Why Gen Z Is Ditching Dating Apps for Run Clubs, Book Clubs and Real-Life Meet-Cutes
A generation that grew up with Tinder is logging off — and looking for love at run clubs, book clubs and bird-watching meetups instead. The shift has real consequences for the dating industry and for anyone hoping to meet someone in 2025, with major platforms now scrambling to adjust as Gen Z signals it wants chemistry it can feel in person.
The “meet-cute,” defined by Merriam-Webster as “a cute, charming, or amusing first encounter between romantic partners (as in a movie),” is being revived by younger daters frustrated with swipe culture.
Why Gen Z Is Leaving Dating Apps Behind
A 2024 survey by Forbes found that more than 75% of Gen Z users feel burnt out by dating apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble. The complaint is consistent: users say they spend significant time on the apps without finding genuine connections.
Ilana Dunn, host of the Seeing Other People podcast and former content lead at Hinge, told Fortune in 2025 that she expects more Gen Z and millennial users to shift toward in-person meetups to find relationships.
“I do think [dating apps have] come a long way in helping curate healthy dating behaviors,” Dunn said. “But I also think there are just so many people who are using them so passively.”
How the Meet-Cute Is Making a Comeback
Run clubs, cycling groups, intramural sports, master classes, singles events and book clubs are emerging as the new social hubs where younger adults hope to meet someone organically.
A 2025 survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by ThriftBooks found that 23% of book club members had met someone they were romantically interested in through their reading group. Among generations, 47% of Gen Z and 45% of Gen X said they would prefer a book club meet-cute over app-based dating.
Dunn said she expects continued growth in master classes, singles events and social gatherings designed specifically for meeting potential partners.
How Dating Apps Are Responding
The major platforms are not ignoring the trend. Earlier in 2025, Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Match Group, acknowledged in a letter posted to LinkedIn that dating apps can feel like a numbers game that leaves “people with the false impression that we prioritize metrics over experience.”
That admission led Hinge, Bumble and Tinder to roll out new features. Tinder, for example, introduced a feature allowing users to pair with friends for double dates.
“This is the way Gen Z wants to connect,” Rascoff said. “They want to vibe their way through meeting people.”
What It Means for the Future of Dating
Even with those updates, Dunn said she does not think dating apps can fully recover without pushing users into the real world.
“They can try to come up with more ways to [allow] people to assess chemistry, but unless they are really pushing people to meet in real life by maybe creating more in-person activations and events where people can assess, ‘Oh, is there a vibe here?’ I don’t know that they will make the comeback to being as big as they once were.”
For Gen Z, the signal is increasingly clear: the spark they’re looking for is more likely to happen at mile three of a Saturday run club than in another swipe session.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
