Types of Men's Underwear Explained: A Style-by-Style Guide

Men's underwear comes in a lot more variety than most people realise — boxers, trunks, briefs, bikinis, thongs, jockstraps, enhancing and crotchless styles, loincloths, thermals, and hosiery. Each one does a slightly different job, whether that's comfort, support, warmth, or just personal style. This guide runs through every style we stock in plain language, so you can work out what you're actually looking for before diving into the detail.

There's no single correct style to own, and no need to pick just one. Think of this page as a starting point for figuring out which style solves the problem you actually have — whether that's comfort, support, visible lines under fitted clothing, warmth, or simply wanting to try something different. Each section below links through to a full guide with a lot more detail once you've narrowed down what you're after.

Every Style at a Glance

If you just want the short version before reading on, here's the full lineup in one place. Each row links through to a dedicated guide further down this page and beyond, so treat this table as a menu rather than the full picture.

The Everyday Basics: Boxers, Trunks, Briefs and Bikinis

These four make up the bulk of what most men actually wear day to day, and the differences between them come down to how much leg coverage and support each one gives you.

Boxers are the loosest of the four, with a full leg and no compression. There's nothing holding things tightly in place, which is exactly why they're so comfortable for sleep and lounging, but less ideal under fitted trousers or during exercise. A traditional pair is a single layer of woven cotton with a loose leg sitting well above the knee, which means the fabric moves independently of your body rather than with it. They're usually the most affordable option too, thanks to simpler construction, and they suit warmer climates particularly well since there's more airflow than any close-fitting style can offer.

Trunks solve the main problem with boxers — bulk under fitted clothing — by shortening the leg to sit around mid-thigh and adding a stretch fabric blend, usually cotton-elastane or modal-elastane. They sit close to the body without being as minimal as briefs, which is why they've become the most popular everyday style for a lot of men. They work well across a wide range of body types, hold up at the gym, and sit flat enough under a suit, which is a big part of why trunks have overtaken classic boxers as the default choice. If you only want to own one style, trunks are usually the safest bet.

Briefs flip the boxer approach entirely: full coverage at the seat, minimal coverage at the leg, and the highest support of the four. The fabric sits snug against the body from the waistband down through the upper thigh, which is exactly why briefs remain the default underwear for a lot of athletes and anyone doing high-impact activity. Modern briefs use much lighter, more breathable fabric than the "old-school" versions people sometimes picture, so the classic cut doesn't necessarily mean a heavy or restrictive feel anymore.

Bikinis sit lower on the hip than briefs, borrowing their low-rise waistband from swimwear styling, with less fabric at the seat and leg. They're a good middle ground for anyone who finds briefs too high-waisted or boxers too bulky, without going as minimal as a thong. They're also a popular pick for warmer weather, purely because there's less fabric involved overall.

Fit also depends a fair bit on body type. Athletic or muscular builds tend to suit trunks and briefs better than boxers, since the fitted fabric follows muscle definition rather than hanging loose. Slimmer builds usually do fine in boxers or roomier trunks without much bunching. Larger or taller builds often do better in a trunk with a wider waistband and a bit more leg length, since that combination reduces roll-down more effectively than a narrower cut. None of this is a hard rule — comfort and personal preference matter more than any general guideline — but it's a reasonable starting point if you're not sure where to begin.

Our full boxers vs trunks vs briefs vs bikinis guide goes into a lot more depth on all of this, plus what to wear each style under and how to avoid the most common fit mistakes.

Minimal and Alternative Styles: Thongs, Jockstraps and Loincloths

G-strings and thongs use minimal fabric at the back and sides, which removes visible panty lines under fitted or lightweight clothing entirely. The difference between the two comes down to how far that minimalism goes — a thong keeps a small front panel with a narrow back strap, while a g-string reduces the back to little more than a cord. There's still a bit of stigma around men wearing them, mostly because they're less common than boxers or briefs rather than for any real reason. Reasons men choose them include avoiding visible lines, less fabric bunching under tight clothing, and simply preferring the minimal feel. Sizing matters more here than with any other style, since there's less fabric to make up for a size that's slightly off — a size too small digs in at the waistband, and one too large won't sit properly. Our full guide to men's g-strings and thongs covers fit, fabric, and what to expect if you're trying one for the first time.

