Growing up is hard to do. The teenage years are a time of intense change, when you’re no longer a child but not quite an adult. Emotions run high, hormones rage, and everything feels like life or death. It’s a crazy, confusing, exhilarating time of life – which is why it makes for such great movies.
The best teen movies tap into all the joy and pain of adolescence, reminding us of that special time in our lives that we’ll never get back. They make us laugh, cry, cringe, and sigh with recognition. Whether you’re currently living through your teen years or looking back on them fondly (or not so fondly), these films capture the essence of what it means to be young.
So grab some popcorn, settle in, and let’s count down the 25 best teen movies of all time. From classic comedies to heartfelt dramas to groundbreaking new favorites, these are the films that perfectly encapsulate the agony and the ecstasy of being a teenager.
25. Superbad (2007)
Superbad hilariously captures the raunchy awkwardness of male friendship and teenage sexuality. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play best friends on a quest to buy alcohol and get laid before heading off to college. It’s crude, lewd, and totally relatable for anyone who’s ever been an anxious, horny teenage boy. But underneath the dirty jokes, Superbad has a lot of heart, showing the unbreakable bond between two buddies on the cusp of adulthood.
24. Booksmart (2019)
The female flip side to Superbad, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart follows two straight-A best friends determined to finally let loose and party on their last day of high school. Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever are a delight as the type-A teens learning to embrace their wild sides. It’s a fresh, feminist take on the teen sex comedy that still delivers big laughs.
23. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
The teen movie that started it all. James Dean became an icon as the original angsty adolescent in this 1955 drama. As new kid in town Jim Stark, Dean perfectly captured the restlessness and raw emotion of being young and misunderstood. Rebel Without a Cause established the template for the teen films that would follow, from its sensitive bad boy lead to its exploration of generational conflict and identity. Nearly 70 years later, it still packs a punch.
22. Dazed and Confused (1993)
Richard Linklater’s hazy, meandering ode to the last day of school in 1976 perfectly captures the aimless feeling of youth. A sprawling ensemble cast of up-and-comers, including Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck, bring the various cliques of Lee High School to life. From the stoners to the jocks to the nerds, everyone is just trying to figure themselves out and have a good time. With a killer ’70s soundtrack and endlessly quotable dialogue, Dazed and Confused is the ultimate hang out movie.
21. Heathers (1989)
The darkest and most deliciously twisted entry on this list, Heathers is a jet-black comedy that takes the high school hierarchy to murderous extremes. Winona Ryder stars as Veronica, who’s desperate to ditch her popular mean girl clique, the Heathers. She gets her wish when she falls for J.D. (Christian Slater), a brooding rebel with a homicidal streak. Heathers brilliantly skewers the cruelty of teenage social politics with razor-sharp wit and shocking violence. How very.
20. American Pie (1999)
The late ’90s spawned a new subgenre of raunchy teen sex comedies, and American Pie was the cream of the crop. Following four friends on a mission to lose their virginity by prom night, it mined major laughs (and major grossness) from the horrors of adolescent sexuality. It also launched the careers of Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, and more. Just don’t think too hard about that pie scene.
19. Juno (2007)
An offbeat comedy with an unlikely premise – a pregnant teenager decides to give her baby up for adoption – Juno charms with its witty dialogue and tender heart. Ellen Page gives a star-making turn as the whip-smart, sarcastic Juno, who navigates her unplanned pregnancy with humor and grace. Diablo Cody’s Oscar-winning screenplay perfectly captures the idiosyncratic voice of a creative, precocious 16-year-old. It’s a poignant, funny look at growing up under unusual circumstances.
18. Grease (1978)
The word “iconic” gets thrown around a lot, but Grease truly deserves the label. The 1950s-set musical, about the romance between squeaky-clean Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and greaser Danny (John Travolta), is a nostalgic blast. With its unforgettable songs, colorful characters, and epic dance numbers, Grease is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
17. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Hailee Steinfeld is a revelation as awkward, anxious Nadine, who feels totally adrift when her best friend starts dating her popular older brother. Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig authentically depicts the agony of unrequited crushes, shifting friendships, and feeling like nobody understands you. It’s an honest, affecting portrait of adolescent angst, with a star-making performance from Steinfeld.
