cool kid

plural cool kids

1. in pluralinformalA trendsetter, often a hipster; one considered worthy of emulation for their fashion sense etc.

   Punch, in case you didn't know, is what the cool kids are drinking.

   2010 November 10, Jason Wilson, “The cool kids beat me to the punch”, in Washington Post

   4 more examples

   "There was a lot of anticipation for this album," says Lisa Worden, music director of L.A. radio station KROQ-FM. "With Green Day now all over MTV and the mainstream, Rancid is the cool band. All the cool kids are wearing Rancid T-shirts."

   1995 September 3, Steve Hochman, “They're Rancid, Not Spoiled; They have major labels calling. Their fans worship them. But somehow these guys are staying true to their punk roots.”, in Los Angeles Times, page 5

   And isn't that the basis of so much of today's marketing, regardless of the product being sold? Be a rebel! Be an individual like everyone else! Rebels drink Diet Pepsi! Rebels watch the rebel director's new rebel film, Panic Room! It's dark and edgy and all the cool kids love it!

   2002 April 26, Eric Gravning, “Not to Panic”, in The Texas Observer, volume 94, number 8, page 26

   But you want to be a continuous partial attention ninja master because you've been told that all of the cool kids are.

   2004, [2005], Danah Boyd, “Autistic Social Software,”, in Best Software Writing I, Apress, Ed. Joel Spolsky, →ISBN, page 39

   "Cereal for dinner?" He grinned and ruffled Alison's hair. "Is that what all the cool kids are doing now?"

   2010, Jonathan Bernstein, Burning Ambition, Penguin, →ISBN, page 154