On the Internet, there’s no bigger sin than being cringey. At the same time, it’s what drives insane levels of engagement. Remember the infamous Star Wars kid? Yeah, that video has 38 million views. And who didn’t love to hate the 2018 YouTube Rewind? At one point, it was the most-disliked video on the platform of all time.
Truly, the Internet loves nothing more than some good old-fashioned cringe, and Bored Panda is here to deliver. We went online to find the most embarrassing humblebrags, lies, and attention-seeking posts that gave people second-hand embarrassment. Proceed only if you’re ready to experience new levels of cringe.
#1 Who Would Dare After That
Image source: barsby456
#2 Instagram Is A Gold Mine
Image source: coolduck78
#3 Please Zuck, He’s Angry
Image source: cocometcleo
Is there anything that isn’t cringe nowadays? It seems that folks might gang up on you for liking a book, a sports team, or a band they deem “cringe.” Something cuts deep inside your soul when you read a comment like “Imagine being a fan of X in the big 2026” followed by the wilted flower emoji.
How do we decide what’s cringey and what’s cool? Sometimes, it seems that the fear of appearing cringe stops people from enjoying their lives with as much whimsy as they can. The younger generations are particularly worried, as 56% of Gen Z feel anxious about rejection during Hinge dates. Their biggest worry? Doing something their date will think is cringy or embarrassing.
#4 Oh Wow Thanks
Image source: shessavage
#5 Woman Got Called Out In A Facebook Group For Humblebragging About Paying For Someone’s Burger And Fries
Image source: QuirkyWafer4
#6 Text From A Former Co-Worker I Haven’t Talked To Since 2019
Image source: sybil1037
In her piece for Mother Jones titled “One Nation, Under Cringe,” writer Steffi Cao observed that the current generation’s lexicon revolves around words used to describe embarrassing behaviors and shame people for them. “Where ‘cool’ or ‘dope’ served earlier generations, cringe, mid, sus, glazed, and ick serve us now,” she writes.
Indeed, Gen Z and Gen Alpha might be the generations so preoccupied with not being cringe that they’re missing out on the best parts of life. Online, more and more people are calling out those who participate in and cultivate “cringe culture.”
For example, one Redditor recently argued that “the concept of cringe culture completely ruined creativity and self-expression.” Under the “cringe culture” tag on TikTok, you can find others talking about how cringe culture is making everything boring and is fueling the rise of anti-intellectualism.
#7 Yes, I’m Sure Girls Were Judging You For Eating A Sandwich
Image source: amanda92baker
#8 Haha Even When I’m Ugly I’m Hot Haha Lmao
Image source: KOTORbayani
#9 Please I Just Wanna Get The Group Project Done
Image source: reddit.com
You might think that this is a problem only for the chronically online. However, experts are noticing that the repercussions of “cringe culture” are severely impacting today’s youth. In an interview for Australia’s ABC News, bestselling author and NYU professor of Creative Writing Ocean Vuong talked about how young people are afraid to try being poets and writers because it’s perceived as cringe.
“There is a kind of surveillance culture around social media,” he said. “This ‘cringe culture’ is ‘I don’t want to be perceived as trying and having an effortful attempt at my dreams.'” As a teacher, Vuong finds this horrifying: “They are absolutely scared of judgment. And so, in fact, they perform cynicism because cynicism can be misread, as it often is, as intelligence.”
#10 Sure Ya Did Bud
Image source: huuflepuuf
#11 Saw This In My Feed And Felt It Belonged Here
Image source: PsychicSavage
#12 This Guy Has Too Many Friends
Image source: reddit.com
Interestingly, sincerity seems to be really scary nowadays. Young people seem to like and care about things, but only ironically or in a weirdly detached way. In cringe culture, everything is embarrassing: being in a fandom, trying out a new hobby, and sometimes, even love. How else can we explain the recent “Having a boyfriend is embarrassing” trend?
#13 He Seems Nice
Image source: kodaboka
#14 Very Pretty Girl Btw
Image source: Quantum3000
#15 People Actually Do That?
Image source: dobbyisafreepup
The key to conquering this collective aversion to cringe might be the realization that we all do embarrassing things. Apparently, being embarrassed can bring people closer. According to a 2012 study, people find those who show embarrassment more trustworthy and pro-social. Although the embarrassment might seem unbearable in the moment and shortly after, it can actually work as a bonding mechanism.
