Ethnic identity is central in shaping how we understand and perceive ourselves in relation to others. It is a complex and ever-evolving construction that takes place within a myriad of social relations and daily experiences. Based on an empirical qualitative study conducted with nine classmates from a Toronto high school, this research seeks to better understand how teenagers experience ethnic identity and understand the differences that surround them at school. I look in particular at the role of music and fashion styles as key sites for the construction and expression of ethnic identity, as well as vehicles to cross cultural borders. The participants' discourses reveal that popular cultural styles are used to challenge and surpass fixed versions of ethnic belonging, situating individuals as hybrid beings. Hybrid cultural identities, however, are highly structured and constrained at the school by a contradictory discourse that emphasizes authentic roots and stable identities.