Jerkin', street or club dance from the United States: what it is and how it is danced

Jerkin' is an energetic street dance that started in the Los Angeles metropolitan area during the late 2000s. Practised by youth crews and partygoers, dancers execute signature leg switches, drops, and footwork while wearing brightly colored skinny jeans and high-top sneakers.

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Started in the late 2000s in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as a party subculture.
Pioneered signature steps like the jerk, the reject, the dip, and the pindrop.
Defined by fashion choices like multi-colored skinny jeans, graphic tees, and high-top sneakers.
Reached mainstream airwaves through hit songs by New Boyz and Audio Push in 2009.

What is Jerkin'?

Jerkin' is a youth street dance and urban subculture that grew out of southern California. Dancers perform energetic, springing steps characterized by inward and outward leg motions. Performers dance alone or alongside crew members, alternating between rapid footwork and sudden downward drops. The style gained widespread visibility through viral internet tracks and dance contests during the late 2000s. Alongside the steps themselves, the culture is known for its distinct fashion, including tight trousers and vintage high-top trainers, pairing playful physicality with lively hip hop rhythms.

Where does Jerkin' come from?

The style began in the Los Angeles metropolitan region during the late 2000s, emerging out of party scenes where local gang members created an alternative, offbeat way of moving. According to performers from Audio Push, it functioned initially as an 'anti-dance' that stood apart from standard party dancing. Around 2009, musical acts from California's Inland Empire helped propel the movement into nationwide awareness. While it found widespread enthusiasm across the West and East coasts of the United States and reached European audiences in France and Germany, the craze faced criticism and mockery across the American South.

How is Jerkin' danced?

At the core of the style is the title move, where a dancer kicks and twists the legs alternately inward and outward. Dancers combine this central step with several named variations. These include the reject, a backwards gliding step mimicking running in reverse, as well as the dip, which lowers the body's center of gravity. Another prominent move is the pindrop, in which the dancer drops down to one knee behind the other leg before popping back up. Dancers link these fast foot shifts and floor touches into loose, rhythmic sequences.

Jerkin', drawn

The dancers A sketch of the kind of dance, not of one performance.

Solo One dancer; the path is free.

Group An ensemble in staggered rows, facing the front.

The music of Jerkin'

Jerkin' is accompanied by jerk rap, a branch of hip hop with stylistic roots in West Coast hip hop and Northern California hyphy. The production relies on synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, keyboards, and spoken or chanted vocals. Early hits such as New Boyz's track 'You're a Jerk' and Audio Push's 'Teach Me How to Jerk' established its minimalist bounce. In the 2020s, an underground rap microgenre revived the sound with accelerated speeds and melodic synths.

Costume and what is carried

Dress is a central element of the scene, heavily borrowing from rave and scene youth styles. Dancers wear brightly tinted skinny jeans, deliberately breaking away from the loose, baggy clothing typical of earlier hip hop eras. Performers match their tight pants with novelty graphic T-shirts in striking tones. Footwear centers on high-top or vintage basketball sneakers, commonly Chuck Taylor or Nike high-tops, which are sometimes decorated with vivid, multi-colored patterns.

When and where Jerkin' is danced

Originally danced informally at house parties and social gatherings, jerkin' rapidly expanded into structured events. As mainstream interest surged after 2009, teams began meeting for organized dance battles and stage performances throughout Southern California and abroad. Dance crews competed in award-winning tournaments, showcasing synchronized routines and solo improvisations.

Styles of Jerkin'

Beyond individual freestyle steps, the subculture produced dedicated performing teams across California. Groups such as The Ranger$, LOL Kid$z, Pink Dollaz, and Cold Flamez developed distinct team dynamics, with some crews winning competitive awards and signing recording deals. In addition, musical iterations evolved over time; by the early 2020s, an internet-driven microgenre led by artists like Xaviersobased brought new synth layers, quicker tempos, and plugg influences to the jerk sound.

What Jerkin' means

The subculture represented a generational shift in West Coast hip hop, offering young dancers a playful identity centered on creative fashion and fast footwork. Major record labels took notice of the phenomenon, signing performing groups such as Rej3ctz and The Ranger$. Although short-lived in the mainstream and derided in certain regions like the American South, the scene left a lasting imprint on youth style and inspired later underground microgenres.

Questions people ask about Jerkin'

Where does jerkin' come from?

Jerkin' originated in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and urban California during the late 2000s, growing out of party gatherings before spreading across the United States and into Europe.

When and why is jerkin' danced?

It began as an alternative party dance among youth and gang members looking for an unconventional way to move. Following its rise to popularity around 2009, it was performed at parties, stage shows, and organized crew competitions.

What are the primary moves in jerkin'?

The dance is built around the jerk, where dancers shift their legs inward and outward. Other signature moves include the reject, the dip, and the pindrop, linked together in quick rhythmic combinations.

What clothes do jerkin' dancers wear?

Dancers reject baggy clothing in favor of colorful skinny jeans, novelty graphic tees, and retro or high-top sneakers, taking visual cues from rave and scene subcultures.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Jerkin'", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Ghungroo rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and it describes the dance in outline: it is not a lesson. Traditions differ from one teacher, village or family to the next. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.

Jerkin'