Gen Z guys love individuality, gender-fluid style and a strong dose of 90s nostalgia, and their haircuts show it. In 2026, the big shift is away from very short, disconnected cuts toward styles with more length, texture and movement, from the blowout revival to wavy perms and modern mullets.
The best cut isn’t always the trendiest one. As stylists quoted by Hairdressers Journal International put it, start with the client’s lifestyle, then their expectations, and finally personalise the cut with the right tools and products.
These 16 Gen Z haircuts for guys cover every length and texture, with cutting tips, product advice and home care for each.
Long and Textured Gen Z Haircuts
1. Heartthrob Hair
Long, messy, slightly wavy hair at or past the collar, relying on natural texture rather than heavy product. Think Timothée Chalamet, Tom Holland and Harry Styles.
Joe Hecker of Joe and Co, London, gives the cutting instruction: layer the back in square and diagonal forward sections to create more length on the sides, then create square layers on top from shorter to longer connected into the sides and round layers at the crown. Finish with a feather razor at the nape and a twist cut technique to remove weight while enhancing curl.
Jim Shaw, owner and director of Toni and Guy Billericay and two-time British Men’s Hairdresser of the Year, advises home care: conditioners and hair masks are essential for long hair upkeep. For curly clients, apply a lotion, serum, or light paste with the fingers to give curls polish and body. For brushed-out curls, apply a texturising product for softness and movement.
Save2. Middle Part Flow
Medium to long hair parted in the centre and falling naturally on each side, sitting between the chin and collarbone, with soft layers so it moves rather than hangs flat.
The middle part must be a geometric centre line drawn with a tail comb from the hairline to the crown before any styling. Any deviation in the part reads clearly on the flowing length on each side and makes the style look asymmetric rather than intentional.
Apply a lightweight cream or leave-in conditioner to damp hair before rough-drying with hands. Let the hair fall naturally from the centre part and avoid touching it while it dries. A heat tool on the flow produces the opposite of what the style requires.
For more longer styles, see our long layered haircuts for men.
Save3. Wolf Cut 2.0
A wolf cut with heavier face-framing layers, a more pronounced shaggy interior and a longer back than the original. The 2026 version has more length and more texture.
The wolf cut 2.0 suits Gen Z boys with natural waves or curls specifically because the layered, weight-removed interior allows the natural texture to form and move freely through the full length. The heavier face-framing layers at the front add the editorial quality that separates this from a standard layered cut.
Style with a sea salt spray applied to damp hair and diffused on low heat for the most natural wave activation. Do not blow-dry smooth. The wolf cut 2.0 requires the natural texture to be working with the cut rather than against it.
Save4. Wavy Perm
A perm that creates soft, natural-looking waves through the hair, designed to look naturally wavy rather than chemically set. It’s popular with Gen Z guys who want an effortless, laid-back look.
A wavy perm on Gen Z boys sits between a tight curl perm and straight hair. The rod size determines the wave looseness: larger rods produce wider, looser waves and smaller rods produce tighter, more defined ones. Most Gen Z clients request the larger rod result for the natural-looking wave that does not read as permed.
Maintain with a curl cream applied to damp hair after washing and allow to air-dry. Avoid shampoo every day after a perm, which dries out the chemical wave and shortens the result’s lifespan. A sulphate-free shampoo every two to three days preserves the wave for significantly longer.
SaveShort and Cropped Gen Z Haircuts
5. Textured Crop
A short crop on top with internal texture from point-cutting and a low or mid fade on the sides. It’s an easy, low-maintenance cut for active guys.
Point-cut the top section extensively to remove weight and create the separated, textured surface that distinguishes the textured crop from a standard short crop. The top should look deliberately messy rather than flat. A flat top on a textured crop reads as a military cut rather than a Gen Z style.
Work a matte clay into slightly damp hair at the roots and through the top with your fingertips. Matte clay gives separation and hold without shine, and most Gen Z guys prefer a matte finish for this cut.
Save6. Buzz Cut
A close, even cut all over the head at one guard length. Harry Styles’ switch from curls to a buzz cut gave it a big boost, and a grown-out bleached buzz is especially popular on TikTok.
Jim Shaw advises analysing the client’s head before the cut, feeling the scalp to locate any bumps, and working more gently around those areas. Use a scissor-over-comb technique on the sides for precision, then a clipper on top.
