This exploration of the phenomena of Andy Warhol's influence on glitter rock and pop art reconceptualizes and re-evaluates many of the theoretical claims of subculture theory. Reconstructing Pop/Subculture provides an historical account of the tensions that arose in Western culture during the 1960s and 1970s between various factions which were forced to engage in explicit confrontations/dichotomies.

Cagle proposes a theoretical framework that incorporates notions of productivity with reception and re-examines the critical relationships between style, youth culture, incorporation, hegemony and resistance. He focuses on the ways in which fans take up trends presented through the mass media and adopt them through disingenuous practices.