Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Things That Appear Cool To High Schoolers But Cringeworthy To Everyone Else

Things That Appear Cool To High Schoolers But Cringeworthy To Everyone Else
three men and laughing two women walking side by side
Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash

High school is strange time for most of us. We think we know everything, we want to be cool and idolized, and we conform to fit in, even if conforming really means doing something stupid, like smoking.

Still, as high schoolers, we thought all of this was cool. We did all sorts of stupid or inappropriate things, and either justified them, or didn’t even realize they needed to be justified.

However, we all grow up. Things we thought were cool as high schoolers are absolutely cringeworthy to us now. Redditors are only too eager to share what those things are.


It all started when Redditor crypto_wut asked:

“What is cool in the eyes of most high schoolers but is actually cringe?”

Uselessness Of High School Hierarchy

"Being popular for the wrong reasons. As soon as you graduate that starts over. Better not to rely on being popular and prepare."

– Hamfiter

"I remember this guy in high school who had a fearsome reputation. Him and his cousins would show up at parties, literally say, "Do you know who I am?" and attack people. People were terrified, and rightfully so, people were getting severely hurt."

"Anyways, I was in 11th grade, he was in 12th."

"Once he graduated high school, he would come swing by the high school often, smoke out front with his "friend's" and talk about how it was so great to graduate, he didn't have to get up early or do anything, etc. At first, everybody was like, "Cool, lucky!" and then it was like, "Heh...let's go back to class...""

– lazarus870

"I'm Real Grown Up!"

"Telling people how mature you are"

– pineapplewin

"When I was in high school there were some girls in one of my freshman/sophomore classes bragging about how mature they were because they had boyfriends who were older and would invite them to college parties. Like...no, your boyfriends are losers and you're just naïve.

– ArcticFox46

Teach Yourself To Be Kind

"Being rude to teachers. Every person who I know who was rebellious in school cringes hard when they think about the sh*t they said to teachers."

– WowThisIsAwkward_

"Being jerks to the teacher who just tries to do his\her job."

– Greedy-Ad-189

Not JUST A Prank

""It's just a prank bro" no, you're being an a**hole"

– bzaroworld

"I like to use the pie in the face test. Does it cause the person more inconvenience than a pie in the face, under normal circumstances? If yes, then it's not a prank, it's a crime."

– indrada90

Feel What You Feel

"Worrying what other people think. The concept of “cool” in the first place."

"My brother and I (in our early 30s) were watching a group of teenagers trying so hard to put on this cool, unemotional facade at Disneyland while everyone else around them just enjoyed themselves and we were laughing to ourselves that teenagers are so afraid of displaying emotion or passion and nobody else cares. But we all went through it, and we all reach the realization that it’s more fun to just enjoy ourselves."

– Objective-Ad5620

Louder and Louder

"Being loud and obnoxious everywhere they go. Like dude no one thinks you’re or your friends are cool over there yelling penis because you think it’s funny."

– Activ_RefRigeRatoR

"I own a store kids frequent and I have had to tell them more than once to shush. The volume got so loud once an actual PAYING customer was uncomfortable."

– CalliopeKB

Be Who You Are...

"Doing things to gain other peoples approval.."

"Seriously, when you grow up and stop giving a f**k about other peoples opinions, life is so much better"

– EndlesslyUnfinished

...And Not Who You Aren't

"Being 'edgy' and 'offensive' just for the sake of it."

"Yeah, we get it. You think that mocking dead people or posting racist/sexist stuff on social media makes you a tough edgelord not to be f**ked with. No, it just makes you look like a complete tryhard."

– AlysonMazzoni

They Are

"Most high schoolers."

– Bacontoad

"Yup. The most awkward demographic that uses grunts to communicate."

– Pimp_Daddy_Patty

"I was gonna say “the word cringe” but yours’ better"

– jamieleeght

Faking It

"Pretending to have some type of disorder, like that makes them special. Like some how everyone has multiple personalities now, one of the rarest disorders of it's kind and everyone and their cousin suffers from it."

– Top-Sprinkles6929

"Faking mental disorders and saying “OMG I HAVE DEPRESSION I AM SO QUIRKY” IN THAT EXACT SENTENCE"

– w0rms1nMyEy3S

That last one is pretty sickening. It’s a good thing high schoolers grow out of it.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

A line of rotisserie chickens with a reaction from X overlayed on top.
UCG / Contributor/Getty Images

'Wall Street Journal' Ripped After Saying Millennials And Gen Zers Are 'Splurging' On 'Rotisserie Chickens' Instead Of Buying Homes

It's sadly all too common for older generations to look down on millennials and criticize their constant complaining about how "hard" life is and how they can't afford to be homeowners.

That criticism almost always ignores factors like the rising cost of housing, increasingly low salaries, and a continuous housing shortage.

Keep Reading Show less
Cardi B
Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage/Getty Images

Cardi B Claps Back Hard At Homeland Security After They Mock Her For Threatening To 'Jump' ICE At Her Concert

People unfamiliar with rap music may not know much about the art form or its stars.

The majority of the world might only know Cardi B as one of the women—with Megan Thee Stallion—behind the song "WAP" that was certified Platinum nine times in just the United States before hitting Diamond eligible status in late 2025 with 10 million units sold.

Keep Reading Show less
Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Roasted After Making Bonkers Comparison Between Gas Prices In Iowa And California

President Donald Trump was widely mocked for making a nonsensical comparison between gas prices in Iowa versus California during a ceremony at the White House in which he was given an award for being the "undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal."

Trump's recognition reportedly came from the Washington Coal Club, a pro-coal advocacy organization with financial links to the sector. The award was presented by James Grech, chief executive of Peabody Energy, the nation’s largest coal producer. The bronze trophy depicts a miner equipped with a headlamp and pickaxe.

Keep Reading Show less
James Van Der Beek
Vivien Killilea/WarnerMedia and AT&T/Getty Images

GoFundMe For James Van Der Beek's Family Sparks Debate About U.S. Healthcare After Amassing Over $1.5 Million

Though Dawson's Creek's James Van Der Beek has only just tragically passed away at the age of 48, his family has had to start making financial plans amid their grief.

While going through cancer treatment, it became public knowledge that Van Der Beek was auctioning off much of his memorabilia from Dawson's Creek and other big products to cover the high costs of his cancer treatment. Though Cobra Kai star Paul Walter stepped in at the time and started a Cameo account to help offset those remaining medical costs, the debt continued to mount.

Keep Reading Show less
Jill Zarin (left) criticized Bad Bunny (right) after his record-breaking Super Bowl halftime performance.
Sara Jaye/Getty Images; Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Former Reality Star Fired From New Show After Going On Racist Tirade About Bad Bunny's Halftime Show

Real Housewives OG Jill Zarin may need to add “fired again” to her Bravo résumé after production axed her from the upcoming E! reality docuseries The Golden Life, which stars fellow RHONY originals Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon, and Sonja Morgan.

Zarin appeared on The Real Housewives of New York from 2008 to 2011, quickly branding herself the group’s truth-teller, a role that often blurred into pot-stirrer, grudge-holder, and reunion-stage detonator.

Keep Reading Show less