1. Ponyboy is jumped and nearly beaten to death by four Socs (Randy, Bob, Paul, and Dally). Cherry Valance, a Soc girl, saves him by telling the Socs to leave him alone.
2. After Ponyboy is taken home, Darry and Sodapop decide that it is time to fight the Socs. They gather up the rest of the Greasers, including Johnny, Two-Bit, and Steve, and head to the vacant lot where the rumble is supposed to take place.
3. When the Socs arrive, the two gangs face off against each other. The Greasers are outnumbered but determined to win. The fight quickly turns violent, and several people are injured.
4. Johnny kills Bob with a knife in self-defense. Bob was about to kill Ponyboy, and Johnny felt he had no other choice. The murder of Bob further escalates the violence of the rumble.
5. The Greasers eventually win the rumble, but they suffer heavy losses. Dally is seriously injured, and Johnny is forced to flee town to escape the police. The rumble marks a turning point in the book, as it leads to a series of events that will change the lives of the Greasers forever.