Which High School Clique Were You In? Here’s How Teen Social Groups Look Today

High school cliques have shaped teenage life for generations. Whether you were a jock, band geek, prep, emo kid or floater, your friend group probably influenced where you sat at lunch and who you hung out with on the weekends.

But have high school cliques changed in 2025? Do the same social hierarchies still exist, or have Gen Z and Gen Alpha students redefined what it means to be popular?

A recent study by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin found that high school social groups have evolved due to changing demographics, cultural shifts and digital influences.

Curious which clique your child belongs to today—or how today’s teen groups compare to when you roamed the halls?

Here’s a breakdown of 12 distinct high school cliques, their defining traits (with insights from Urban Dictionary), and where they rank in the ever-changing teen social hierarchy.

What are the top high school cliques?

High school social structures may have evolved, but popularity still matters. The top-tier cliques continue to dominate the teen social hierarchy, often gaining attention both in school and online.

The cool kids

Researchers in the study found kids who fall in these high school cliques tend to be affluent, attractive and well known. Evidence shows they also like to party and are often well-liked, though kids in lower cliques don’t always look upon them too highly.

Populars 

Urban Dictionary defines this clique as the kids who have it all. They’re the “good looking” kids that always sport the latest top-of-the-line clothing and tech.

They may also be known as trendsetters and are sometimes viewed as the “bullies” or “mean girls” by cliques lower on the list.

Atheletes

These are the kids whose entire life revolves around sports. They have always taken a higher spot on the social ladder, and this study proves they’re still holding onto that spot.

They are sometimes classified by lower listed groups as being bullies, but Urban Dictionary differentiates between “athletes” and “jocks,” claiming that athletes are more likely to hang our with everyone, despite their status on the team.

Floaters

Floaters are the kids that don’t really have one specific group of kids they hang out with — you may have referred to them as “drifters” or “clique jumpers” in the past.

Urban Dictionary says these kids are generally shy but are also polite and friendly. They tend to have a lot of friends and get along with most everyone, which is why they’ve historically scored high on the list.

Good-ats

You may have known this clique as the overachievers or maybe even the teachers’ pets. They’re the kids that are good at just about everything and generally participate in and excel at a multitude of extracurricular activities or volunteer work.

Generally, these participants in the study excelled at well-roundedness, which lands them among the more popular cliques.

What high school cliques are middle in the field? 

Academically advanced and influenced by art and culture, these kids tend to fly under the radar in high school and embrace things that are not as mainstream as the members of the higher-ranked cliques.

‘Fine arts’ kids

According to the study, this group of kids made a leap up the list due in part to high levels of extracurricular engagement.

They may use color, art, piercings and other body modifications to express themselves and tend to have a more creative appearance. You may know them as “indie” or “hipster.”

The brains

These are the “smart kids,” “nerds,” “gamers.” The ones that excel in their schoolwork and consistently pull good grades.

The study found that this group exhibited high levels of academic anxiety and were “less mentally healthy” due to fear of upsetting their parents.

Historically, they’ve fallen in the middle of the pack and continue to hold onto their spot.

Normals

These are the kids that are unknown. They might feel “invisible” and don’t really fall into any other clique, so they embrace one another and fall smack dab in the middle of the pack.

Stoners

Burnouts. Potheads. Druggies. The kids who smoke weed or do drugs fall into this category.

Research notes that because these kids can score drugs and bring them to parties frequented by higher cliques, they’ve always fallen toward the top of the middle in terms of popularity, but lost a little of their footing due to anti-drug and smoking campaigns.

Urban Dictionary notes that these kids are generally pretty cool, laid-back and get along with most everyone.

What are the bottom-ladder high school cliques?

The study notes that these kids reject the mainstream; tend to have low self-esteem and run with smaller friend groups. It also suggests that these kids are usually more influenced by current events, pop culture and social media.

Emo/goths

You know those kids that wear all black, dye their hair dark, sport the black nail polish and see the beauty in darkness? Those are the kids in this clique.

These kids focus on counter-culture behaviors and are generally quiet and somewhat withdrawn.

Though not typical of all members of this group, some may also self-harm, so parents of these kids should be aware of the signs.

Anime/manga fans

This is the newest peer group found by the study and is basically a modern twist on the classic “computer geek” crowd. They embrace Japanese pop culture, including animated series, films, graphic novels and other artwork and may spend their time online experiencing and sharing their passion.

Loners

In this group are the kids that don’t really have friends or who are content being alone.

The study found that other cliques tend to be standoffish around them out of fear these kids may be dangerous, which it claims is “new and unique” to today’s youth due to the prevalence of active school shootings — though not all loners are at risk of becoming violent.

For this reason, the study places these kids at the bottom of the social ladder.

‘The Ethnic Groups’

The study also notes that racial and ethnic stereotypes are still prevalent in our high schools, despite increasing diversity.

Ethnic high school cliques tend to be more fluid and often act as a “home base” to kids of different ethnicities that may be a part of other cliques.

This article was recently updated on March 6, 2025 by Metro Parent’s Audience Development Manager, Katina Beniaris. The update included her digital media expertise to provide a user-friendly reading experience. Questions? Please reach out to katina@metroparent.com.

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