THE 30 MOST POPULAR URBAN TRIBES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The urban tribes are groups of people who have a close association based on lifestyles or similar activities. These groups generally share common interests different from the interests of the main culture.

They are made up of groups of people with a common distinctive identity: the same aesthetic codes, the same identity symbols, the same rules, the same language, the same music and the same ideology. They are a reflection of what they love or hate and their own instincts.

Currently, there are many types of urban tribes, each with its own characteristics. These tribes grouped certain people who have the same ideologies and generally demonstrate them in their way of dressing, activities or attitudes.

Each urban tribe is characterized by its own ideology that makes a difference and how it affects their lifestyle. Dress is a typical way to expose your ideologies. Another way to express it is to reflect your ideology in your lifestyle.

The main object is to find a group of people who share the same thoughts and who share an urban culture similar to that of the individual.

Main characteristics of urban tribes

Urban tribes group people with the same ideologies, common habits, way of dressing and the same musical tastes that differentiate them from the rest of society.

Between the 60s and 70s the first tribes appeared in cities like New York and London. They are currently found in large cities around the world and are characterized by marking their own ideology, lifestyle, communication codes, customs and language according to the group they belong to.

Tribes share stereotypical tastes and behaviors that satisfy a shared emotional need. In other words, aesthetic, musical, sexual, expressive, communicative and symbolic behavior is what defines each tribe.

Tribes are intolerant of other tribes, as they only feel free and safe with their peers.

They are indifferent to criticism from different societies or tribes, since they create their own forms of organization, concepts and codes about their lifestyle.

Although tribes belong to society, they do not feel part of it, because they define their own identity.

List of the main urban tribes

Emos

This urban tribe was born in the 80s, derived from the punk musical genre; its name comes from 'Emotional Hardcore Music'.

They are spread throughout America, Asia and Europe, most of their members are adolescents between 14 and 20 years old.

Emos have a pessimistic outlook on life. They are concerned about their appearance and do not believe in religions.

They usually wear straight hair that covers part of their face, eyebrow or lip piercings, black eyeliner, black T-shirts, and converse sneakers.

Rappers

Rappers enjoy rap music; they also generally make graffiti and dance breakdance. They are characterized by wearing loose clothing and large sizes; oversized sweatshirts, hats, T-shirts, and shoes are common.

Additionally, they also wear a lot of large and flashy jewelry such as diamond earrings, gold chains, rings, and large watches. They usually have tattoos.

Gothic

This urban tribe born in the 80s is derived from punk. They usually meet in specific bars. They are apolitical and admire elements related to death and the occult. They listen to gothic music.

They usually wear black clothing made of leather, black eyeliner, and silver accessories; they incorporate religious elements such as crosses or five-pointed stars in their clothing.

Heavies

This urban tribe was born in England in the 70s deriving from rockers with a hippie ideology. It is one of the most widespread urban tribes, especially among the popular classes.

Heavies enjoy going out on the weekends, listening to the music of heavy metal bands, going to concerts and sometimes smoking cannabis. They are anti-militaristic and anti-authoritarian. They are almost never violent.

They have long hair and wear jeans, leather jackets and black T-shirts with the logo of their favorite music bands.

Hippies

This urban tribe was born in the 1960s with the Vietnam War. They don't like politics, they tend to have anarchist ideas; they proclaim themselves as lovers of nature, peace and love. They usually like and smoke marijuana and experiment with psychedelic drugs.

They have long hair and wear colorful, loose clothing. They usually wear clothes with a tie-dye print (tie-dye).

Punks

This urban tribe was born in the 70s in opposition to the decline of culture. They are currently quite radical.

In bars they are generally mixed with skinheads and heavies. They have an anarchist, anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist ideology. Sometimes they are quite violent and like to listen to punk music.

They are characterized by having hair in the form of large and colorful ridges, they have many piercings and tattoos. They usually wear black leather jackets and black T-shirts with symbols of anarchy or with some social slogan.

Skaters

This urban tribe is derived from the sport Skateboarding, which involves sliding on a wheeled board to perform a variety of tricks.

Unlike other urban tribes that are derived from musical or aesthetic genres, skateboarders are the practitioners of this sport.

Skateboarders are in the skate lifestyle; most do not have a defined aesthetic and do not have a specific musical preference.

