Growing up in Hawaii we may have been a little behind but we kinda kept up. I remember hearing cool, cherry, righteous... for something good in the 70's, before bad came out. And if it was better than cool, it was "way cool." We all usually get our slang from the media be it movies, TV, or radio. And from others who heard it before we did.
Then I remember awesome become the favorite. Around when bad came out, maybe a little after... it was fresh, still in the 80s, then sweet was maybe the 90s, then "tight" after that. When Michael Jackson's song came out, bad was already the norm for good for some years. Now it's badass (one word), fire, and sick. I can't ever use sick for good, it always meant having a cold, barfing, skipping work (calling in) or being messed up in the head.
Most of us remember when goat used to be unflattering. You screwed up and lost the game, you were a goat! That changed in about the late 90s early 2000s? Maybe this goes in the non-football thread. Toss me over there if you like, mods.