Humor genres

What is considered humorous can be subjective, and can also vary by culture. Below are various types of humor, many of which are almost universally appreciated. However, some types of humor may be appreciated more or less so among some cultures or individuals.

1 Genres

Humor can be classified into different genres based on the source or topic of humor, how it is delivered, or the context, i.e., when, where, or how it is delivered. Some categories and subcategories can easily overlap. The list below is not necessarily exhaustive or complete, but lists the more common types.

1.1 Thematic forms

Anecdotal humor

This is based on stories or told as a story, whether real, embellished, or fictional. Examples include many stand-up comedy routines. These can be in first person (as the comedian's own experience) or in third person.

• When Winston Churchill was asked how he became such a good public speaker, he shared his secret for overcoming nervousness and anxiety about making speeches. “When I get up to speak, I always make a point of taking a good look around the audience. Then I say to myself, ‘What a lot of silly fools.’ And then I always feel better."

Topical humor

is based on particular themes and topics, such as current events. Examples include Mock the Week (a UK TV show), and American TV shows by John Oliver and Stephen Colbert.

Observational / situational humor

Observational humor is based on observations and insights about ordinary topics and ordinarily daily life situations, such as otherwise normal or trivial matters. This can overlap with anecdotal humor. Examples would include some stand-up comedy jokes of many stage comedians, and some jokes in the sitcom Seinfeld. Such routines often begin with phrases like "Have you ever noticed...?"

• Have you ever noticed there is never any third act to a nightmare? They bring you to a climax of terror and then leave you there. --Max Beerbohm
• Have you ever noticed how they always give you the peanuts on the planes? Who ever thought the first thing somebody wants on a plane is a peanut?

1.2 Satire and related forms

Satire

Satire holds someone or something up to ridicule and perhaps also criticism by mocking it. This may involve poling light fun at targets as broad and harmless as human nature or society, or satire that points out the shortcomings of other entertainment media (e.g., making fun of other shows or movies), or even stronger biting satire (e.g., mocking political leaders). Examples include Monty Python (UK TV series and films).

Parody

Part of a book, film, show, song, etc. is recreated in a manner that makes fun of the original work. The more colloquial term 'spoof' can refer to a parody containing exaggerated humor, such as exaggerated imitation, caricature (making fun of a person), and use of irony. Examples of parody and spoofs include Spaceballs (sci-fi film spoof), Airplane (a spoof of disaster films, and the Scary Movie series (spoofing horror films).

Sarcasm

Sarcasm is the use of words to mock, insult, or criticize someone. It is generally understood by the context or the vocal intonation of the one making a sarcastic statement. This can involve irony, e.g., by making an obviously false or hyperbolic statement.

Self-deprecating humor

A person makes fun of him/herself, often in a light-hearted manner (or perhaps their social, cultural, or racial group). The famous comedian Rodey Dangerfield was famous for this genre.

Insult comedy

This form involves sarcastically insulting specific persons, groups of people, or other targets. Examples include Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. However, some insult comedy can become sexist, racist, or homophobic.

Political and social humor

Political and social humor or satire would fall into the above categories of satire and topical humor, and under the general category of intelligent humor below. Examples would include the UK TV show Mock the Week, John Oliver's show This Week Tonight on HBO (which also is very informative and educational, combining humor and information in an infotainment format), and Stephen Colbert (political humor on a late-night comedy show, dealing with American politics).

1.3 Physical humor

Physical humor or comedy

This is based on exaggerated physical movement, gestures, or use of props. Examples include the Mr Bean TV series and Charlie Chaplin films.

Slapstick

involves exaggerated and unrealistic physical comedy. Examples include Buster Keaton films, Charlie Chaplin, and Three Stooges.

Pranks

are tricks played on other people, and often involve physical humor and trickery

1.4 Verbal humor

Wordplay

This involves puns and other plays on word meanings, whether witty or not so witty (such as bad puns).

Dad jokes

These are children's jokes, which are often silly and rely on puns, the kind that a father would tell to entertain his children.

• How do trees talk to each other? They bark.
• What snack do robots like to eat? Computer chips.
• What did the 0 say to the 8? Hey, nice belt!

One-liner

A concise joke, usually told in 1-2 sentences, with a punchline. This may involve word plays or punchlines that are unexpected. This is typical of older stand-up comedians like Rodney Dangerfield and Groucho Marx.

Epigrammatic humor

This consists of witty or wise sayings that often make for good quotes.

• "The proper basis for a marriage is mutual misunderstanding" — Oscar Wilde.

Hyperbole

Such humor is based on exaggeration, often verbal exaggeration, though it can be non-verbal as well.