Christian Wiles, Matrix artist ambassador, adds a personalisation technique: use a longer grade on top and a shorter grade on the sides, then fade at the base to give the cut definition that the client cannot replicate at home. Finish with a scissor-over-comb pass to soften the result.
Save7. Textured Fringe with Low Fade
A textured fringe falling slightly forward on top with a low fade on the sides. It’s still one of the most popular Gen Z cuts, easy to style and especially good on straight hair.
The fringe section requires point-cutting to create the separated, textured tips that distinguish it from a smooth French crop fringe. Blow-dry the fringe forward and then redirect slightly with the fingers while still warm for the casual, imprecise fall that Gen Z clients request rather than a perfectly shaped crop.
The low fade rather than a high or mid fade is specifically what keeps this style on the Gen Z side of contemporary rather than reading as an older barbershop style. The low fade sits close to the ear and fades gently upward rather than climbing to mid-skull.
Save8. French Crop with Low Taper
A classic French crop with a clean, horizontal fringe at the brow, a short, even top and a low taper on the sides. The low taper is one of the most requested finishes because it looks clean and professional.
The French crop differs from the textured fringe in one key way: the fringe is a deliberate blunt line rather than a textured, separated finish. The blunt line of the French crop is the graphic element that Gen Z clients request specifically.
Apply a light matte paste or a texturising cream to the top section for the hold and definition that keeps the crop lying correctly throughout the day. The low taper on the sides should be maintained every three to four weeks. The taper grows out faster than the top and loses its definition before the top section needs cutting.
SaveMullet and Retro-Inspired Gen Z Haircuts
9. Messy Mullet
A mullet with natural, undone texture on top and through the length, with the sides kept at a moderate length for softer graduation instead of a skin fade. It’s gone from lockdown joke to one of the defining cuts of the year.
Mikey Pearson of Manifesto gives the cutting instruction: think about the shape and the final look before starting. For a softer natural mullet, maintain the sides to create subtler graduation. For a more extreme look, take the sides in much tighter for a starker contrast.
Pearson continues: maintain all of the length in the back until the hair is dry, then visually reduce the length using a point cutting or slicing technique. Once dry, texturise with a cream-based product to enhance the natural texture for a more natural look, or a matt clay or medium hold paste for a more styled result.
Save10. Modern Mullet with Burst Fade
A modern mullet with a burst fade that curves around and behind the ear instead of a straight taper, giving it a sharper, more graphic look than the classic messy mullet.
The burst fade curves in a semicircle behind the ear, keeping the back length fully intact while the sides transition from shorter to skin in the curved burst shape. This is a barber technique rather than a home technique and requires a skilled fade hand to produce the curved transition cleanly.
Style the mullet top and back with a light texturising paste worked through with the fingertips. The burst fade sides need no product. All product belongs in the length sections only.
Save11. Wet Mop Haircut
A mix of a bowl cut’s structure and a shag’s texture, with choppy layers on top and shorter sides and back. It’s a softer, more modern take on the bowl cut.
Jim Shaw provides the technique: the wet mop has the same structure as the bowl cut but is much more textured and natural in appearance. The key is a choppy, layered top with sides and back created shorter with clippers. The choppiness of the top layer is what prevents the wet mop from reading as the traditional bowl cut.
Marney Lian of Gritt London adds the overarching client approach: understand the client’s lifestyle, work with their expectation, and personalise with the right styling tools and razor finishes. A wet mop on a Gen Z client who cannot recreate the choppy texture at home becomes a frustrating cut within a week.
Save12. 90s Blowout Revival
A voluminous blow-dried style with lots of lift at the roots and a slight wave or flip at the ends, blown back from the face in classic 90s heartthrob style.
Blow-dry the roots upward and backward from the face with a round brush before following through to the ends with a slight outward roll. The blowout requires a volumising mousse at the roots before blow-drying to achieve the lift that the style needs to photograph correctly. A flat-rooted blowout reads as a styled wet look rather than a true blowout.
For more polished looks, see our professional business hairstyles.
SaveStatement and Genre-Specific Gen Z Haircuts
13. Curtain Bangs on Medium Length
Medium-length hair with a centre-parted curtain fringe falling on each side of the forehead, framing the face at the eyes.