Jockstraps started life as sports gear in 1874, designed for bicycle couriers riding rough cobblestone streets, and they're still standard kit in contact sports today thanks to a supportive front pouch and an open back that maximises airflow. Over the past few decades they've also become a genuine style choice outside of sport, worn for the fit and feel as much as any athletic function, and they've picked up a following in certain fashion and alternative style scenes along the way too. Backless underwear is really the wider category jockstraps belong to, alongside a few other open-back designs that trade support for a more minimal or decorative look. See our jockstraps and backless underwear guide for the full breakdown of how they compare to briefs and what to look for in a well-fitted pair.

Loincloths are one of the oldest garments humans have worn, dating back tens of thousands of years, and versions of them are still part of traditional dress and sport in specific cultures today — the fundoshi in Japanese sumo wrestling, or the langot in South Asian wrestling and yoga traditions, for example. Separately from that, a modern, fabric-updated loincloth has found a place in underwear and alternative fashion, using stretch fabric and secure fastenings rather than a simple wrap of cloth. These are genuinely different things worn for different reasons, and it's worth not conflating a cultural or ceremonial garment with a modern fashion product inspired by its shape. Our guide to modern and traditional loincloths explains the distinction in more detail, along with how to wear the modern version if you're curious.

Enhancing and Crotchless Styles

Enhancing underwear uses a contoured, structured pouch rather than loose padding to add shape and definition. The difference between contouring and padding matters a lot here — contouring works with your existing shape, while padding adds volume on top, which is where things start to look artificial if it's not designed well. Done well, enhancing underwear looks natural rather than obvious, and fit matters more here than with almost any other style. Sizing down to "hold things tighter" is the most common mistake, and it backfires by compressing the shape unnaturally rather than contouring it properly. Most brands offer different enhancement levels, and starting subtle is the easiest way to see how it looks on you before going further. Our enhancing underwear covers how it actually works and how to choose the right level for you.

Crotchless underwear keeps the general structure of a regular brief or trunk, minus fabric in one specific area. Whether it's comfortable for extended wear really depends on the design — a full waistband and bound seams hold up fine for all-day wear, while a more delicate, lace-heavy, occasion-focused style is better suited to shorter periods rather than daily rotation. It helps to think of crotchless styles as falling into two rough groups: everyday-focused pieces built with proper structure, and occasion-focused pieces built more around how they look. Our crotchless underwear breaks down what to look for depending on how you plan to wear it.

Seasonal and Everyday Extras: Thermals and Hosiery

Long underwear and thermals aren't really a "style" in the same sense as the others — they're a base layer, worn under your regular clothes to trap warmth rather than for everyday comfort or aesthetics. They work by holding a thin layer of warm air close to the skin, which is why a snug, well-fitted thermal often feels warmer than a thicker but loose one. Fabric choice matters a lot here too: merino wool performs best overall since it insulates even when damp and resists odour, synthetic blends dry fastest and suit humid climates or sport, and plain cotton falls behind both for serious cold since it holds onto moisture rather than moving it away from the skin. Our thermals and layering guide covers how to choose the right weight and fabric for your climate, including why a lot of thermal advice online is written for colder conditions than most of Australia ever sees.

Hosiery covers fine, sheer, or semi-sheer legwear, usually nylon or a nylon-spandex blend, worn for warmth under trousers or simply for how it feels rather than durability. It's a different product to a regular sock, built from a much finer knit that isn't designed to survive years of hard wear the way a chunky wool sock is. Men wear it for a few genuine reasons: extra warmth under trousers without bulk, a smoother feel against the skin, a cleaner look under a suit, and  separately from all of that  as part of certain fashion and alternative style scenes. Our hosiery vs regular socks guide explains exactly where the line sits between the two, plus what the denier number on the packaging actually tells you.

