Axe is betting Gen Z is ready for a whiff of Y2K

Spray tell: Axe is bringing back old-school scents and leaning into Y2K nostalgia.

Axe US Axe is embracing its Y2K roots — but going easier on the spray this time.

It's reviving old fragrances, and winking at the marketing that made it famous.

It has new tech for a lighter spray to cut the infamous locker-room cloud effect.

Unilever's deodorant brand Axe has spent the past decade evolving from the bro-y, hypersexualized ads that made it famous in the 2000s.

Now, with Gen Z obsessing over Y2K nostalgia , the brand is nodding to its heritage — with a wink.

Axe on Monday said it is bringing back three of its "cult-favorite" fragrances: Kilo, Touch, and Anarchy, for a limited period.

There's one key difference from the Axe cans of yore: The company said it has introduced new technology for a more controlled spray.

In other words, they're designed not to engulf the entire locker room in a pungent cloud at the press of the nozzle.

To back the launch, Axe is rolling out two online video spots.

Both show men embracing their female partners.

When the guys spray Axe — lightly — their partners say, "I wish I'd met you earlier," before the ads reveal the guys' younger, nerdier selves.

"You got better.

So did we," the tagline reads.