Types of Relationships in Gen Z – Love in the Age of Wi-Fi & DMs
- Neha Kumari
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
1. Situationships
We are not dating but are not just friends either.
This is the Gen Z-est thing. It happens when there is closeness, emotionally and/or physically between two people, the lack of a label, commitment and frequently, clarity.
It is cool… till it becomes perplexing and bruising emotionally.
2. Talking Stage
That area of the pre-relationship where everything is in a state of excitement, but nothing is clearly defined.
This is at that stage when you are already texting, flirting, possibly calling one another every night, yet not officially together.
Lots of relationships stop at this point either because of fear of commitment or the overthink.
3. Soft Launch Relationships
An affair that is being downplayed on social media without being explicitly stated.
Sharing their hand, a mirror selfie scraped together, or tagging them in stories with no indication of them being boyfriends/girlfriends.
Gen Z has been known to prefer privacy to PDA, at least until the hard launch or a break up occurs.
4. Online/Long-distance Relationships
Geography-less love.
Many young people in Gen Z begin relationships on Instagram, Discord, or dating apps and even across borders. These depend a lot on communications, trust, virtual closeness.
5. Relationships of Healing Together
Trauma bonding, only make it romantic.
They both have experienced something: broken-up, mental health problems, and loneliness and they feel good in each other.
These are emotionally profound, rich and also unstable as most of them rarely heal unless they also do on an individual level.
6. Friends with benefits (FWB)
Friendship and physical closing, no romance (preferably).
Gen Z is full of FWBs because that generation is trying to discover themselves and is not mature enough to be committed.
The challenge?
One of them is likely to develop feelings and the friendship is at risk to expire.
7. Hyper-Independent Connections
I love you, still I require my own space.
Gen Z might tend to be emotionally independent even when it comes to relations thanks to the culture of therapy and personal boundaries.
During their being in love, they want to grow, develop a career and have their own spaces in life which somethimes results in distancing emotional relationships.
8. Codependent Relationships
The dark side of Independence.
Although people are busy attempting to self-love, others end up in the phase of a toxic emotional dependency, which occurs when one cannot work without the participation of another person.
Such can be quite intense, romantic, and at the same time tiring and unhealthy.
9. Open/Polyamorous Relationships
Non monagamy, yet by consent.
The youngest generation Gen Z is the least conservative in love constructions.
Others do open relationships or polyamory founded on trust and consent, however, mature limits are necessary.
10. Unlabelled Relationships
We have not a name to give to what we have.
There are individuals who are in love and do not subscribe to the conventional terms such as boyfriend/girlfriend.
They use their self-created terminology - sometimes it sounds great, sometimes it causes misunderstandings.
11. The Post-Break up Friendship
You are still texting your ex? You do not do it alone.
Even Gen Z exes are maintaining some form of contact with each other, either attempting to remain in a friendship or gradually relapse into situationship.
There are moments when it is very difficult to find the line between closure and confusion.
12. DM-Only Destroyers
A relationship that blossoms and dies in the DMs.
You can chat daily, respond to posts, transfer memes, still, never agree to meet or put a label on something. It is associated without real-life effort.
13. Singleness of Healing Era
Going the option of peace, therapy and self-love rather than going after love.
More members of Gen Z are opting out of dating life on purpose: developing their self-actualization, establishing boundaries, and practicing non-dating (temporarily or permanently).
Not lonely and rather empowering.
14. Rebound Relationships
Coming out of a break up and immersing into something, too soon.
They are normally short term distractions, which are felt strongly, but a few moments later they die out.
Widely applied in order not to cope with loss or lack.
15. We Kicked Off on a Meme Page Love
The thing is funny - but it is true.
It is no longer rare that so many Gen Z dating stories start off in meme pages, fandom communities, or other online communities where, chemistry generated through humor and common interests is on full display before anyone thinks about looks.
Final Thought:
The relationship styles of Gen Z represent their generation, digitally oriented, emotionally sensitive, boundary experimental, and self-discovery.
Love is no longer a straight on road.
It is a chonky, meme-ridden, text-heavy labyrinth of lots of we-will-see-where this goes.
📅 By News Anek Digital Desk | July 13, 2025
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