90s kids or 90's kids or 90s' kids or '90s kids

Question

I have been checking on which of these is grammatically correct. Should we use "90s kids" or "90's kids" or "90s' kids" or "'90s kids"? I checked on many forums and platforms like Reddit, Oxford, and many others. People discuss 90s kids and 90's kids and '90s kids, but no one talks about 90s' kids which I think is most appropriate as we use s' for plurals. Here is my research:
Oxford Dictionaries: How To Use An Apostrophe (’).
Reddit: 90s vs 90's. Which one is correct? (August 2015).
Some even say that it should be written '90s as we are omitting 19 from 1990. So what do you all think?

therightstuff · Answer

If you're writing the number out, it would be nineties' kids, so 90s' would be the appropriate numerical format. Having said that, the 90s are are contraction for 1990s so it seems to me that '90s' would be technically correct, although it really doesn't look good so I'd stick with 90s'.

Answered by therightstuff on May 31, 2021

Kris · Answer

Technically, the first (leading) apostrophe is for omission (of "19" in "1990"),

1990 → '90 omission

90 → 90s  plural → 90s'  possessive, plural

→ '90s'

and the second (trailing) apostrophe is for plural possession, ending up in "'90s' (kids)."

But oh, bother! I'd think "90s kids" eminently serves the purpose without ambiguity.

90s kids or 90's kids or 90s' kids or '90s kids

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