#16 Manliest Sip Of All Time
Image source: hamfoh
#17 I Am Intelligent. Please Mate With Me
Image source: spacepatrolluluco
#18 If Only There Were A Way To Prevent This From Happening
Image source: rumsoakedham
Essentially, when we do something stupid and get embarrassed, we’re signaling to other people that we care what they think. They, in turn, feel sympathy for us and might feel the need to reassure us. Evolutionary psychologists say that we adapted to feel embarrassment as a way to correct our behavior in communities.
#19 This Girl Is Skinny And Her Twitter Is Filled With This Type Of Content
Image source: reddit.com
#20 That’s A Yikes From Me
Image source: reddit.com
#21 Just Say No
Image source: Onfour
So, was the meme “I am cringe but I am free” that started making rounds in 2020 right all along? I certainly hope so. In 2023, TikTok creator Erica Mallett coined the term “climbing the cringe mountain” to name how being cringe can set you free. “What embracing cringe allows you to do is try on a bunch of personalities, identities, outfits,” Mallett told The New York Times.
#22 “Failed” Attempt At Icing Bragging To Beginners
Image source: Vegfuture
#23 How Would I Know?
Image source: michaelmorrison315
#24 So Dangerous I Instantly Converted
Image source: NinjaThor
Do you think any of the people on this list deserve kudos for how they handled their cringeworthy moments, Pandas? Or are their cringy personalities beyond repair? Let us know your thoughts on cringe-inducing content and cringe culture in the comments! And if you want to see more, check out some cringy pics that show new levels of human stupidity and these expensive accidents and fails that made people cringe.
#25 Had To Deactivate Instagram After This One
Image source: thenotoriusfap
#26 Prose So Jacked
Image source: Allen_MacGyverson
#27 I’ve Never Seen Someone With Such A High Ego
Image source: ilovedavidgilmour
#28 On A Cute Video, About A Woman Who Spent Months Rehabbing A Tarantula So It Could Go Back Outside
Image source: big_white_fishie
#29 Worst Part Is She Got Through Her Science Classes By Copying Most Of Her Work
Image source: MrHoffbrincles
#30 In The Comments Of A Comic
Image source: reddit.com
#31 Christ
Image source: SoonerFan619
#32 Posted By A Well Known Fitness Entrepreneur. Equal Parts Obnoxious And Irresponsible
Image source: nothnks-imjustlookin
#33 No Name Food?
Image source: ok_noah
#34 That Moment When He Doesn’t Compliment You Back
Image source: reddit.com
#35 Sauceless And Disappointed
Image source: thepalmtrees1
#36 Seen On Twitter
Image source: FAMOUS_RECLUSE
#37 Oh I Bet You Did
Image source: Knifeslinger07
#38 This Girl Applying For Moderator On My Discord Server
Image source: Sophiekat12
#39 I Found One In The Wild
Image source: lavenderskyes
#40 There’s Hundreds More Like This
Image source: squeaky1127
#41 On A Meme Where It Implies Popular Girls Gets 250 Likes On Their Profile Pics
Image source: Testwick
#42 Degrading A 4th Grader In A Cartoon. Cute
Image source: Fosh06
#43 I Laughed More Than I Should’ve
Image source: tamziwamzi
#44 Invites Me To A Game, Leaves Shortly Afterwards And Messages Me This
Image source: wostmoke
#45 Friend Is Mad His $1,280.00 Hoodie Isn’t Warm Enough On His Trip To Alaska
Image source: reddit.com
#46 I Love The Fact That He Disassembled It On Top Of His Physics Homework
Image source: drewtheninja
#47 Science Student Cringes At The Legitimate Use Of The Word Chemistry (In The Context Of Romantic Chemistry)
Image source: Shiny_Palace
#48 She Is Fed Up With All The Guys Giving Her Business Cards
Image source: Arushan
#49 I Wish I Could Be Unhealthy But I’m Just Too Fit!
Image source: reddit.com
#50 I Mean, “I Can Help” Would Have Worked Too
Image source: teaspoon7884
#51 Don’t Mind Me Just Getting My Iphones Mixed Up
Image source: reddit.com
#52 Really Needed That Piece Of Information In My Life. Thank You
Image source: reddit.com
#53 “I’m An Actor”
Image source: mackstreetboys
#54 Just Batting Em’ Away
Image source: reddit.com
#55 Oh My God
Image source: reddit.com
#56 His Anger Fuels Him
Image source: Doctorj128
#57 Nothing Is More Romantic Than Getting Mad Over “Btw”
Image source: aidan0157
#58 That’s So Cringy To Read
Image source: sicklyandsour
#59 Sounds Like Someone Didn’t Get Laid
Image source: Jimmyx24
#60 Inspirational
Image source: RonDesantis2022
#61 He’s Currently Taking Remedial Algebra At A Community College
Image source: SirERexYun
Follow Us
