The goal of this paper is to present the genesis and development of the most important theories of deviance and subculture as well as the most influential theorists and their respective works. Theories included in this paper: Chicago School research, Strain Theory, Control Theory, Labeling Theory, Subcultural Concept of the CCCS and contemporary review and criticism of some of the theories. Deviance and subculture theories are deeply rooted in sociology and criminology, but also they are of interdisciplinary nature, borrowing elements from psychology, anthropology and other sciences. Even though each theory, from Strain Theory to the contemporary ones, has it's specific qualities, and even clearly evident differences, Emile Durkheim, one of the most influential sociologists of all time, influenced the creation of almost all of the theories included in this paper. His concepts of anomie and collective representation as well as his approach to research, irreversibly changed the face of sociology and criminology thus becoming instrumental concepts for many of the theories included in this paper. Along with the theories and theorists, this paper paints a sociodemographic and political picture of the times, without which this paper would be incomplete. This work includes sociodemographic data regarding deviance and delinquency and, in the last section, a short empirical test of some of the theories. Even though deviance and subculture theories already exist for more than a century, the continued work to better them stays equally important today as it was during their inception, due to the fact that many questions still remain unanswered. This paper attempts to display the essence of the many theories of deviance and subculture by gathering essential information from a variety of sources related to the field of study, thus creating a solid foundation for the introduction into the theories of deviance and subculture.