# Modern Mullet Haircuts: 19 Styles, From Baby Mullets to Mohawks

> All business up front.

- Canonical: https://luxe.digital/style/modern-mullet/
- Author: Editorial Team (https://luxe.digital/author/editorial-team/)
- Published: 2026-09-30
- Publisher: Luxe Digital (https://luxe.digital/)
- Cite as: Luxe Digital, "Modern Mullet Haircuts: 19 Styles, From Baby Mullets to Mohawks", https://luxe.digital/style/modern-mullet/
- AI-use policy: https://luxe.digital/ai-policy.txt

Your hair's past your collar, your mom has asked twice when you're getting it cut, and there's a mullet saved on your phone that you'd actually wear. Then you sit down and the barber asks two questions the photo doesn't answer. Fade or taper? And how much do you want to keep at the back?

Those two answers decide how loud the cut looks. The shape hasn't changed since the 1980s: short at the front and sides, long at the back. What's changed is the join. Where the 1980s cut stepped straight from short to long, today's barbers blend the two with layers, a taper or a fade.

Below are 19 modern mullets cut by working barbers, grouped the way people ask for them: fades, tapers and beards, curls, short, straight, wavy and messy hair, Asian and Korean cuts, and mohawks, long, slicked-back and classic ones. Each ends with the line to say in the chair, so pick a favorite and read it out.

## Mullet fades, tapers and beards

## Curly mullets

## Short, straight and wavy mullets

## Asian and Korean mullets

## Mohawk, long, slicked-back and classic mullets

## What is a modern mullet?

A modern mullet is a mullet with the join blended. It keeps the classic base, shorter at the front and sides with more length at the back, and uses layering, tapering and softer transitions instead of the harsh contrast of the 1980s version (Daimon Barber's description). Forte Series says the same in its own words: short sides, a longer back, and blended layers, tapers and fades adding texture and shape. Alan Howard adds that the modern version usually has a slight low fade on the sides and drops the long, thin tail.

That leaves you three choices at the barber: how you finish the sides (a fade, a taper, or neither), how much length stays at the back, and what happens at the front, from a baby mullet's short fringe to curtains or a full shag.

## Who suits a modern mullet?

Straight, wavy and curly hair can all wear one, but texture changes how much work it takes. Daimon Barber says wavy and textured hair supports the shape naturally, straight hair benefits from styling, and thick hair needs internal layering to sit well. John Frieda goes further on straight or fine hair: the cut needs volume, so expect to style it more.

For face shape, Daimon Barber says oval and square faces suit it easily, round faces benefit from height at the crown, and long faces work better with softer sides.

If your hairline is starting to go, the baby mullet is worth a look. Barber Maxwell Oakley says it's forgiving for hairlines, because you can push the fringe forward.

## What to ask your barber for

Start with the sides, because that's the choice the photo can't make for you. A fade gives a stronger contrast and a taper gives a softer clean-up around the edges, according to Fade Artist. Say where it starts (low, mid, around the ear) and how close it goes.

Then give lengths. John Frieda suggests at least three to four inches on top and at the crown for layering, and ideally five to six inches at the back. If you're still growing, say so, so the barber doesn't tidy away length you've been waiting on.

Finally, the front and the finish: a fringe, curtains or a part, and whether you want weight taken out for texture. Bring photos of the front, the side and the back, as Forte Series suggests, because the back is the part you can't see in the mirror.

## How much upkeep does a modern mullet take?

Plan on the barber every four to six weeks. That's what Daimon Barber and Forte Series both say, while John Frieda stretches it to six to eight. The sides set the pace. Fade Artist puts skin fades at every two to three weeks, low and mid fades at three to four, and tapers at four to six, and says tapers grow out more smoothly.

If you're still growing the back, Mullet Style says the nape doesn't need cutting every visit.

## Mullet fade or taper mullet: which one?

Pick a fade if you want contrast and a taper if you want the mullet to look grown in. For a first mullet, Fade Artist's advice is to start low with either one. A fade takes the whole side short and needs more visits. A taper only cleans up the edges and lasts longer between cuts. The burst fade is a third option that curves the fade around the ear, and Taper Trends says it needs a trim about every three weeks.

| | Fade | Taper | Burst fade |
|---|---|---|---|
| What changes | The whole side goes short | Only the edges are cleaned up | A half circle round the ear |
| Contrast with the back | Strong | Soft | Strong at the ear |
| Trim | Every 2 to 4 weeks | Every 4 to 6 weeks | About every 3 weeks |

## What's the difference between a wolf cut and a mullet?

A mullet is about the difference in length between the front and the back. A wolf cut is about texture everywhere. Dandies Barber describes the wolf cut as shaggy, choppy layers with a tousled look all over, and the mullet as a cut that relies on a clear step from short at the front to long behind. Ask for choppy layers through a mullet's back and your barber can give you a bit of each.

## What is a 401k mullet?

It's a Gen Z nickname for a shorter, neater, more contained mullet. CapWolf sums it up as "business up front, but far less party in the back." The name plays on the retirement account (a mullet with a sensible savings plan, if you like), and none of the sources we read says who first used it.

## How long does it take to grow a mullet?

Give it three to six months. Forte Series says about three to five to reach the length while keeping the sides trimmed, and Daimon Barber says three to six for a fuller one. Hair grows about half an inch a month, according to MedlinePlus, so three months adds about an inch and a half at the back.

Keep the sides cut the whole time. Short sides make the back look longer sooner.

## How do you style a modern mullet?

Start on damp hair. Forte Series' routine is sea salt spray, a blow-dry upward or with a diffuser, then texture clay, matte pomade or texture powder to finish. Curly hair skips the upward blow-dry for a diffuser and a curl cream. The sides are done when you leave the barber, so your mornings are about the top and the back.

## Why is the mullet back?

Partly because nobody could get a haircut. Kevin Begola of the USA Mullet Championships told Northeastern University that the pandemic brought mullets back. Partly it's the irony: senior barber Natalie Angold calls the mini mullet "the most anti-dad haircut ever." And the phrase that goes with it has been around a while. Its earliest citation, "business in the front, party in the back," is a 2001 Los Angeles Magazine article.

If you've read this far and decided the back isn't for you after all, no one has to know. Our [medium haircuts guide](/style/men-medium-haircuts/) keeps the length on top and lines up slick backs, side parts, flow and a middle part, without the party at the back.

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