause then but has toned it down and become a cool DILF that millennials can be proud of.

Boy Meets World was crush central, but Rider Strong’s Shawn Hunter, the bad boy with a poetic heart of gold, always stood out amongst his male co-stars. How many millennials would have traded it all to live in that trailer park with him back in the day?

Usher burst onto the scene in the most sensual of ways and got millennials heated in the best of ways. Plus, the fact that he hasn’t really changed much since makes him a forever boyfriend to a multitude of people out there who still get hot and bothered when he takes things nice and slow.

Carson Daly was like the best friend of one’s older brother. You knew nothing would ever happen, and he wasn’t the cutest guy around, but he was smart, funny, and knew a lot about cool stuff, so you couldn’t help but crush. Also, he was always around after school to hang with MTV's Total Request Live!

The late Jason David Frank played the original Green Power Ranger (who later became the White Ranger), and when he came into the picture, Angel Grove and the lives of millennials everywhere changed forever.

Kurt Cobain is to Gen X what Gerard Way is to millennials.

From the ice as a Mighty Duck to the Creeks that Dawson cried into, Joshua Jackson was everywhere during millennials’ adolescence. Newsflash: he’s only gotten better with age. This is one celebrity millennials will defend until the end of their days.

So Bill Pullman’s pull is definitely one of millennials’ “hear me out” because, well, hear us out…

What millennials didn’t want their lives to be a party of two when it came to Scott Wolf?