(2002-06-10) b

Abby Elin on teen tribes. Formed in recent years to protest the hoopla, lack of intimacy and formulaic nature of mainstream raves, they have become part of youth culture worldwide. They're especially big in NYC, where so many teenagers live or go to school and where the struggle to avoid getting lost in the crowd is so fierce. The city has at least five tribes, as the kids call their groupings, each vaguely distinguishable by politics, music and more.