How Cringe Won the Internet

Offbeat, unfiltered, and utterly addictive— India's so-called cringe creators are rewriting what it means to be a digital star

- BY Aparmita Das

Dhinchak Pooja (Pooja Jain) Rapper | Uttar Pradesh, India | 778K Instagram followers • 745K YouTube subscribers

With clunky lyrics, fearless confidence, and viral hits like ‘Selfie Maine Leli Aaj’ and ‘Dilon Ka Shooter’, Dhinchak Pooja became an internet sensation in 2017. Often off-tune but never off-brand, she turned internet mockery into millions of views, and a spot on Bigg Boss.

It's another day of scrolling when you begin to notice a startling pattern. Every few swipes throw out an oddball gem: an elderly man in a neon vest dancing with unfiltered Bollywood intensity to a heartbreak song; a 20-something rapping an auto-tuned anthem about selfies; a bedroom crooner spitting motivational lyrics in grammatically wobbly English. The videos make you squirm—but they're also hypnotic, hilarious, and strangely heartfelt—a winning combination that is striking gold with audiences who can't get enough.

You'd think the algorithm would push slick, curated content. Instead, lo-fi, low-budget kitsch has a place on your feed right next to glossy fashion tutorials and travel vlogs. The people once dismissed as 'cringe' are now calling the shots, getting brand deals, government appointments, and respect from industries that should pretend they don't exist.

A quick scan of the stats proves the point: follower counts and views reach into the hundreds of thousands; comments flood in from Brazil, Germany, New Zealand; clips are remixed by creators in Tanzania; copycat reels emerge from China; likes, reposts and shoutouts are shared by global icons like Maroon 5, Snoop Dogg and Bruno Mars.

How did this happen? How did awkward become addictive?

As Jason Manners, a festival promoter who champions the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival, puts it: “There’s an underdog appeal to rooting for someone who doesn’t fit the mould but shows up with confidence and heart.”