How to Choose Your Style

With this many options, it helps to think about what you're actually solving for rather than trying to pick a single "best" style.

If comfort is the main priority sleep, lounging, an easy everyday default boxers or trunks cover most situations well. Boxers give you the most room and airflow with nothing digging in anywhere, while trunks add a bit more structure without losing much comfort in return.

If support matters most, whether for sport or just personal preference, briefs or a jockstrap are the better call. Briefs give you full coverage with maximum support, while a jockstrap trades that coverage for extra airflow and a more targeted kind of support, which is why it's remained standard kit in contact sports for well over a century.

If you're dealing with visible lines under fitted or lightweight clothing, a thong, g-string, or bikini solves that directly. The amount of fabric removed increases in that order, so a bikini is the easiest entry point if you're not sure how minimal you want to go, with thongs and g-strings as the next step if a bikini still shows more than you'd like.

If warmth is the goal, thermals and hosiery are built specifically for that rather than general everyday wear. Thermals work as a base layer under your regular clothes, while hosiery adds a lighter layer of warmth without the bulk of a second pair of socks.

And if you're after a particular look or feel rather than solving a practical problem, enhancing, crotchless, loincloth, or jockstrap styles are all worth exploring on their own terms. None of these need justifying beyond personal preference wanting to try something because it looks interesting, feels different, or fits a particular occasion is a completely normal reason on its own.

Most men end up with a mix rather than committing to one style for everything. Trunks for the office, briefs for the gym, boxers for sleep, and something else entirely for a specific occasion is a completely normal drawer to have. There's no rule that says you need to settle on one "correct" style and stick with it across every situation.

How Body Type and Activity Level Affect Your Choice

Beyond personal preference, a few practical factors are worth thinking about when narrowing down a style. Activity level is one of the biggest — anyone spending a lot of the day moving, exercising, or doing physical work generally does better in a more supportive style like briefs, trunks, or a jockstrap, since a looser style like boxers offers less to keep everything in place during fast movement.

Climate plays a role too. In warmer or more humid conditions, styles with more airflow — boxers, bikinis, jockstraps, or anything with mesh panels tend to feel more comfortable over a full day than a closer-fitting style in a heavier fabric. In colder conditions, this flips, and a closer-fitting style paired with the right fabric (or a thermal layer underneath) makes more sense.

What you're wearing on top matters as much as anything else. Slim or tailored trousers show more of what's underneath than relaxed or loose-cut styles, so trunks, briefs, or bikinis tend to sit better under fitted clothing than boxers, which have more fabric that can bunch or create a visible line. If you mostly wear relaxed clothing, this becomes far less of a factor, and comfort alone can drive the decision.

Fabric Matters as Much as the Style

Two pairs in the exact same cut can feel completely different depending on what they're made from. Cotton is breathable and easy to care for, making it the reliable everyday default, though it doesn't bounce back into shape as well as other options once stretch fibre is added to the mix. Modal holds its shape better over repeated washes and feels noticeably softer, which is why it's worth the extra cost if you've had issues with pairs going baggy. Microfiber dries fastest and pulls moisture away from the skin efficiently, making it the strongest choice for sport, travel, or humid climates. And mesh maximises airflow more than anything else on this list, usually appearing as panels on jockstraps or sport-focused styles rather than an entire garment, since the trade-off is reduced durability.

