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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/GnomeAlone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chloe_btcs_6.png]]]]
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->''"I'm in with the in crowd\\
I go where the in crowd goes\\
I'm in with the in crowd\\
And I know what the in crowd knows..."''
-->-- '''Dobie Gray''', "The 'In' Crowd"
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%% One quote per page, please. Additional quotes can go on the Quotes tab.
%%

A character is afforded entrance to an elite group by virtue of an unexpected success or new connections. If he is already one of the local elite, the new group he joins is even more so -- more exclusive or secretive, or traveling in even higher social circles, or recognized over a larger geographical area -- something with some cachet. The group could be a winning sports team, a selective private club, or just the "in" clique of "[[TheBeautifulElite beautiful people]]".

Enjoying his newfound elevation, he [[AcquaintanceDenial snubs or is pressured to snub his old friends]], who respond with anger or dismay at his apparent betrayal. However, after extended exposure to the members of his new social circle, he invariably finds them [[PopularIsEvil shallow and/or bigoted]], [[LoserFriendPuzzlesOutsiders particularly against some faction represented in his previous social circle]]. At the risk of ruining any future chance for [[AmbitionIsEvil social improvement]], he leaves his new clique and returns to the forgiving arms of his original band of friends.

Often the basis for a VerySpecialEpisode. This plot can also develop out of a RagsToRiches situation.

See also IJustWantToHaveFriends, CelebrityIsOverrated, LonelyAtTheTop, PopularIsEvil, PygmalionPlot, PygmalionSnapBack, SlobsVersusSnobs.

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Inverted in ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfic ''Fanfic/IfThemsTheRules''. The trio were the super exclusive group of popular kids, not that they ever realized that.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/GnomeAlone'': New girl Chloe manages to ingratiate herself with a GirlPosse called the [=BTCs=], causing a rift to form between her and her nerdy friend Liam. After seeing their true colors, Chloe gives them a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before storming off.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* The entire plot of ''Film/MeanGirls''. Cady originally wants to avenge the maltreatment of her best friend by the AlphaBitch, Regina, and to do that, she tries to infiltrate the popular clique...and succeeds, but at the cost of [[BecomingTheMask becoming]] an AlphaBitch herself and losing all her friends in the process. Cue MustMakeAmends.
* And a substantial chunk of ''Film/NeverBeenKissed''.
* ''Film/TheDevilWearsPrada''.
* ''Film/HowToLoseFriendsAndAlienatePeople''.
* ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' has a [[BlackComedy dark, dark take]] on this trope. It opens with a dream sequence in which the trio of {{Alpha Bitch}}es use Veronica's head as a croquet peg.
* Take this trope, add fights between super-powered teenagers, and you get ''Film/SkyHigh2005''.
* ''Film/{{Jawbreaker}}'', where Julie abandons the in-crowd because she cannot bring herself to cover up the murder of their mutual friend Liz.
* Happened in ''I Was A Teenage Myth/{{Faust}}''. The main character becomes one of the cool kids but quickly realizes how boring they are.
* In ''Film/ItShouldHappenToYou'', Gladys goes to swanky nightspots and sees famous people when she puts her name on billboards all over New York City.
* ''Film/SwingHighSwingLow'': Much to Skid's detriment, both professionally and personally.
* ''Film/TeenWolf'': Scott becomes popular after he becomes a werewolf.
* ''Film/TeenWitch'': Louise Miller, becoming a witch.
* ''Film/ThePrincessDiaries'': Mia Thermopolis, becoming a princess.
* ''Film/CantBuyMeLove'': Ronald Miller pays a popular girl to pretend to be his girlfriend
* ''Film/TeenSpirit'': Amber Sommers, former prom queen dies and returns from limbo in order to turn former classmate Lisa into the most popular student.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Stacey [=McGill=] from ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' starts hanging out with the more popular students of Stoneybrook Middle School when she starts dating Robert Brewster, who plays on the basketball team. Time with them makes her think the BSC is immature and childish compared to the cooler kids, and she ends up [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere quitting altogether]] because of it (and then [[TenMinuteRetirement rejoining the club soon after]], when her popular friends nearly get her in trouble sneaking wine into a concert).
* This was a factor in the [[FallenAngel Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards]] Crowley's StartOfDarkness in ''Literature/GoodOmens''. His friends had joined Lucifer's rebellion against God, and Crowley had nowhere else to go once they did, so he joined them and their rebellion. As a result, he's fairly pleasant for a demon, mostly inconveniences humanity as opposed to fully terrorizing them, gets along with Aziraphale very well, and is the one to ask Aziraphale to help him subvert the apocalypse after becoming attached to humanity.
