they have but their popularity has ebbed and flowed in our society and are pop culture manifestations which changes,IMO the impetus behind the current resurgence is traceable to gangs and the exporting of prison culture to the streets ,they are though one of the more innocuous examples.
that's why I say they are fad
Wiki
A
fad is any form of
behavior that develops among a large population and is collectively followed enthusiastically for a period of time, generally as a result of the behavior being perceived as popular by one's peers or being deemed "cool" by social media.
[1] A fad is said to "catch on" when the number of people adopting it begins to increase rapidly. The behavior will normally fade quickly once the perception of novelty is gone.
[1]
The specific nature of the behavior associated with a fad can be of any type including language usage, apparel, financial investment and even food. Apart from general novelty, fads may be driven by mass media programming, emotional excitement, peer pressure, or the desire of "being hip