When I first began designing themes for Xanga, Diaryland, Angelfire, and Myspace as a self-taught 12-year-old coder in the early 2000s, I never could have imagined a place like the Web Design Museum would one day exist. Filled with thousands of retro web designs, this time capsule is like a walk down memory lane.

Revisiting these early designs brings a smile to my face and reminds me of simpler times—when the World Wide Web was much less complicated and filled with endless possibilities.

Retro Website Designs from the Early 90’s and 2000’s

Honestly, you could spend HOURS upon hours at the Web Design Museum and not get bored (okay, maybe only me). But from McDonlad’s to Lenny Kravitz (who knew Lenny was so ahead of the curve?!), there is plenty of nostalgia to be had at the Web Design Museum.

You can browse themes like the Golden Age of Web Design, CSS Pioneers, Early 90’s Design, and more! Here are a few that caught my eye.

The World’s Very First Website (1998)

What better place to start than the world’s very first website in 1991? Ah, Times New Roman at its best.

Early 2000’s Social Media Website Design

Next, let’s look at some social media websites like Twitter, YouTube, and Thefacebook (yes, that’s what it used to be called!)

Twitter (2006)

I forgot this is what the Twitter logo originally looked like! So bubbly and fun : )

Thefacebook (2004)

Yes, indeed, kids; back in the day, Facebook was called Thefacebook. The screenshot above shows how Facebook looked in 2004, the year it was founded.

>And this is how Facebook looked in 2008 which is when I created my FB account (I still have the same one today!).

YouTube (2005)

And then, of course, there is YouTube. I’m starting to miss these stripped-down designs, are you?

Web design from the 90s and 2000s

Of course, I couldn’t end there without showcasing off a few more!

Google (1998)

Google, is that you?! This is Google, excuse me, Google Beta, in 1998. I love all the exclamation points and totally forgot about the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button … can we bring that back, please?

Space Jam (1996)

I can still sing the Space Jam theme song word for word three decades later. This retro website design has been in my FEELS.

Apple (1995)

A few other noteworthy Apple website designs were when the first iPod came out in 2003 and when the first iPhone was released in 2007.

Windows 95 (1996)

Ah, the good old repeating background pattern. We hadn’t yet learned about overlays. Oh look! They’re hosting a design contest for their website!

NeoPets (2001)

NeoPets is likely what fostered my love for animals. It taught me how to be a responsible pet owner! That, and Gigapets.

Yahoo (1994)

Oof, Yahoo is looking a little rough. But hey, it was 1994. Times New Roman was THE it font.

Amazon (1995)

Amazon clearly has the same designer with the default gray background, sexy Times New Roman font, and default blue text links (sarcasm :P). Could you imagine what our world would be like now if Amazon had just stuck to selling books?!

AOL (2005)

Fun Fact: I learned how to type super fast by using AOL Instant Messenger to chat with my friends after school and on weekends.  Ah, those were the good ‘ole days!

Final Thoughts

As I look back on those early design days, it’s incredible to see how far web design has come. No matter how much things change, there’s always something special about the simplicity and creativity of those early internet years.

What about you? Do you remember your favorite Myspace profile themes or early blog designs? Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear about your own nostalgic internet moments!