1950sBirth of teenage culture - following world war II, there was a baby boom which brought about some strong youth cultures in Britain. Young people were beginning to turn away from their parents and create new cultural expressions. Among these cultural phenomenon's were the 'Teddy Boys' also known as 'Ted'. They formed gangs and became high profile rebels in the media. This young group of delinquent young men dressed in 'Edwardian' clothing who introduced anarchy into British society and used early rock and roll as their battle call.

'Teddy girls' also known as 'judies' would dress up in their own drape jackets, rolled-up jeans, flat shoes, tailored jackets with velvet collars , straw boater hats, brooches, espadrilles and elegant clutch bags. They would go to the cinema in groups and attend dances and concerts with the boys, collect rock’n'roll records and magazines. Together, they essentially cultivated the first market for teenage leisure in Britain. Despite this the media was less interested in Teddy girls since a young working class women's role was still at the time focused around the house.

1960sThe mods and rockers were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the early to mid 1960s. Media coverage of mods and rockers fighting in 1964 sparked a moral panic about British youths and the two groups became labelled as folk devils.

Mod is a youth culture of the early to mid-1960s. Focused on fashion and music, the subculture has its roots in a small group of London-based stylish young men in the late 1950s who were termed modernists because they listened to modern jazz. Significant elements of the mod subculture include fashion (often tailor-made suits); music (including Soul, SKA , and R&B); and motor scooters (usually Lambretta or Vespa). The original mod scene was associated with amphetamine -fuelled all-night dancing at clubs

Rockers, leather boys or ton-up boys are members of a biker subculture that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centred around British café racer, motorcycles and rock and roll music. The Teddy boys were considered their "spiritual ancestors". The rockers or ton-up boys took what was essentially a sport and turned it into a lifestyle, dropping out of mainstream society and "rebelling at the points where their will crossed society's". This damaged the public image of motorcycling in the UK and led to the politicisation of the motorcycling community

1970sGlam rockers followers of style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter. The flamboyant costumes and visual styles of glam performers were often camp or androgynous, and have been connected with new views of gender roles.

The punk subculture which centres around punk rock music, includes a diverse array of ideologies, fashions and forms of expression, including visual art, dance, literature and film. The subculture is largely characterized by anti-establishment views and the promotion of individual freedom. Notable trends include rebellion, individualism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia, environmentalism, vegetarianism and animal rights.

The goth culture is most closely associated with repressed teenage rebellion, outsider culture and a dark, alternative to punk. The two genres came together in the late 1970s/ Thought of as a two-fingered renunciation to sparkly-eyed, perfect preppy kids, goths favoured eyeliner and a neo-Victorian style – all in black. Goth was never about being at the cutting edge of cool, but will always live on with youth as a way to say: “I don’t conform”.

1980sNew Romantics (also called blitz kids and a variety of other names) was a pop culture movement in the UK that began as a nightclub scene around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London and Birmingham, at nightclubs such as Billy's and the Blitz, and fashion boutiques such as Kahn and Bell, it spread to other major cities in the UK and was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music.

For Britain, the Swinging 80s were a tumultuous period of social change when the young gained many levers of power away from the over-40s. London became a creative powerhouse and its pop and street fashion the toast of world capitals. All because a vast dance underground had been gagging for a very sociable revolution.

Soul boys were a working class English youth subculture of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and fans of American soul and funk music. Although the soul boy scene was huge by the early 1980s, it was centred around American funk acts and was largely working class; therefore it received far less media coverage than more middle class youth cultures of the same period, notably the new romantics.

1980s also saw the emergence and occurrence of many football hooligans firms.

1990sLad culture is a subculture initially associated with Britpop music of the 1990s. "The image of the 'lad' or 'new lad' arose in the early 1990s as a generally middle-class figure adopting attitudes usually recognised to the working classes”. These attitudes included male pastimes of drinking, watching football and sex. This culture is seen as a reaction to a time where males saw themselves battered by feminism. It is shown as males taking their masculinity back after subcultures that emerged both sexes as one with men wearing lots of makeup e.g. New Romantics.

The word "ladette" has been coined to describe young women who try to emulate laddish behaviour; it is defined as ‘Young women who behave in a boisterously assertive or crude manner and engage in heavy drinking sessions’.

Raves and acid parties became a way of life for many during the 1990s. Due to this drugs became a part of mainstream youth culture. A BBC article from 1999 stated that ‘It was found that 70% of young people said they had used drugs in the last year and 93% of those who had used drugs said they were prepared to mix substances’.

2000sDuring the 2000s, hoodies had gained a negative image, being associated with trouble making teens and anti-social behaviour. It became one of the later items associated with "chavs”, or Neds. Due to increase in gang violence crimes, hoodies became nationally feared and there were many protests in favour to have hoodies banned.

Chav refers to a anti-social subculture. Chav as an informal British derogatory meaning a young lower-class person who displays brash and loutish behaviour and wears real or imitation designer clothes.

Another issue is that new forms of media, such as the internet, create new forms of misbehaviour that have high public visibility. Incidents of “happy slapping” caught on mobile phone can be distributed around the world within minutes. Such cases bring crime “into the living room of people who may not previously have been concerned by it. This does not, however, mean that youth behaviour is worse than it used to be.

In 2008 an American magazine stated that ‘British youngsters drink far more than their European counterparts, are more frequently involved in violence and are more likely to try drugs, adding that English girls are the most sexually active in Europe.’

A BBC TV documentary suggested that "chav" culture is an evolution of previous working-class youth subcultures associated with particular commercial clothing styles, such as mods, skinheads, and casuals.