Cringe is internet slang for the feeling of second-hand embarrassment you get when someone does or says something awkward, forced, or out of touch. On social media, calling something “cringe” is one of the fastest ways to signal that content has missed the mark.
What does cringe mean?
Originally, to cringe meant to physically recoil — flinching at a loud noise or shrinking away from something uncomfortable. Online, the word has evolved into both an adjective and a noun. A TikTok can be cringe. A comment can give cringe. The reaction itself is cringe.
At its core, cringe describes the discomfort of watching someone else fail to read the room. The person posting usually doesn’t realize they’re being awkward, which is what makes the reaction so visceral. It’s closely related to terms like yikes (a verbal cringe reaction) and is often the opposite of slay, which signals that someone nailed it.
The word has gone global. Speakers of Bengali, Indonesian, Dutch, Filipino, and dozens of other languages now use “cringe” as a loanword — proof of how deeply internet culture exports its vocabulary.
How cringe is used on social media
Cringe thrives on platforms where authenticity is the currency. On TikTok, Instagram Reels, and X, users deploy the label to call out content that feels performative or tone-deaf:
- Trying too hard to be relatable. A CEO using Gen Z slang they clearly don’t understand. A brand hopping on a trending audio three weeks late with a corporate spin.
- Forced humor. Over-produced skits that feel scripted when the platform rewards spontaneity. Content that mistakes loudness for personality.
- Performative sincerity. Emotional posts that feel calculated for engagement rather than genuine — the social media equivalent of a humblebrag.
- Outdated references. Using memes or slang that peaked months ago. On platforms where trends cycle in days, timing is everything.
Cringe culture — the collective habit of cataloging and sharing embarrassing content — became a major internet phenomenon in the 2010s through subreddits like r/cringe and r/cringepics. While those communities could be harsh, the broader effect was to establish cringe as a shared cultural benchmark: a line between authentic and try-hard that audiences instinctively police.
Today, the label is so common that it functions as real-time audience feedback. When a post gets flooded with “cringe” comments or the ratio skews negative, creators know immediately that something landed wrong.
Why cringe matters for brands
For marketers, cringe is more than a slang term — it’s a signal worth monitoring. When audiences call brand content cringe, they’re saying the brand failed the authenticity test.
Cringe damages trust. Social media users, particularly younger demographics, have a finely tuned radar for content that feels manufactured. A single cringeworthy post won’t sink a brand, but a pattern of tone-deaf content erodes credibility. If your audience associates your brand with trolling reactions and cringe compilations, you’ve lost the room.
But cringe-avoidance isn’t the goal either. Brands that play it so safe they never take creative risks end up invisible. The most viral brand moments often walk the line between bold and cringe — think Duolingo’s unhinged TikTok persona or Ryanair’s self-deprecating humor. The difference is self-awareness: those brands know exactly what they’re doing.
Tools like consumer research platforms help brands track how audiences actually respond to content, catching cringe reactions before they snowball. Understanding the gap between what a brand intends and how audiences receive it is where trendspotting meets creative strategy.
How brands can navigate cringe
The line between bold and cringe shifts constantly, but a few principles hold steady:
- Know your audience’s language. Don’t adopt slang like it’s giving or other Gen Z terms unless your team genuinely understands the context. Misused slang is one of the most common cringe triggers — a phenomenon sometimes called trendbait.
- Match the platform’s energy. What works on LinkedIn reads as cringe on TikTok. Each platform has its own authenticity standards, and audiences notice when content was clearly repurposed without adaptation.
- Own the miss. If a post lands badly, leaning into the reaction with humor often works better than deleting it. Self-awareness is the antidote to cringe.
- Test before you publish. Run creative by people who match your target audience. If they wince, listen.
Cringe isn’t something brands should fear — it’s something they should understand. The most effective social media presences aren’t cringe-free; they’re cringe-aware, which is a very different thing.
For more social media slang and terminology, explore the Brandwatch Social Media Glossary.