16. Bring It On (2000)
Oh, it’s already been broughten. This sleeper hit proved that cheerleaders could be complex, competitive, and cool. Kirsten Dunst stars as Torrance, the newly-appointed captain of the Toros cheer squad, who discovers that their routines were stolen from a rival team. Bring It On is so much more than just a peppy sports comedy – it tackles appropriation, race, and feminism with spirit and spunk.
15. Sixteen Candles (1984)
John Hughes ruled the teen movie genre in the ’80s, and Sixteen Candles was the film that started it all. Molly Ringwald stars as Sam, whose family forgets her 16th birthday amidst the chaos of her older sister’s wedding. Anthony Michael Hall, as a geek with a crush on Sam, and John and Joan Cusack, as a wacky couple, round out the cast of lovable misfits. While some elements are dated, the film’s charms endure.
14. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Based on the beloved coming-of-age novel, this tender drama follows shy freshman Charlie (Logan Lerman) as he falls in with a group of charismatic seniors. Emma Watson and Ezra Miller are entrancing as the free-spirited step-siblings who take Charlie under their wing. With sensitivity and style, Perks beautifully captures both the highs and lows of being an outsider trying to find your place. And that tunnel scene – pure movie magic.
13. Dope (2015)
A fresh, inventive twist on the teen movie, Dope follows a trio of ’90s hip-hop obsessed geeks who get caught up in a drug deal gone wrong. Shameik Moore is utterly winning as Malcolm, a smart kid from a rough neighborhood just trying to make it to his dream college. With a vibrant soundtrack and a bold, colorful visual style, Dope is an exuberant, original coming-of-age story for a new generation.
12. Cruel Intentions (1999)
A deliciously campy update of Dangerous Liaisons set among wealthy Manhattan teens, Cruel Intentions is the ultimate guilty pleasure. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe sizzle as scheming step-siblings engaged in a devious bet of sexual conquest. Reese Witherspoon is the picture of innocence as their virginal target. Full of steamy seductions and soapy twists, Cruel Intentions is the teen movie at its most trashy and tantalizing.
11. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
The ultimate teen wish fulfillment fantasy. Matthew Broderick charms as Ferris, a clever high school senior determined to play hooky and have the best day ever in Chicago. With his anxious best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) in tow, Ferris races around the city in a “borrowed” Ferrari, dodging his suspicious principal at every turn. John Hughes’ sparkling script is full of quotable quips and fourth-wall-breaking asides. It’s impossible not to get caught up in Ferris’ unbridled joy.
10. Easy A (2010)
This whip-smart comedy takes The Scarlet Letter into the social media age, with Emma Stone as a clean-cut student who pretends to be promiscuous for profit. Stone is a comedic dynamo, earning comparisons to John Hughes muses of the past. With a stacked supporting cast including Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, and Lisa Kudrow, Easy A is a rare teen movie that’s as verbally dexterous as it is emotionally honest. It’s an easy A+.
9. The Breakfast Club (1985)
The quintessential John Hughes film, The Breakfast Club brings together a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal for an unforgettable Saturday detention. This crew of mismatched teens, played by the Brat Pack all-stars, slowly shed their stereotypes and bare their souls to each other. It’s a movie that’s been imitated countless times, but never duplicated. From the iconic dance scene to the devastating final monologue, The Breakfast Club is the gold standard of teen movies.
8. Say Anything (1989)
The image of John Cusack holding a boombox blasting Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” outside his love’s window has become the defining visual of the teen romantic comedy. And for good reason – Say Anything is a sweet, sincere portrait of young love in all its awkward glory. Cusack and Ione Skye have crackling chemistry as the unlikely pair who fall for each other the summer after graduation. With wit and warmth, Cameron Crowe captures both the soaring highs and the bittersweet melancholy of that time in your life when everything is changing.
7. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
A clever, charming update of The Taming of the Shrew, this ’90s gem stars Julia Stiles as sharp-tongued Kat and Heath Ledger as the mysterious bad boy hired to date her. Their prickly, passionate dynamic is a joy to watch, especially when they’re verbally sparring. But 10 Things has more going for it than just a killer central romance – it’s also a funny, feminist take on the ways women are pigeonholed and underestimated. Kat’s blistering poem of the title becomes a rallying cry for complicated girls everywhere.
6. Mean Girls (2004)
Endlessly quotable and meme-able, Mean Girls is a spot-on satire of high school cliques and queen bees. Lindsay Lohan stars as Cady, a formerly homeschooled student who infiltrates the most popular girl group, The Plastics, led by the ruthless Regina George (a pitch-perfect Rachel McAdams). Tina Fey, who also wrote the whip-smart script, co-stars as Cady’s exasperated math teacher. Underneath the razor-sharp jokes, Mean Girls has a lot to say about the ways girls are socialized to undermine and compete with each other. That’s so fetch.
5. Lady Bird (2017)
Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut is a deeply personal, startlingly assured coming-of-age story. Saoirse Ronan dazzles as Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a restless Sacramento teen desperate to get out of her hometown and away from her mother (an also-excellent Laurie Metcalf). Gerwig’s script perfectly captures the excruciating growing pains of late adolescence, when every slight feels like the end of the world. With empathy and insight, Lady Bird beautifully depicts the messy process of figuring out who you are and where you belong.
4. Clueless (1995)
A candy-colored, endlessly quotable update of Jane Austen’s Emma, Clueless is the ultimate teen movie. Alicia Silverstone is a revelation as Cher Horowitz, a rich, popular high school student who takes a “tragically unhip” new girl (Brittany Murphy) under her wing. With its iconic fashions and pitch-perfect slang, Clueless captures the mid-’90s zeitgeist like nothing else. But it’s also a sharp, sweet story of a superficial girl learning to care about something other than designer labels and matchmaking. As if!
3. The Breakfast Club (1985)
The ultimate expression of the John Hughes teen movie ethos, The Breakfast Club is a simple but profound film. Five high school archetypes – the jock, the princess, the brain, the basket case, and the criminal – are forced to spend a Saturday in detention together. Over the course of the day, they slowly open up to each other, revealing the insecurities and pressures lurking beneath their stereotypical facades. It’s a poignant, powerful exploration of the ways we judge and misunderstand each other, anchored by an all-star Brat Pack cast. The Breakfast Club is the rare teen movie that truly gets to the heart of what it means to be young and struggling to figure yourself out.
2. Dazed and Confused (1993)
The most laid-back, lived-in teen movie ever made, Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused is a hazy, meandering ode to the last day of school in 1976. A sprawling ensemble cast of up-and-comers, including Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck, bring the various cliques of Lee High School to life. From the stoners to the jocks to the nerds, everyone is just trying to figure themselves out and have a good time. With a killer ’70s soundtrack and endlessly quotable dialogue, Dazed and Confused perfectly captures the aimless, endless feeling of youth. It’s the ultimate hang out movie.
1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Could the number one teen movie really be anything else? John Hughes’ sparkling, exuberant ode to playing hooky and living life to the fullest is the ultimate teen wish fulfillment fantasy. Matthew Broderick is utterly winning as Ferris, the fourth-wall-breaking, Ferrari-stealing, parade-crashing hero determined to have the best day ever. With his anxious best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) in tow, Ferris races around Chicago, narrowly dodging his suspicious principal at every turn. It’s a movie bursting with the unbridled joy and optimism of youth, full of iconic moments and infinitely quotable lines. “Life moves pretty fast,” Ferris tells the camera. “If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a cinematic reminder to slow down and savor the magic of being young – the magic that these 25 best teen movies of all time capture so perfectly.
