young people; youths
A somewhat dated or literary collective term for young people, often with a nuance of a group or generation. Not as common in modern everyday speech as 若者 or 若い人たち.
The young people of that time went to the city in search of new culture.
Compound of 青年 (young man, youth) and 輩 (group, fellow, companion). The suffix 輩 is used to form collective nouns, often with a slightly derogatory or familiar nuance.