Gen Z Haircuts: What Young Men Are Asking For

Every generation has its haircuts, and from behind the chair in Bedok we get a front-row seat to what’s moving. Right now the requests coming from younger men, secondary schoolers, poly students and NS boys on weekend leave, have a distinct flavour. They’re textured, a little playful, and shaped as much by TikTok and K-drama as by the barber’s classics. This is our barber’s-eye roundup of the Gen Z haircuts we’re asked for most in Singapore, what each one actually is, and how to ask for it without getting lost in translation.

Why Gen Z Cuts Look Different

If you grew up on neat side partings and short back-and-sides, today’s youth cuts can look almost the opposite. The through-line is texture and volume rather than slickness. Where older styles prized control, these embrace a bit of controlled mess, curtains that fall, fringes that flick, curls left to do their thing. Understanding that shift makes the individual styles below click into place. Most of them also share a longer top, which means how you style and grow it out matters as much as the cut itself.

The Broccoli and the Edgar

Two names you’ll hear constantly. The broccoli cut is exactly what it sounds like: short or faded sides with a mound of tight curls or curled-up texture piled on top, resembling a floret. It’s playful, it suits wavy-to-curly hair, and it’s hugely popular with the younger crowd. Our full breakdown of the broccoli and Edgar haircut in Singapore goes deeper if this is your vibe.

The Edgar is its close cousin: a blunt, straight-across fringe at the front paired with tight sides, giving a bold, geometric frame to the face. The two often get mentioned together because they share that heavy-top, sharp-sides logic. Ask for a broccoli if you want curls and roundness; ask for an Edgar if you want a strong, straight fringe line.

Middle-Part Curtains and Two-Block

The middle-part curtains look is arguably the defining Gen Z cut here. The hair is grown to a medium length and split down the centre so it frames the face in two soft curtains. It’s the style behind a lot of the K-pop and K-drama looks our clients bring in on their phones. Pair it with a two-block cut, where the sides and back are cut short while the top is left disconnected and long, and you’ve got the combination young men ask for by the dozen. Our guide to two-block and comma hair covers how to get that signature curtain flick, and the roundup of men’s fringe styles in Singapore is handy if the front is your focus.

Mullets and Wolf Cuts

Yes, the mullet is back, and no, it doesn’t look like your uncle’s. The modern version is textured and softened, business at the front, party at the back, but styled with intent rather than as a punchline. Younger clients love it because it’s expressive and a bit contrarian. See our take on the mullet for men in Singapore for the modern shape.

The wolf cut pushes further: it’s a shaggy, layered blend of a mullet and a shag, all feathered ends and volume, and it’s genuinely gender-neutral in its appeal. It thrives on wavy hair and a willingness to let things look a little wild. Our wolf cut in Singapore guide shows how far you can take it. Torn between the two? Our hush cut vs wolf cut comparison helps you decide.

Textured Fringe and How to Ask For It

If the bolder cuts feel like a lot, the textured fringe (also called a textured crop) is the safe, sharp all-rounder. Short, tidy sides with a choppy, forward-styled fringe on top, it flatters almost every face shape and grows out gracefully. It’s the cut we most often recommend to a young man who wants something current without committing to curtains or a mullet.

The single biggest favour you can do yourself is stop relying on style names alone. Names travel differently, and one shop’s broccoli is another’s curls-on-top. Bring a photo. Then describe three things: how short you want the sides (or whether you want a fade), how long you want the top, and how you like to style it, curtains, forward fringe, or upward volume. That’s the language every barber understands. Here’s a quick reference to keep the conversation clear.

Keeping It School and NS-Friendly

Here’s where we save you a lecture from the discipline master or a redo before booking in. Singapore schools and the SAF have real grooming rules, hair off the collar and ears, no extreme lengths, and we cut with those in mind every day. The good news: most of these trends have a compliant version. A textured fringe can be kept above the brow and neat at the sides. A two-block can be worn with the top short enough to pass inspection. Curtains can be grown out over the holidays and tidied back before term starts.

For NS boys, the trick is planning the grow-out. Tell us your booking date and we’ll shape a cut that stays regulation now but sets you up to style it out later. And once you’re back to full freedom, keeping any of these looking fresh comes down to the same fundamentals we cover in our guide to maintaining a fade in Singapore, since most of these cuts sit on faded or short sides.

Whether you want the full broccoli or just a smart textured fringe that keeps you out of trouble, our barbers will translate the photo on your phone into a cut that works for your hair and your rules. Men’s cuts start from $40. Browse our haircuts, book a chair at Orange & Teal in Bedok, or WhatsApp us and tell us what you’re after.