It’s Friday night outside the Marquee in Chelsea, and there’s a familiar hubbub around the doors. Fat-walleted city types stroll up looking for the quickest way to their reserved tables, the regulars get ushered in with hugs and kisses, and gaggles of high-heeled girls drop names desperately.

But since this nightlife institution relaunched earlier this year, there has been a noticeable addition to the entry gantlet — and that’s a line specifically for prepaid ticket holders.

“The first time around, Marquee was geared strictly toward the celebrity crowd and the people who were too cool for school,” admits club co-owner Jonathan Schwartz, almost with a hint of embarrassment.

“Now, it’s more of a hybrid, where fans can be in the space with the VIPs.”

For between $20 and $30, the typical dance-music fan can gain access to a state-of-the-art nightclub and hear a world-famous DJ without having to befriend fascistic bouncers or wear shoes that cause irreversible spinal damage.

Welcome to the new, more egalitarian face of NYC club-land — where advance ticketing guarantees entry to both the young and old, and expensive bottle service no longer rules the night.

It’s happening all over the city. Across the water in Brooklyn, another large-scale venue named Output opened in late January, and the giant super-club Space is set to debut later this year. By not catering to the Wall Street crowd, the new scene is reminiscent of the larger, free-for-all clubs that ruled ’80s and ’90s nightlife, such as Palladium, Club USA, the Roxy and the world-famous Limelight.

The crowd at Williamsburg’s Output, which also offers online ticketing, isn’t quite as dressy as Marquee’s, and the entrance policy is even less strict: It’s not uncommon for bouncers to welcome you in with a friendly fist-bump.

Once inside, it’s clear that Output also wants its patrons to dance, and the absence — at least for now — of VIP bottle service seems to underline that. With its more minimal audio-visual approach and emphasis on the various subgenres of dance music, it looks set to become the go-to spot for the hipper, more discerning dance-music fan.

But if it sounds as though the movers and shakers behind Gotham’s big venues are opening up their doors just to be kind, think again.

Electronic dance music (EDM) is currently enjoying a huge boom. Mainstream artists and DJs such as Skrillex, Avicii and Swedish House Mafia now enjoy chart hits aplenty and play arenas around the world. With such a massive market to tap into, it’s hardly surprising that some New York venues have toned down the elitist air and taken a cue from the large-scale super-clubs more commonly found in places like Miami and Las Vegas.

At Marquee, sofas and roped-off tables line the outside of the room, but the central feature is the giant dance floor, which is made of specialized, high-grip wood to help revelers bust their best moves. At one end of the room, a high-rise stage elevates the often-anonymous DJ to be more like a rock star at a concert, and his set blasts through the Marquee’s festival-quality sound system.

“We feel that what people want is an experience and a show rather than just seeing a model or someone famous at the next table,” explains Marquee’s Schwartz.

And the crowd at Marquee does seem more interested in dancing than rubbernecking.

“EDM is fully commercial right now,” says Natalie Dodge, a 24-year-old DJ from Manhattan. “I see people from all over the world and all walks of life going to clubs now. ”

Romulo Almeida, a 35-year-old oil-rig worker from Brazil, is living proof of that widening demographic: “I like this place because I didn’t have to pay too much [to get in] and I get to see one of my favorite DJs.”

And the broadening of nightlife options across town looks set to continue throughout the year. New York clubbers are especially excited by the planned arrival of Space NYC, an expansion of the giant and world-renowned Space Ibiza.

The planned venue, which will be located on 50th Street in the industrial area of Hell’s Kitchen, will dwarf all others by holding more than 1,200 partygoers. Although opening dates are unconfirmed, a post on the club’s Facebook page has hinted at a grand opening on Thanksgiving Eve this year.

Not everyone is convinced that New York City will be able to re-create the glory years of club culture. For Steve Lewis, the former director of Limelight, it’s an impossible comparison.

“The rules are so different now,” he argues. “For one thing, you had smoking inside, which contributed to that feeling of social looseness. It was debaucherous, but these days, you can just go to OK Cupid and enter in ‘sex’ and have a debaucherous time at home. Back then, clubs were the only option for that kind of thing.”

Still, he’s quick to add: “That doesn’t mean that the younger generation that are going out now aren’t feeling the same excitement and exhilaration we did.”

Additional reporting by Michaelangelo Matos

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BEYOND THE VELVET ROPE

In NYC nightlife, there is perhaps no greater allure than that of the closed door, that one hot spot everyone is dying to get into, but can’t — unless you know the bouncer by name.

For this age-old problem, Host Committee (hostcommittee.com) has found the solution.

Launched in August, the free service works with exclusive venues such as No. 8, the Darby and Westway, hosting parties before the club’s official opening time — from, for example, 8 to 11 pm. Patrons can also throw their own bashes with their friends. (Most venues recommend a minimum crowd of 100 people for a private party, with a couple of hosts.) Included in the ticket price — $20 to $30 depending if you buy them in advance or at the door — is no-hassle admission past the velvet rope and an hour of free open bar.

— Jenna Kingsley