The curtain bang on a Gen Z boy requires the fringe to be cut longer in the centre and shorter as it moves toward each temple, producing the arched shape that falls outward on each side of the face. A curtain fringe cut at a uniform length does not produce the curtain fall. The length graduation from the centre outward is the specific cut that creates it.
Save14. Broccoli Perm
A perm on the top section of a short to medium cut, creating a dense, springy mass of curls at the crown, said to look like a head of broccoli.
The broccoli perm uses small rods applied only to the top section, leaving the sides and back at their natural texture or faded. The contrast between the dense curled crown and the shorter or faded sides is the specific visual that makes the style read as intentional rather than simply unkempt.
Maintain with a curl cream applied to the perm section only on damp hair after washing. The straight or faded sides need no product. Over-applying product to both sections simultaneously flattens the contrast that makes the broccoli perm its distinctive shape.
Save15. Blowout Taper
A blow-dried top with lots of root lift paired with a clean taper on the sides. It adds volume and movement to a short cut while keeping the sides neat.
The blowout taper differs from the 90s blowout in that the sides are tapered rather than left at any length, and the top volume is more controlled and directed backward rather than freely blown. The taper is what makes this style appropriate across a wider range of occasions than the full 90s blowout.
Apply a volumising mousse at the roots before blow-drying and use a medium-round brush to lift the roots upward and backward as the dryer follows each section. The taper on the sides maintains the polish while the blown top provides the movement that Gen Z clients want from a short cut.
Save16. Warrior Cut
Longer top sections with strong face-framing layers and short, close-cropped or faded sides. The contrast makes the top look longer and more dramatic. It’s a popular alternative to a standard fade for straight hair.
The warrior cut suits Gen Z clients who want maximum visual impact from their haircut without committing to a mullet or a dramatically long style. The shorter sides make the long, face-framing top sections appear even longer and more dramatic than they would on a uniform-length style.
For advice on choosing cuts for your face shape, see our haircuts for men with round faces.
SaveConsulting Gen Z Boys in the Chair
A good consultation covers three things: how much time the client has to style their hair, what they expect from the cut, and which products, tools and finishes will make it work for them.
Gen Z clients specifically bring TikTok and Instagram references rather than magazine images. The reference image tells you the finish they want. The consultation tells you whether their hair type and lifestyle can deliver that finish at home between appointments.
Recommending home care products matters as much as the cut. Clients who can recreate the look at home are far more likely to come back.
Frequently Asked Questions
What haircuts do Gen Z boys want in 2026?
Gen Z guys are moving toward more length, texture and movement. The mullet is one of the standout cuts of the year, along with the textured crop, low taper, middle part flow, wavy perm, wolf cut and textured fringe with a low fade. Classic Gen Z staples like heartthrob hair, the buzz cut and the wet mop are still going strong.
How do you cut Gen Z boy hair?
It depends on the style. Longer looks like heartthrob hair need careful layering to keep length on the sides and texture on top. Mullets work best when the shape is planned first and the back length is refined once the hair is dry. Buzz cuts benefit from checking the scalp first and using scissor-over-comb on the sides for precision.
What products do Gen Z boys use for their hair?
Matte products dominate: matte clays and pastes for short textured cuts, cream products for natural mullets and longer styles, sea salt spray for waves, and curl cream to maintain perms. Long curly hair benefits from a light lotion, serum or paste applied with the fingers.
Does the buzz cut still suit Gen Z boys in 2026?
Yes. The buzz cut is still a Gen Z favourite, especially the grown-out bleached version, and its low-maintenance appeal suits busy lifestyles.
What makes a haircut Gen Z?
Gen Z generally refers to people born from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. Their haircuts reflect individuality, gender-fluid style and a love of 90s and early 2000s looks, like the mullet, the blowout and the wet mop. Above all, Gen Z cuts work with natural texture rather than fighting it.
Final Thoughts
Gen Z haircuts for guys in 2026 come down to one idea: texture, length and movement over short and disconnected. The mullet leads, with the wavy perm, wolf cut and middle part flow close behind.
The consultation still matters most. Understanding each client’s lifestyle, expectations and how they’ll style it at home is what makes a cut they’ll love rather than one they grow out in six weeks.
