Youth Crew

Youth crew is a late-1980s offshoot of American hardcore punk built around straight edge discipline, positivity and collective identity. Named after the crews of teenage fans who followed bands city to city, it replaced early hardcore's nihilism with anthemic singalongs, fast tempos and lyrics about abstinence, friendship and self-belief. Centered on #Revelation Records# in New York and a parallel Southern California scene, spearheaded by *Youth of Today*, *Gorilla Biscuits* and *Judge*, it favored short, urgent songs, gang choruses and an athletic, clean-cut image. Though the original wave faded by 1990, its sound and ethos remain hardcore's most imitated template.