Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between being broke in the 90's..

It depends. You could say that the state of the global economy under Covid-19 makes this period potentially worse than any since the second World War. On the other hand, it was much easier to get credit in my country in the 90's than it is now because they brought in a lot more regulations. It was also easier to get state benefits and to stay on them than it is now.

My parents were broke in the 90s and still bought a house, because the house cost £18,000 and they had a yearly salary that was more than that.

My wife and I make three times that amount combined, but our house cost over ten times the amount my parents paid.

Now it's tons worse.
In the 90s, once you hit zero - that was it. It couldn't get any worse.
These days you can whistle on passed zero, and still be given the impression that you are not broke.

Define broke?

You definitely didn't want to be homeless in the 90's. There was no such thing as a homelessness program.

Being broke now just means being in college.