None of these fabrics is objectively better than the others — it really comes down to trade-offs between breathability, stretch, durability, and how each one handles moisture. Most men benefit from a small mix rather than choosing one fabric for their entire drawer: cotton or modal for everyday wear, microfiber for the gym or travel, and mesh-panelled pieces where extra airflow matters most. Climate plays a role here too — humid or tropical conditions generally favour moisture-wicking synthetics, while drier or more temperate climates suit natural fibres like cotton and modal just fine without needing aggressive moisture management. Our full underwear fabrics guide compares all of these side by side in more detail, including a full breathability and durability comparison table and how to care for each one properly.

Getting the Size Right

Style and fabric only get you so far if the size is wrong. Sizing varies more between underwear brands than most other clothing categories, so it's worth measuring your actual waist and hips rather than assuming your usual trouser size or a size from a different brand carries across. A close-fitting style like briefs or trunks is far less forgiving of an inaccurate measurement than a looser style like boxers, so getting this right matters more for some styles than others.

Specialty styles often need a slightly different approach too. Jockstraps are mostly about getting the waistband right, since the pouch itself is more forgiving than a full brief. Thongs and g-strings need both waist and hip measurements to be accurate, since there's less fabric overall to compensate for a measurement that's slightly off. And thermal or hosiery styles often factor in height alongside waist measurement, since leg length affects the fit more than it does with standard underwear.

Our size chart and measuring guide walks through exactly how to measure yourself properly, plus an international conversion table if you're used to shopping other regions' sizing and a full breakdown of how sizing differs between styles.

Common Questions

What's the most popular men's underwear style?

Trunks have overtaken classic boxers as the most commonly worn everyday style, mainly because they balance support and comfort better under modern, more fitted clothing. That said, "most popular" doesn't mean "best for everyone" — plenty of men still prefer boxers for comfort or briefs for support, and the right choice really comes down to what you personally need day to day.

Is it normal to own more than one style?

Completely normal, and probably more common than owning just one. Most men's drawers end up with a mix depending on the day, the outfit, and the activity, rather than a single style covering every situation equally well.

What's the actual difference between briefs, trunks and boxers?

Leg length and support, mainly. Boxers have the most leg coverage and the least support, briefs have the least leg coverage and the most support, and trunks sit in between with a short leg and moderate support. Fabric and fit within each category also affect how they perform, so two pairs of "trunks" from different brands can still feel quite different.

What is a jockstrap, exactly?

A jockstrap is underwear with a supportive front pouch, an elastic waistband, and two straps forming an open back with no seat fabric at all. It started as sports gear in the 1870s and is still used for that today, alongside being a genuine style choice for some men who simply prefer the fit, the airflow, or the look.

Do I need to buy different sizes for different styles?

Sometimes, yes. The same brand can cut a trunk differently to a brief or a jockstrap, even at the same labelled size, so it's worth checking the specific chart for each style rather than assuming one size fits everything across a brand's full range.

Are minimal styles like thongs or g-strings only for special occasions?

No — plenty of men wear them as a regular part of their rotation rather than saving them for anything specific. They're a genuine everyday option for anyone who prefers the fit, not an occasion-only product.

How do I know which fabric is right for me if I'm not sure?

Start with cotton or a cotton-elastane blend for everyday wear, since it covers most situations reasonably well without much risk of disappointment. From there, it's easy to branch out into modal if you want something softer, or microfiber if you need something that dries faster for sport or travel.

Where to Go From Here

This page is really just the map — each style has its own dedicated guide with a lot more detail on fit, fabric, sizing, and how to wear it well. Rather than trying to cover every nuance of eleven different styles in one place, the goal here was to help you work out which one (or which few) are worth reading about in more depth, based on what you're actually trying to solve.

If you're still working out your measurements, our sizing and fit hub covers the bigger picture across the brands and categories we stock, including how sizing principles carry across different categories beyond just underwear.

Whichever style you're leaning toward, the same basic advice applies across all of them: measure yourself properly rather than guessing, check the specific brand's chart rather than relying on memory, and don't be afraid to try something new if your current everyday choice isn't quite working for you. Underwear is one of the easiest things to experiment with, precisely because nobody else needs to know you're doing it.

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