Claim: Generation X has no exact dating for its defining characteristic.

Generation X , or Gen X , is the demographic cohort following the baby boomers . There are no precise dates for when this cohort starts or ends ; demographers and researchers typically use starting birth years ranging from the early-to-mid 1960s and ending birth years ranging from the late 1970s to early 1980s . Generation X is a relatively smaller demographic cohort sandwiched between two larger demographic cohorts , the baby boomers and the millennials .   Members of Generation X were children during a time of shifting societal values and as children were sometimes called the `` latchkey generation '' , due to reduced adult supervision compared to previous generations , a result of increasing divorce rates and increased maternal participation in the workforce , prior to widespread availability of childcare options outside of the home . As adolescents and young adults , they were dubbed the `` MTV Generation '' -LRB- a reference to the music video channel of the same name -RRB- and characterized as slackers and as cynical and disaffected . Some of the cultural influences on Gen X youth were the musical genres of grunge and hip hop music , and indie films . In midlife , research describes Gen X adults as active , happy , and as achieving a work -- life balance . The cohort has been credited with entrepreneurial tendencies .