Club Kids

Coined by a 1988 New York cover story, the Club Kids crossed over into the public consciousness through appearances on daytime talk shows, magazine editorials, fashion campaigns and music videos.

Retrospectively, writers have commented that the Club Kids planted the seeds for popular cultural trends such as reality television, self-branding, influencers and even the "gender revolution".

Known for their outrageous looks, legendary parties and sometimes illicit antics, the Club Kids were seen as the embodiment of Generation X and would prove to be "the last definitive subculture group of the analog world".

[1] The group was first popularized by club promoter Michael Alig, James St. James, DJ Keoki, Ernie Glam, Julie Jewels, It Twins and Michael Tronn in the late 1980s, and, throughout the 1990s, grew to include Amanda Lepore, Waltpaper (Walt Cassidy), Christopher Comp, Jennytalia (Jenny Dembrow), Desi Monster (Desi Santiago), Astro Erle, Keda, Kabuki Starshine, and Richie Rich.

[1] It eventually collapsed after Alig was arrested for the killing and dismemberment of his roommate and fellow club kid Andre "Angel" Melendez,[4] and Peter Gatien was charged with tax evasion and deported to Canada.

[1][37][38][39] As the 1990s began, the front line of the Club Kids became occupied by a younger group of dynamic personalities that were discovered and mentored by Alig, such as Waltpaper, Jennytalia (Jenny Dembrow), Desi Monster (Desi Santiago), Astro Erle, Christopher Comp, Pebbles, Keda, Kabuki Starshine, Sacred Boy, Sushi, Lil Keni, DJ Whillyem, Aphrodita, Lila Wolfe and Richie Rich.

[32] With techno and the incoming rave scene, fashion began to soften into an ambiguous gender-fluid style, which melded references to the Club Kids with skate, indie, hip-hop, and grunge.

[1][32] The movement's decline was marked by an event on Sunday, March 17, 1996, when Alig and his roommate Robert "Freeze" Riggs killed former Limelight employee and reputed drug dealer Andre "Angel" Melendez.