In his early years, he was part of the Streat Freaks breakdancing crew. When he got into acting, he started taking on minor roles. He had a recurring role as Eddie on the Wonder Years. Later on, he had a role in the movie The Perfect Weapon. He later starred in Steven Spielberg's 1991 classic Hook with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman. Basco has himself achieved a cult status with his role as "Rufio," the charismatic stripe-haired leader of the Lost Boys. Since then he has been in But I'm a Cheerleader (1999). More recently, he has provided the voices for Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Jake Long in American Dragon: Jake Long. He will be starring as Ramos in the 2006 film Take The Lead alongside Antonio Banderas.