| 100% | SPACEAGE | 8 | Technologically advanced period that began with the launch of Sputnik: 2 wds. |
| 39% | BOTHSIDESNOW | 12 | 12-Down hit song that begins with the lyrics "Rows and flows of angel hair / And ice cream castles in the air" (3 wds.) |
| 39% | SPACEAGE | 8 | Time period that began with Sputnik in 1957 |
| 38% | PAXROMANA | 9 | Period that ended with the death of Marcus Aurelius |
| 38% | BUDGRANT | 8 | NFL coach whose long stint with the Vikings was the most successful period of their history: 2 wds. |
| 38% | HOLYROEMPIRE | 12 | Realm that began with the reign of Charlemagne |
| 38% | YOURTONGUE | 10 | Expression, used often against someone who goes speechless suddenly, that begins with "The cat got": 2 wds. |
| 37% | CLUE | 4 | Game that begins with the murder of Mr. Boddy |
| 36% | CLUE | 4 | Board game that begins with the murder of Mr. Boddy |
| 36% | FESTIVUS | 8 | "Seinfeld" holiday that begins with the Airing of Grievances |
| 36% | LOST | 4 | TV series that began with the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 |
| 36% | LOST | 4 | TV drama that begins with the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 |
| 35% | SEARCHPARTY | 11 | HBO Max series that opened with the main characters investigating the disappearance of a college friend: 2 wds. |
| 35% | EPSON | 5 | Company that began with the development of a printing timer for the 1964 Olympics |
| 35% | RECESS | 6 | Period that often begins with frenzied children pouring onto the playground |
| 34% | ROE | 3 | Post-___ era (period that began with the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision) |
| 34% | BACKSTREETBOYS | 14 | Band with the 1999 hit "I Want It That Way": 2 wds. |
| 34% | GREENDAY | 8 | Rock trio with the 2004 single "Boulevard of Broken Dreams": 2 wds. |
| 34% | FESTIVUS | 8 | 46-Across holiday that begins with the Airing of Grievances |
| 34% | ROMANA | 6 | Pax ___ (golden age that began with the reign of Augustus) |
| 34% | HOTSTRIKESUMMER | 15 | Moniker for the period of widespread labor activism that began with the W.G.A. walkout (May, 2023) |
| 34% | SAWIV | 5 | 2007 horror installment that begins with a microcassette being found in the stomach of the villain |
| 33% | ATOMICAGE | 9 | Period that began with a bang? |
| 33% | MUSIC | 5 | ___ streaming, 2000s cultural phenomenon that began with Napster and saw the rise of apps like Spotify and Tidal |
| 33% | DRNO | 4 | Villain with the title role in a 1962 movie that introduced 007: 2 wds. |
| 32% | BESTBET | 7 | Option with the greatest likelihood of success: 2 wds. |
| 32% | CHRISTMASCAROL | 14 | "A ___," novella by Charles Dickens that deals with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser: 2 wds. |
| 32% | HOMEWARDBOUND | 13 | 1966 Simon & Garfunkel hit that begins "I'm sittin' in the railway station ...": 2 wds. |
| 32% | BARRYWHITE | 10 | Singer with the 1974 hit "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe": 2 wds. |
| 32% | ERINANDREWS | 11 | Cohost of "Dancing With the Stars": 2 wds. |