%%* Mark Studdock and the N.I.C.E. in C.S. Lewis's ''Literature/ThatHideousStrength''.
%%** Lewis also has this happen to The Patient in ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters''.
* Meg in ''Literature/LittleWomen'', during her visit to the Moffats, lets her friend Annie doll her up in a pretty gown and then acts like an airhead to look better than she really is. Earlier, Amy buys limes to raise her cool girl image at school, despite going against school rules. [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin But both girls are "punished" very soon]]. Amy [[BreakTheHaughty is caught and humiliated]] by her SadistTeacher in front of the class and Marmee tells her that even if she didn't like the punishment, Amy ''was'' on the wrong end; Meg is [[WhatTheHellHero promptly called out by Laurie on her snobbish facade]], and also gets to hear [[GossipyHens some older ladies]] wonder out loud [[GoldDigger if Marmee wants to use her to ascend socially.]]
* In ''Literature/ThePoisonApples'' [[LovableAlphaBitch Reena]] states she has always found it easy to become popular by befriending the right people. Within days of starting at boarding school, she becomes not only popular in her year but hangs out with the most popular people two years above her. She realises she's not so eager to be in anymore when popular guy Jamie Vanderheep pushes her out the window into a tree when she's scared to climb.
* ''Literature/ThePantsProject'': Closeted trans boy Liv and his best friend Maisie stuck together all throughout elementary school, but when they start middle school, [[AlphaBitch Jade Evans]] and [[BetaBitch Chelsea Farrow]] start bullying Liv for acting like a boy and for having two moms. Maisie abandons him so she won't become unpopular by association. She joins the GirlPosse and dyes her hair blonde to fit in.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheATeam'' episode "[[Recap/TheATeamS4E15MembersOnly Members Only]]". Played with; Face is pleased with getting into the club on trial, as it means he can mix with the cream of society. However, he doesn't seem to want to ditch his old friends, and in any case, the story doesn't have a chance to to that point, because the team's antics throughout the episode get Face thrown out.
* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' had Rory joining the Powderpuffs (that's ''"Powder''puffs" -- not to be confused with a certain cartoon PowerTrio known as ''[[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls "Power]]''[[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls puffs"]]).
* ''Good Morning Miss Bliss'' episode "Clubs and Cliques", now shown as a rerun of ''Series/SavedByTheBell''. Zack, an 8th grader, was seemingly invited to join a fraternity-like club at the high school. As a pledge, he had to do a bunch of embarrassing dares, many of which involved hurting his friends. In the end, it turned out that Zack's "sponsor" was actually a pledge himself, and his dare was to get an 8th grader to believe he was invited to join. Reset!
* ''Series/FamilyTies'' "It's My Party" has a variant: Jennifer and her friend Chrissy make new popular friends to the exclusion of a third friend.
* The live-action version of ''Series/TheTick2001'' did this in the episode "The Big Leagues", where the Tick joined The League of Superheroes, which doesn't admit women or minorities, causing a rift between the Tick and his friends Captain Liberty (a woman) and Batmanuel (a minority). The comic and animated version both feature The Comet Club, which doesn't allow sidekicks (not even to warning the heroes of a possible supervillain attack; the Doorman can only sense sidekicks).
* ''Series/ReadyOrNot1993'': Amanda falls into this trope a couple of times; in one episode she hangs out with Chrissy under the impression Chrissy genuinely sees her as a friend, only for Chrissy to use Amanda to complete a school assignment for her or manipulate her into shoplifting. In a later episode set in junior high, Amanda falls in with a group of girls who have a dining club, only for Busy to accidentally reveal an embarrassing secret about Amanda which causes them to ostracize her.
* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', the android Kryten is turned into an organic human. When talking to his sentient spare heads, he gets high and mighty with them. After that, he realizes that he's turning into a jerk.
* This is the basis for multiple episodes of ''Series/{{Frasier}}''. Of course, with the two main characters being elitist snobs they find the "shallow/bigoted" part absolutely delightful and it's inevitably some misfortune that rips them kicking and screaming from their new group.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has this befall Xander by dint of collective possession by hyena spirits. Needless to say, snotty in-crowd bullying isn't the worst of it.
* The ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' episode "The Little Things" finds this happening, sort of, to Sam.
