Objective According to labeling theory, an official deviance label promotes the development of deviant self‐meanings. Despite the centrality of this hypothesis to the theory, most tests of the hypothesis on juveniles are decades old, fail to control for deviant behavior, and focus only on self‐evaluation, neglecting two of the three dimensions of self‐meaning: self‐potency and self‐activity. Therefore, our objective is to explore this hypothesis in a way that addresses these weaknesses. Method We test the hypothesis by examining the relationship between a delinquency adjudication and all three dimensions of self‐meaning while controlling for recent deviant behavior. Our data come from two samples of college students and one sample of youths in an after‐care program for youths who have been adjudicated delinquent. Results In line with expectations, a delinquency adjudication is linked with lower self‐evaluation and higher self‐potency. But, contrary to expectations, it is associated with higher feelings of activity. Conclusion The findings are consistent with the labeling theory proposition that an official deviance label promotes the development of deviant self‐meanings. We discuss the theoretical and policy implications of these findings and outline avenues for future research.