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Abstract: The paper examines the complex of problems associated with adolescent fear of growing up, becoming a general motif of the modern German drama. This complex consists of infantilism of adults, aggression of teenagers, shame for each other of different generations, treating life as a game, fear of responsibility and poor living conditions. Based on the plays of Meyenburg, Huebner, Friedrich, Herrndorf and Koala we analyzed separate elements, and the specificity of their relations in the texts. In the plays, traditionally regarded as innovative and even provocative, we study classic pretext and analyze their intertextual basis. The article presents a typology of the characters carrying complexes related to fear of growing up. In addition to the traditional apposition adult/child, there are different types of characters-teenagers, treating adult life and growing up differently. Comparative analysis of the plays makes it possible to draw conclusions about the evolution of the solution to these problems in the German drama of the last two decades.