Paraprosdokian

Paraprosdokian is a type of wordplay in which the ending of a joke is delivered in an unusual, surprising or unexpected manner (e.g., the contents and/or vocal intonation), such that it forces the listener to entirely reinterpret everything before the punchline. It has been popular with certain comedians like Emo Phillips and Groucho Marx.

1.5 Intellectual humor

Surreal humor

Surreal humor or absurd humor is based on absurd or strange situations, hyperbole, strange juxtapositions of unrelated things, illogical outcomes, or defying audience expectations (e.g., jokes with unrelated punchlines, or violating normal rules of human conversation). Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland depicts absurd situations, and this may be considered a precursor of the absurdist genre. Some Monty Python sketches fall into this category, such as their famous Deja vu sketch. Plays by Eugène Ionesco such as The Bald Soprano (La Cantatrice chauve) use absurd dialogue and situations, often for social commentary and for exploring existential themes; such plays with social and philosophical themes belong to a subgenre of performance art known as the Theater of the Absurd (Theatre d'Absurd).

Highbrow or intellectual humor

This includes academic humor that is specific to certain academic fields, or humor based on topics familiar to a more educated audience. Intellectual humor is based on intellectual or sophisticated themes, or topics specific to a particular academic field. Examples include the online comic strip XKCD.

1.6 Offensive or uncomfortable forms of humor

These will be uncomfortable or offensive to some, and some may not find these funny at all.

Blue humor / comedy

Also known as risqué humor, this invloves topics of a sexual nature or profanity, and sometimes gender or race based humor. The term 'blue' comes from 18th century European use of the term for moral standards, and 'risqué' is French for 'risky.'

Cringe humor

Also known as awkward humor, this is a relatively newer genre, which is based on situations that are very awkward, e.g., when a character is acting in a very awkward, embarrassing, or socially unacceptable manner. The best examples come from the TV series The Office (UK & US versions). An early pioneer was a comedian from the 1970s and 1980s named Andy Kaufman, whose pranks are exemplified in the biographical film about his life, Man on the Moon.

Dark humor

Also termed black humor, this is humor based on disturbing, uncomfortable, taboo, or morbid subjects, e.g., drugs, suffering or death. Also called gallows humor or morbid humor.

Juvenile / sophomoric humor

is based on childish themes like pranks, insults, and immature behavior or topics. Some of the humor in the Austin Powers films would fall in this category.

Lowbrow humor

This is often crude, profane, or offensive, but also fairly witty and intelligent, such that it takes some skill to do lowbrow effectively. Some well known comedians have performed funny routines with lowbrow humor.

Potty / toilet humor

This type of sophomoric humor consists of rude, childish jokes on what most adults would consider inappropriate topics. Topics may range from fart jokes to jokes about bodily functions and scatological humor (jokes about excrement).

Innuendo and double entendre

This refers to statements or situations that implies, without directly stating, something else, often something of a sexual nature, or an insult. Innuendo refers to humor that is implied but not directly stated, generally in a single statement, and the implied meaning is often insulting or something sexual. Double entendre or 'double meaning' refers to language, often more than a single statement (e.g., a longer joke or a conversation) with a double meaning; the initial face-value or literal meaning seems harmless, and the second meaning may not be apparent at first, but a clearly implied second meaning emerges, which is something of a sexual nature.

Shock humor

This involves humor that is designed to be shocking and offensive to some listeners, by violating or mocking social norms and taboos. It thus includes a lot of sexual humor, profanity, sometimes sexist or racial humor. Comedian Howard Stern is a typical example, and his humor is notoriously sexist or sexual. However, the comedian David Chapelle used shock humor effectively as a means of social and political satire, in order to point out and mock racism and other social problems in the US.

2 Delivery forms and media

Humor forms can be distinguished by the means of delivery or the medium used, such as the following.

• Sitcom: situation comedy, or a typical comedy show on TV
• Sketch / skit comedy: a short-form comedy sequence, often acted out with multipe actors, role-playing a situation
• Stand-up comedy: live comedy acted out before an audience
• Improvisational comedy: stand-up or similar comedy that is improvised on the spot, or delievered as if impromptu or improvised
• Banter: Witty, spontaneous but natural conversation, usually among friends, which often involves spontaneous or improvised jokes
• Dry or deadpan humor: This refers to a style of deliverying jokes, rather than a genre of humor. This involves deliverying jokes without any change in facial expressions, emotion, or vocal intonation that would give away the joke. Also called tongue-in-cheeck humor.
• Mockumentary: This is a spoof on the documentary genre, this is a fake documentary; a famous example is the film This is Spinal Tap about a fictitious rock band.
• Comedy music: This can include spoof songs by Weird Al Yankovic, or even political satire delivered in musical form by Mark Russell.