Trying to tie music taste directly to personality forces people into boxes that don’t hold up. What you listen to is just one small part of how you express yourself — not a measure of your depth or individuality. If anything, what actually reflects someone’s character most is the impulse to mock or dismiss what others enjoy. That says far more than any playlist ever could.

Like most middle and high schoolers, I too had a huge boy band phase. My poison was Why Don’t We, the teenage boy group that came together in 2016 and is known for songs like “8 Letters” and “Something Different.” Listening to their music and obsessing over their every move was an integral part of my middle school years — arguably, one of the most enjoyable parts of them. But as I grow older and watch the new generation of pre-teen and teenage girls unfold, it seems like they aren’t having the same experience as I did.