Expensive is "in," but the range is vast—from tattered to neatly pressed, from soiled to starched white. Included are baggy pants, flannel shirts, ripped jeans, athletic shoes, combat boots, bell-bottoms, designer labels, T-shirts with slogans, and exposed underwear. Sometimes clothes reflect a specific interest or life philosophy, such as the Goth look of chains, black clothes, nail polish, and lipstick for males and females.

These include earrings for males, as well as tattoos, multiple ear piercings, and other body piercings accommodating varying types and sizes of jewelry for both sexes.

These include spiked, shaved, brightly and unusually colored, dreadlocks, and extensions.

Rap is a combination of words, rhythms, and musical riffs that began among urban black and Latino teens over two decades ago. Some of its messages relate to hip-hop, a prominent facet of today's youth culture. Rap and hip-hop are popular across geographic and racial boundaries and are even used to advertise consumer goods to adult, suburban dwellers. Heavy metal began in the psychedelic 1960s and is characterized by amplification, electronic energy, and a hard beat. Electronica music includes techno, jungle, trip-hop, and electro. Followers of ska (sometimes called the grandfather of reggae) enjoy its jazz- influenced rhythms.

Computer-based MP3s, CDs, minidiscs.

Baby Boomers may recall astonishing their parents by dancing without touching their partners; now, not even a partner is required. Raves, all-night dances held in large venues like warehouses, include a DJ who mixes and synthesizes rapidbeat music. This has been described by one (positive) critic as "spasms of noise that sound like assault-weapons fire punctuated by the booms of collapsing buildings."

Horror, slasher, disaster, action adventure, teen heroes and heroines. DVD technology.

Arcade, video, and computer games. Children who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s had a very different game experience than their parents, who may remember Pac-Man. Today’s games range from complex versions of benign games like baseball to violent (and often complex) fantasy games and adventures.

Pro wrestling, basketball, skateboarding, inline skating, BMX biking, surfing, mountainboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, street-luge, and snowskating. Some youth engage in "extreme" sports, that is, sports that take participants to the farthest, most extreme edge of danger.

The availability and use of computers exploded in the 1990s. Computers have become the learning tools, game boards, and entertainment centers for many youth.

Bursting onto the scene in the 1990s with rapid, colorful images both positive and negative, the Internet may represent the most significant cultural divide between Baby Boomers and subsequent generations. Teens keep in constant contact through e-mail and instant messaging.