* Very neatly averted with ''Series/{{Undeclared}}''. Steven is asked to join a campus fraternity, which his friends all object to since they believe college fraternities to be a waste of time. Fortunately for Steven, the fraternity (in addition to its headmaster being [[SmallNameBigEgo a complete prick]]) isn't even all that cool or hip but actually kind of dorky and lame.
* ''Series/FamilyMatters'':
** Eddie is offered the chance to join the coolest fraternity on campus if he dumps Urkel as a friend. He at first gives in, kicking Urkel out of the party, but makes things right after he is reminded of how loyal a friend Urkel is.
** Laura gets her own episode where she actually considered joining the most prestigious sorority on campus. However, she changes her tune when she stumbles upon the sorority’s annual “Geek Party”, to which Urkel was invited by sorority sister Allison. In fact, all the sisters brought geeks as dates to a Beauty and the Beast party, where they watch the nerdy boys party and make fools of themselves, completely unaware that their dates are making fun of them behind their backs, before the “worst one” is crowned “King of Geeks”. Laura is repulsed by the cruelty of the sorority girls. Unlike Eddie, when forced to choose between the Greek house and Urkel, she sides with Steve without a moment’s hesitation and quits the sorority.
* Played straight on ''Series/WhatsHappening'' when Rerun joins the football team and becomes popular, dating the head cheerleader. He snubs Raj and Dwayne and calls them names. When he is told that he will be kicked off the team for failing English, he asks Raj to help him pass by writing a speech that he has to give. Raj sabotages the speech, Rerun fails English, is kicked off the team, and is friends with Raj and Dwayne again.
* {{Deconstructed}} in an episode of ''Series/ColdCase''. The VictimOfTheWeek's friend wanted to be a cheerleader so badly that she [[spoiler:allowed herself to be gang-raped as part of her "initiation" and helped cover up the murder of her friend who had found out]].
* ''Series/TheParentHood'': Zaria is offered membership in an exclusive girls' club, but she has to play a mean and embarrassing prank on a friend as her final pledge task.
* ''Series/TheWayansBros.'': Shawn's encouraged by an old high school friend to join an exclusive businessmen's club. He disses Marlon, T.C., and Dupree because he feels that their lowbrow behavior would ruin his chances of getting in.
* Steve and Cedric are invited by [[ChewToy Byron]] to join the exclusive Onyx Club on ''Series/TheSteveHarveyShow''. They are accepted as members and attend the club's Casino Night. Lovita wins $10,000 in a raffle but refuses to give it to their charity as is the club's tradition. Steve and Cedric are upset because it means they could be kicked out. Lovita decides to give the check back but Steve and Cedric resign their memberships when they learn that [[spoiler: the money would go towards getting Tiger Woods to play on their golf course]]. Lovita takes the money and gives it to Meals on Wheels instead.
* Subverted in ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' when a "popularity list" is created and Moze is now part of the cool kids. She finds them boring and doesn't understand their sense of humor. But when she outright says that she misses her friends, the cool kids just say that she should return to them, and there are no hard feelings about the whole thing.
* ''Series/OneTreeHill'': The Mouth fits this the best. He himself doesn't do something specific to become part of the popular crowd, but his friendships with Lucas and Haley get him pulled in, and he becomes close friends with popular kids like Nathan and Brooke.
* A couple of episodes of ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' featured this trope. In one, Dorothy befriends a snobbish writer who looks down on the other girls, and Dorothy assumes they are just envious until the new friend doesn't want to take Sofia's Jewish boyfriend to her bigoted club. In another, Rose falls in with a group of party animals, which creates enough friction to see her temporarily move out of the house.
* Marcia on ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' joins every club when she reaches Senior High School, in an attempt to become instantly popular. When one club, The Boosters, tell her that she can only date certain boys, she quits and stays in the one club she liked, Ceramics.
* Suzanne Sugarbaker on ''Series/DesigningWomen'' is desperate to join the Beaumont Driving Club but they refuse. Rhey wants Julia but she refuses because it's restricted. Later Anthony is invited to join but the women learn it's because they can't be a spot on the PGA Tour if they remain restricted. Anthony already knows and plans to use his position on the inside to further change the system.
* ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'': In "A Terrified Terrier", Joe gets approached to hang out with a group of older {{Jerk Jock}}s after showing off his basketball skills to them, which leads him to ignore his friends Samantha and David. Joe eventually leaves when he realizes how hurt Sam and David are and that the Jocks only view him as a gofer. Wishbone likens the situation to ''Literature/TheRedBadgeOfCourage''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The TropeNamer song cited at the top of this page. It was first a hit for Dobie Gray in 1965, followed by a hit jazz instrumental version later that year by the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
* Does this count? Subverted: Less Than Jake released an album called "In With the Out Crowd". The album itself drifted more into a punk/indie feel rather than their traditional ska sound (playing songs that are more mainstream-esque). After pressure from their fans, they decided to go back to their roots with their next (and WordOfGod says last) album GNV FLA.
