In this study we examine the ethnic identifications and self-labels discussed in open-ended interviews with 250 young Asian Americans involved in the youth culture of dance clubs. The ethnic category ‘Asian American’ has a shifting history with contested boundaries, as can be seen in the varied relationships with this label described by the participants in the study. Some embrace the Asian American label and identity as it reflects and fosters community and solidarity among disparate Asian ethnic groups in the U.S. Others reject this label for themselves, or use it in only very specific circumstances and prefer to identify with ethnonational labels. Reasons for this range from discomfort with the broadness of ‘Asian American’, to a desire to avoid confusion with other Asian ethnic groups, to dislike of a conflation between Chinese and Asian American identities. Some participants—particularly those of Indian and Filipino descent—excluded their group from the Asian American designation or felt excluded from it by others. We then examine the ways that the symbolic boundaries between Asian ethnic groups described by the respondents are reflected in patterns of participation, inclusion and exclusion in the dance club scenes, which vary importantly by ethnonational group.