aiming for laughs; playing to the crowd; crowd-pleaser
Refers to a deliberate attempt to get a laugh or positive reaction from an audience, often in comedy, performances, or casual conversation. Can be used as a noun or in the phrase ウケを狙う.
See also: ウケを狙う
His jokes are always aimed at getting laughs.
That comment was totally a play for laughs.
Common katakana-kanji mixed spelling; ウケ is from 受ける (to be well-received).
Kanji spelling; less common than ウケ狙い but still seen.
Compound of ウケ (from 受ける, 'to be well-received') and 狙い ('aim'). The katakana spelling ウケ is common in this expression.