Billboard’s staff pick 21 songs about feeling uncool, socially awkward or outside the mainstream, while arguing that individuality can ultimately be empowering.

– The selection ranges from Taylor Swift, Echosmith and Olivia Rodrigo to Beck, Bob Dylan, Weezer and Wheatus.
– Songs address party discomfort, beauty pressures, alienation and lasting insecurities from school.
– Examples include Alessia Cara’s “Here”, Beach Bunny’s “Prom Queen”, Beck’s “Loser” and Ben Folds Five’s “Underground”.
– The list also highlights artists who recast labels such as “loser”, “dork” and “freak” as forms of self-acceptance.