Rastafarians

This urban tribe follows Rastafarianism; They usually listen to reggae, hip hop and ska. They enjoy a simple lifestyle that is as natural as possible. They value peace, happiness and friendship.

They usually wear their hair in the form of dreadlocks, wear sandals and comfortable and large clothes. They generally use the colors of the Jamaican flag.

Otakus

This urban tribe has a fascination for Japanese culture and music. They enjoy reading comics, manga movies, and video games.

They often wear costumes or dress up as their favorite anime or comic characters.

Hipsters

Members of this urban tribe enjoy indie and alternative music. They have aesthetic interests unconventional to mainstream culture and enjoy vintage aesthetics, both in clothing and decoration.

They like to frequent places little known or different from the popular, organic and artisan food, alternative lifestyles and usually have peaceful progressive and environmental points of view.

Rockabillies

Source: Natasha Ryan / Ihateanarchists at en.wikipedia / Public domain

This tribe can be considered to be halfway between hipsters and punks. They celebrate the classic rock of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Bill Haley. It has its roots in the 1950s in the southern United States.

They often wear leather biker jackets, classic cut jeans, vintage tattoos, and neatly styled hair.

Steampunks

Source: Tyrus Flynn / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

This urban tribe seeks to imagine the future through the eyes of the past. This means that the technology is not based on computers but on steam engines.

Its aesthetic is Victorian with elements of old technologies. Its members use materials such as leather, metal and lace, accompanied by a certain neutral palette such as copper.

Her fans generally don't go about their day dressed in this way, but attend conventions where they can meet others who share this passion.

Swaggers

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It is a tribe addicted to consumption. They have a particular point to show off, they like to be observed, they look for a particular style of clothing that defines them and that serves to attract attention.

They only wear clothes, accessories and shoes from recognized brands.

The use of state-of-the-art mobile phones is essential and they are always looking for places that have free Wi-Fi access.

They know all the management of social networks, since they use them to inform about their way of life through photos and videos.

Muppies

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This tribe is known for leading a healthy life. They are also addicted to social networks and are loyal lovers of technology.

Muppies are between the ages of 25 and 35, are professionals, are highly trained, and choose personal satisfaction over pay.

They impose their own informal style, they wear brand names without following trends.

They like to do sports activities outdoors, such as Pilates, yoga, and running. They enjoy healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

The members of this tribe love to travel, learn about different cultures and cuisines.

Rolinga

Source: en: User: Dawkeye and en: User: Mrhyak. Collage and image editing by User: Jkelly. / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)

The Rolinga tribe was born in Argentina in the mid-1980s, based on the influence of Mick Jagger and the music of the Rolling Stones.

The rolingas are characterized by using the style developed in the 60s by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Its members wear bracelets on their wrists, a frayed scarf around the neck, shirts from some movement band and ripped, jogging or Jamaican pants.

Flogger

Source: Virginia Wencelblat / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Floggers represent a cult of their own image, where their members want to be recognized, have a large following and be famous, which is why they are very popular among teenagers.

Members of the flogger tribe focus on themselves. They are not violent and are indifferent to political and economic issues

The flogger tribe was born in Argentina and later expanded to Latin America. It is related to fotolog.com, a website where photos are published and comments can be made.

His wardrobe style is based on close-fitting, brightly colored pants with loose V-neck shirts. Floggers only listen to electronic music.

Mods

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The tribe of mods originated in the UK in late 1958 and was based on fashion and music. Followers of this trend only wanted the most expensive and most popular of the moment.

The mods only drove scooters and were at the forefront of fashion and music on the European continent.

Tomboy

Source: Rambler0 / Public domain

The women belonging to this tribe are characterized by wearing male clothing and are very feminine in other aspects.

However, you can find tomboy women who behave like men.

In this tribe you can also get women who dress as men, but both masculine and feminine attitudes are combined.

Gamers

Sergey Galyonkin from Raleigh, USA / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

The tribe of gamers is made up of video game fans.

The members who are part of the gamers play for many hours with great dedication. A true gamer knows all the terms and new technologies used in video games.

They are interested in complex and difficult games to handle. They spend hours practicing to know and exploit all the hidden aspects of the video game.

Pokemon

Source: Sarah Jones from Boise, USA / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

This tribe was born in Chile and its name comes from the Pokémon series. The members refuse to grow up, consider that the responsibilities belong to adults, and live in a fantasy world.

