I forget where I heard it but someone once told me for something to be universally liked it has to be pretty mediocre. My 3 jokes that get a big laugh no matter the audience is two puns and one joke where the punchline is you’re fucked.these aren’t my favorite jokes to tell but they work no matter where I go so I tell them first to get the audience on my side then I can take them off the rails with my edgier or more controversial jokes. One of my favorites is one where I riff on a town in our state’s name. If you were from that town or knew someone from it you might be offended or hesitant to laugh or heckle, but if you already like me from the first 3 jokes you’d be more likely to tolerate it like a friend messing with you