* Subverted and parodied in the song "¿Por qué no puedo ser del jet set?" ("Why can't I belong to the jet set?") by Argentinian group Soda Stereo, where the narrator complains about how hard he tries to be in with the in crowd.
* Defied in Sam the Sham and Pharoah's "In With the Out Crowd":
-->''I'm in with the out crowd, but they never seem to care\\
if my clothes are patched and worn, or the way I wear my hair''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinballs]]
* This is the origin of Bally's ''Pinball/DrDude''. He was once a spineless nerd until he invented the E'''X'''cellent Ray to transform himself into the Guru O' Groove.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Series/SesameStreet'' has fun with this in the animated song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-0zJaqqZE "In With the In, Out With the Out, Crowd"]], which muses on being inside or outside with one's friends.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* If you befriend Alicia in ''VideoGame/GrowingUp'', she'll invite you to her GirlPosse and go out shopping with you thanks to her dad's credit card. [[spoiler:However, she starts drifting away from her clique in high school when she's forced to volunteer at the hospital after her parents' divorce.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
%%* ''WesternAnimation/{{Detention}}'', "Little Miss Perfect"
%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'', "The Lone Wolves Club". Slight subversion in that the members of said club [[spoiler:turn out to be a bunch of nerds.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' played with this, by substituting "spatula" for "friend" in the episode "All That Glitters", where his old spatula breaks and he covets a shiny new one.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom.'' Butch Hartman has a [[WriterOnBoard tendency to apply this trope]] [[{{Anvilicious}} with a SLEDGEHAMMER...]]
%%** And, accordingly, he does so in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', to a predictable end.
* Occasionally used in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' where the sidekick [[ThisLoserIsYou Ron Stoppable]] becomes [[IJustWantToBeSpecial special]] for the token episode. Most notable is the episode where he got 99 million dollars, deeply annoyed his few friends, got friends with some yes-sayers (and the AlphaBitch), and lost it all due to being robbed while having all his money in his pocket. 990,000 hundred-dollar bills would be nearly ten cubic meters of paper! That's one deep pocket!
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield", Marge once had a chance to become a member of a country club thanks to her thrift-store bought Chanel dress making a high school acquaintance mistake her for upper class. After it leads her to blowing up on the family she decides to not attend a party at the club, thinking they would never be accepted anyway - and ironically in the next scene, we see it was a welcome party, the AlphaBitch of the episode hoping she didn't push her away.
** In "Homer the Great", Homer wants to join the "The Stonecutters", an ultra-secretive organization. When he finds out that he's automatically in because his father is a Stonecutter, everything goes well until he made a FeeFiFauxPas at the first meeting and is made to walk home naked dragging a boulder ("The Stone of Shame.") However, the club notices a birthmark on his posterior that marks him as TheChosenOne, but then he finds that being the club's leader [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne isn't all it's cracked up to be]].
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' Francine joined a clique of cheating wives.
* In the fourth season finale of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', Triana reveals her friend Kim, last seen in the second season double-dating with her, Hank, and Dean, and being mistaken for a fellow villain by Dr. Girlfriend, went through this - followed by rehab, going born-again, and [[PutOnABus moving to Florida]].
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Played with and subverted with the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite Sweet and Elite]]". When Rarity begins climbing the Canterlot social ladder, she reluctantly puts off Twilight Sparkle's birthday dress and party. But when her friends learn she wants to socialize, they actually ''encourage'' her to do so as it's good for her business. And when the Canterlot elite snub Rarity's friends, the pony at the top of the social ladder throws his support behind them.
** Played straight in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple One Bad Apple]]" when Babs Seed joins [[AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon]] rather than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. [[spoiler: Until we find out that she did it to avoid the bullying she'd come to Ponyville precisely to escape, and she has a HeelRealization]]
* ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' episode "The In Crowd" has Sister Bear get sick of being called a "little cub" by the older, more popular girl bears. To change things, she joins in the activities of their clique, only to find that it consists solely of standing around looking bored, listening to the same song over and over and over... the enjoyment in that wears thin rather quickly.
* Pretty much the entire premise of ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'': Most episodes involve Ginger trying to balance her life between her new "in crowd" friends and her old "loser" friends.
[[/folder]]
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