I think it’s more that your friends have to trust you for edgy humor to work. The funniness from edgy humor comes from the dissonance between what a person says and how that person is.
If you make a joke like:
Selling cigarettes to school kids is a great way to make some extra money.
You’re friends would laugh because they know you and know you wouldn’t actually do something like that. A stranger may get uncomfortable because they don’t know you and may think you actually are doing that.
Same with racist, sexist jokes, if your friends know you and know your not racist or sexist then they can work. If they are unsure then it’ll make them uncomfortable because they may think that’s how you actually are.
I think it’s more that your friends have to trust you for edgy humor to work. The funniness from edgy humor comes from the dissonance between what a person says and how that person is.
If you make a joke like:
You’re friends would laugh because they know you and know you wouldn’t actually do something like that. A stranger may get uncomfortable because they don’t know you and may think you actually are doing that.
Same with racist, sexist jokes, if your friends know you and know your not racist or sexist then they can work. If they are unsure then it’ll make them uncomfortable because they may think that’s how you actually are.