Don't Mix Them Up With 'N SYNC

So, Kathy Griffin either tried to seriously dis Lance Bass or she just got her boy bands mixed up — okay, knowing Griffin, it's probably the latter. Kathy Griffin wore a Backstreet Boys shirt to Lance Bass's talk show, naturally inciting some old school BSB vs. 'N SYNC rivalry. Bass, who was obviously miffed (albeit, probably a little amused) Instagrammed her choice of a shirt and wrote:

@kathygriffin gets a punch in the gut for the shirt she wore to my talk show today! @dirtypoplive

So, are we now in for a Bass vs. Griffin feud? Probably not. After all, Griffin likes to poke at people like Bass, people who have mostly faded off of our radars save for some blue hair or that memorable failed space mission or that time he appeared on Jimmy Fallon as Billy Bass, the singing fish that belongs on a wall, so she knew she what was getting into — and it's likely Lance Bass knew that she'd poke fun at him, too.

But anyone who grew up looooving boy bands (this is where I raise my hand UNABASHEDLY), knows that it's a MAJOR faux pas to wear a Backstreet Boys shirt when in the presence of an 'N SYNC member. It's pop culture blasphemy. It breaks the code of ethics from 2001. It's...it's just wrong because there are obviously such blatant different between the two groups...even if they both were products of the Max Martin era.

Me circa 1999 would so not have tolerated that photo. Me in 2014 thinks it's kinda funny.

But if you were hardcore into BSB or you were an 'N SYNCER all the way, then you knew that these were only some of the major differences between the two boy bands.

Their Dancing Styles Were So Different

Above, you will find the video for "(Everybody) Backstreet's Back," which was essentially how the Boys got to live out their Thriller dreams. Below, you will find the 'N SYNCers tearin' up the dance floor with their moves in the "Tearin' Up My Heart" video.

Don't be fooled by the all-white outfits similar to what the Boys wore in some of their videos!

The Boys Were A Little More R&B

Above, you'll see the Boys' video for "All I Have To Give." You want to join in with Brian McKnight's "Back At One," a little, don't ya? It always felt like BSB aimed to be adult contemporary R&B artists, yet were plagued by the TRL generation's puberty woes, which played out in the form of a hearty appetite for pop music.

The Boys Sang An Awful Lot About Themsleves

"We Got It Goin' On?" "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)?" "Larger Than Life?" If you reflect on the Boys' lyrics, you'll remember that they spent a lot of time singing about how cool they were or how glad they were to be back or how grateful they were that fans made them so successful. Yes, 'N SYNC later had Celebrity, but that was a side-eye to women who only gave them lovin' for their fame. Dirrrty pop.

But while we're talking about BSB's self-oriented lyrics, it's probably an appropriate time to point out this piece of poetry:

Am I original? (Yeaah.) Am I the only one? (Yeaahhh.) Am I sexual? (Yeahhh.)

And just to point out the lyricist, each boy was not the only one as there were five of them.

But that was no matter. To quote me, in 1999: Whatevs, BSB 4EVA. (Or until 2003, I guess.)

This Haircut

Or as I like to call it, Anatomy of A Heartthrob.

'N SYNC Did Not Hesitate To Let Us Imagine What They'd Be Like As Dolls

...With the video for "It's Gonna Be Me." For all of the BSB memorabilia on the market (eBay is a wonderland if you're feeling nostalgic), 'N SYNC gave little girls and toy stores a silent blessing with this video, and then we got these:

In theory, dolls of celebrities are creepy. Actually, in practice and as an adult, they most definitely are. But they're also...collectibles.

'N SYNC Had Justin Timerblake

That's kind of a big difference, no?

Yup. It definitely is.

Images: Backstreet Boys VEVO/YouTube; lancebass/Instagram; Giphy (2); fiiregoddess/Ebay