My phone buzzed during a late-night special and I started scribbling down lines that made me laugh out loud; comedians lean on certain hilarious turns of phrase that are almost universal. One big favorite is the observational opener — think 'What's the deal with…' — where the comic points out a tiny shared annoyance and blows it up into a whole bit. Another is the self-deprecating zinger: something like, 'I have the body of a god — unfortunately, it's Buddha.' Those kinds of lines get instant rapport because people see themselves in the joke.
I also love the absurd one-liner, the surreal non sequitur that forces you to recontextualize everything you just heard. And then there are callbacks and rule-of-three jokes where the third beat flips expectation. If you want concrete examples to borrow as inspiration (not to steal), watch a few specials and note how performers turn everyday details — commuting, dating apps, family dinners — into a tiny truth and then slap a ridiculous image on top. A great routine blends truth, timing, and a tiny sting of surprise, and when it lands, the room lights up like a string of neon.