These Are the 45 Best Teen Movies of All Time

Teen movies are great because while the category can definitely stand on its own, teen movies can also easily fall into other genres—horror, comedy, romance, drama—and the best teen movies combine elements of several genres. There's also something about watching a coming of age film that is all too relatable, from the social insecurity to the butting of heads with parents who just don't understand.

In 2019, TV psychologist Honey Langcaster-James talked to Refinery 29 about the allure of teen movies: "One of the things that we do with entertainment is we gain mastery over potentially difficult emotions. Some people wonder why anybody would ever want to watch a horror movie or a thriller. Why would you want to sit and be scared? But there is an element of reassurance in being able to experience those emotions from a removed perspective and I wonder if the same can be said for teen fiction. Through the processes of empathy with the character, you're experiencing those emotions that were challenging. But now, from this more mature perspective, you're gaining an opportunity to master those emotions that you once felt so consumed by and now can have a more detached and bemused look upon that time in your life."

To celebrate the genre, three of our editors came together make a list of our favorite teen films. This list can't cover every single teen movie, but we hope it contains some of your favorites, as well as some new picks for you to check out. So without further ado, here are the 45 best teen films of all time.