As for their style, they wear highly produced hairstyles with a lot of gel, they make up their eyes and they wear piercings in different areas of the face and body. The clothing is loose, very bright, or brightly colored.

Cumbieros

Source. Eneas De Troya from Mexico City, México / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

The Cumbieros tribe groups young people who are interested in the musical genre of the cumbia and its subgenres, such as the cumbia villera.

Cumbieros tend to be violent and their vocabulary is quite precarious, inappropriate and disrespectful.

The tribe is mainly found in Latin American countries and its members are characterized by long hair, piercings and tattoos.

Men wear loose clothing and women tight clothing, sports shoes, hats, among other accessories.

Chacas

Source: P-utos chakas / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The members of the Chacas tribe are young between 12 and 25 years of age.

They are characterized by behaving inappropriately, wearing designer and flashy clothing, caps and bracelets. They swear and are devoted to Saint Jude Thaddeus.

The Chacas were born in the slums of Mexico. His musical tastes include tribal, cumbiaton and reggaeton.

Reggaetoneros

Source: ElDomi Supremo / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The reggaetoneros tribe is made up of those who listen to reggaeton music and adopt the customs of their musical idols.

Men's clothing is loose fitting pants and shirts, while women's clothing is characterized by being tight and sensual.

Men often wear long necklaces, gold rings and bracelets, sunglasses, very short hair or braids, hats, and designer clothes.

The tribe is found primarily in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Panama.

Grunges

Source: Derricklasaga / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

This urban tribe was born in Seattle, United States in the mid-90s. They are very interested in grunge music, especially bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth.

They like music, and reject consumer society and people who have no personality. They usually have a somewhat dirty look and are characterized by wearing t-shirts with plaid stripes, ripped jeans and Doc Martens boots.

Skinheads

Source: andrew / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

This urban tribe enjoys ska, rock and punk music genres. They like soccer and beer.

They usually dress in jeans, boots, T-shirts, suspenders, jackets and plaid skirts; they generally have their heads shaved.

Mops

Source: Toglenn / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Rags are those who enjoy trap music, a musical genre that began to gain importance in the 2010s onwards. What most attracts the attention of this tribe is their outfit, which is a mixture of rappers, reggaetoneros or bakalas.

A very provocative style, without fear of exaggeration and where it is possible to combine sportswear with luxury jewelry.

Beatniks

Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlowski. Source: Photographer for Los Angeles Times / Public domain

They had their greatest apogee in the 50s and 60s, more specifically in the United States. His references were the writers Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac or William S. Burroughs.

They were a generation who experimented by experimenting, which induced them to consume alcohol or drugs in large quantities while attending a poetry recital. Hipsters have similar characteristics to this movement.

Geeks

Geek fair. Source: JoyTek / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

This tribe is obsessed with technology. They are usually smart people who are dedicated to programming or software development. They differ from gamers in that they do have the ability to develop or manipulate a video console, for example.

Their greatest fun is video games and especially the internet, where they can spend hours browsing and sharing information with people in their community. Before, it was common to see them in cybercafes, now in gaming centers or technology expos.

Posh

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Depending on the country it has different names. For example, in Spain they are called 'posh', in Mexico they would be 'strawberry', in Venezuela 'sifrinos' and in Argentina 'chetos'.

Although they have different terms, they share practically the same characteristics: they place great importance on money, social status, fashion and luxury in general. They try to note their pedigree, although it is usually supported by the finances of their parents.

Chavs

Source: Source: The Arches / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

It also has many names depending on the country or even the region. For example, in Spain they can be called 'chonis' in Madrid, 'canis' for the southern area or 'tetes' for the Valencian area.

'Chavs' is the term used in Great Britain and refers to a working-class tribe without resources whose lifestyle is petty crime, electronic music, outfits of dubious taste.

Articles of interest

Urban tribes of Colombia.

Urban tribes of Mexico.

References

1. Nine exclusive urban tribes and their unusual garments. Recovered from blog.printsome.com
2. Urban tribes. Recovered from poster.4teachers.org
3. Type of urban tribes. Recovered from sites.google.com
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5. Hipster. Recovered from wikipedia.org
6. Urban tribes (2011). Recovered from slideshare.com
7. Skater. Recovered from journalismo.uma.es