Which era occurred just before the current era?

The era occurring before the current geologic era was the Mesozoic, which began roughly 245 million years ago and ended about 64 million years ago. The Mesozoic era consisted of three periods; from oldest to more recent, they are the Triassic, the Jurassic and the Cretaceous periods.

The Cenozoic era, which began approximately 65 million years ago, is the current era. Three periods make up this era: the Paleogene, the Neogene and the Quarternary. The current period, the Quarternary period, began around 1.8 million years ago. The Cenozoic and Mesozoic eras along with the Paleozoic era form the Phanerozoic Eon, beginning 540 million years ago and continuing through to the present time.