Numerous versions of both strain and subcultural theory have been advanced, and this chapter cannot describe all these versions in their full complexity. The focus is on describing the essential features of strain and subcultural crime theories and the major variations in these theories. Both theories have been used to explain juvenile delinquency and virtually every type of adult crime. Strain theory locates crime in the individual's inability to achieve socially promoted goals through legitimate means. Blocked from conventional channels of goal achievement, individuals turn to property offenses to compensate. Frustrated and angry, some engage in violent crime. The author examines both classic and more modern renditions of this approach and then offers his own revision of both. This is followed by an evaluation of subcultural crime theory. This theory links criminal behavior to individuals' interaction with groups that have values conducive to crime. The author examines the evidence, first, for the existence of social subgroups who hold criminal values and, second, for whether individuals exposed to such groups are more criminal. In each case, he gives a qualified "yes."