The greaser subculture was admittedly one of the first major subcultures to adopt its own particular style to distinguish themselves from the rest of society. The Greasers typically wore leather clothing and had slicked back hair to present an element of danger and rebelliousness further distinguishing them from their societies cultural norms and was far different to the current ‘suit and tie’ style of dress at the time.
Greasers.
"Greasers can't walk alone too much or they'll get jumped, or someone will come by and scream "Greaser!" at them...We get jumped by the Socs. I'm not sure how you spell it, but it's the abbreviation for the Socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids. It's like the term "greaser," which is used to class all us boys on the East Side"
-The Outsiders
All of these features combined; the clothes, hair, motorbike, shades and gum acted as a sort of identifier. This group wanted its own distinctive individuality, to be separate from the current status quo of the time, which led the way for future subcultures to come and helped also lay the foundations for youth culture, as we know it.
youth culture and its origins