Gen Z Is Terrified of Being Cringe. What Is That Fear Costing Them?

Kendall Roy stands on a stage in Dundee, Scotland, ready to honor his father’s 50 years at the top of Waystar RoyCo with an original rap. “L to the OG, Dude be the OG” booms through the speakers, and he commits like he’s headlining Madison Square Garden, delivering every word with the conviction of a man who truly believes this is going well. Executives and shareholders shift in their seats. Logan stares back, completely unmoved.

It’s one of the funniest scenes in Succession, a show with a shelf full of Emmys, and easily among the most excruciating. Seeing it play out, you want to pull your shirt over your head, or rush up there and wrestle the mic away before Kendall drops another bar. The secondhand embarrassment borders on physical pain, as if you were the one performing.

For a lot of young people today, there’s nothing worse than being the Kendall in the room. According to a Yahoo/YouGov poll this year, the fear of coming across as cringe has stopped Gen Z from opening up about how they feel, voicing their opinions, sharing personal achievements, and even asking someone on a date.

Not one of those things comes close to rapping under a blinding spotlight while an entire crowd prays for it to be over. So how did cringe get such a tight grip on a whole generation? The answer has a lot to do with growing up in a world that’s always watching.