A boom box is a large portable radio and cassette player (or later, CD player) that became wildly popular in the 1980s.

Picture a rectangular box about the size of a small suitcase, with two large speakers on either side and a handle on top for carrying. Boom boxes ran on batteries or could be plugged into a wall, making them truly portable. Kids and teenagers would carry them on their shoulders through neighborhoods, playing their favorite songs loud enough for everyone to hear. Some boom boxes were massive, with speakers as big as dinner plates, while others were more compact.

Before smartphones and earbuds, a boom box was how you shared music with friends outdoors. You'd bring one to the beach, a basketball court, or a block party. DJs and breakdancers helped make boom boxes famous in hip-hop culture, but people of all kinds used them. The devices had recording features too, so you could tape songs off the radio or record yourself and your friends.

While boom boxes are mostly obsolete now, replaced by smaller Bluetooth speakers, they remain icons of 1980s culture. You still see them in movies set during that era, usually perched on someone's shoulder with music blasting.