IN THE WORLD of men’s fashion, what was once mockable is now covetable. The polarizing fanny pack, traditionally worn by cheesy tourists, has been elevated to a men’s “It Bag” on the runways at Prada, Fendi and Gucci. Crocs, the risible shoes favored by chefs and families vacationing along the Jersey Shore, have morphed into a hot-ticket item thanks in part to collaborations with Balenciaga and Justin Bieber. And now, jorts—those frumpy jean shorts worn by beer-clutching dads behind the barbeque—have wormed their way into style.

“Jean shorts are definitely making a comeback for summer 2021,” said Janine Chilton-Faust, the global VP of men’s design at Levi’s, which offers jean shorts in a range of fits from slim to baggy. Currently, the youth-leaning retailer Asos sells over 200 styles of men’s jean shorts online for as low as $10. Store-bought jorts (as opposed to homemade ones) can be either cleanly hemmed or tattered and frayed in the style of traditional cutoffs. If splurging on the latter is in the cards, consider an $850 gray-black pair from French haute-house Saint Laurent or a $595 wan blue pair with appliqued skeleton bones running up the side from Japanese label Kapital. Act fast on those Kapitals though—they’re low in stock on e-tailer Mr Porter.

Handup Gloves has been selling—and selling out of—jorts this summer.

Handup Gloves has been selling—and selling out of—jorts this summer.

Handup Gloves, an outdoor gear company in Chattanooga, Tenn., sells $40-ish jorts that “fly off the shelves,” according to head of marketing Troy Stewart. It was nostalgia that compelled Handup to create jorts. Mr. Stewart and his coworkers fondly recalled wearing jorts all summer back in the 1980s and ’90s “to cruise around the neighborhood,” he said. Despite being an outdoor company, Handup builds its cotton-blend jorts more for leisure than performance. “It’s not a pair of Lululemon shorts,” said Mr. Stewart. (With that said, jorts are actually a surprisingly popular choice for athletic activities. If you search #jorts on Instagram, you’ll uncover a lot of he-man gym rats bench-pressing in tattered denim cut-offs.)

Nostalgia is also what pushed Aaron Levine back to jorts. “They harken back to a simpler time,” said the 44-year-old menswear designer who until recently worked at Abercrombie & Fitch. Jorts are “a bit of a ’70s situation, worn with a Faith No More T-shirt or a big polo,” he said. Mr. Levine did stress that his chosen homemade cutoffs are a bit longer now than they would’ve been in the ’70s when Daisy Duke-esque skimpiness prevailed—even for men.

Aaron Levine has been wearing his cut-off Levi’s constantly over the past few months.

Aaron Levine has been wearing his cut-off Levi’s constantly over the past few months.

Photo: Aaron Levine

Mr. Levine recently wore his fraying jorts to dinner at the Odeon in New York City, a see-and-be-seen restaurant that sells $35 lobster rolls and $16 cucumber martinis. Yet, Mr. Levine didn’t hear a disparaging word about his fraying cutoffs from the management or otherwise. Instead, his dinner mates just asked where they could get a pair.

Even committed jort enthusiasts are aware that jean shorts are still a bit of a gag. “You almost chuckle the minute you hear the word ‘jorts,’” said Albert Imperato, 58, a classical-music publicist in Manhattan, who has worn jorts through many summers. He savors their breezy fit and the laid-book look of the denim, but he knows that “some people just think they’re funny.”

The lightheartedness of jorts might actually be the secret to their surging popularity among younger men. Ryan McSherry, 29, a customer service representative in Geneva, Ill., remembers wearing jorts to run a half-marathon in college simply because he thought they’d look funny. (If you’re curious, the denim didn’t chafe that badly, but he would still recommend swishy running shorts over jorts.) Today, Mr. McSheery wears them in a more everyday capacity. After a weighty year, jorts are just something frivolous he can put on that says “I’m not caring as much about what other people think.”

Ryan McSherry started wearing jorts as a joke in college, but lately has made them a more serious part of his wardrobe.

Ryan McSherry started wearing jorts as a joke in college, but lately has made them a more serious part of his wardrobe.

Photo: Ryan McSherry

Will Rebholz, 29, a wine and beer salesperson in Grand Rapids, Mich., wore jorts “ironically” to rowdy tailgates in college. He still breaks them out at parties just “to bring some humor” to the room. He alternates between two different jort lengths depending on his mood: one longer pair that’s “built for comfort” and a far skimpier pair that makes for a leg-showing statement.

Mr. Rebholz, like most jorters I spoke with, slices his shorts from existing pairs of full-length jeans. (For extra frugality, Mr. Rebholz uses thrifted jeans from Goodwill.) So does Benjamin Formanek, 29, a PhD candidate in Ontario and longtime jort sporter: “I’ve never bought a pair of jorts in my life,” he said. “In fact, I’m actually quite offended that they’re even sold.” His began wearing DIY jorts as a teenager to attend hardcore metal shows. “Everybody was wearing skinny jeans. And in the summer months when it gets a little bit too hot and they give out,” he said, they cut them into shorts. He’s had to learn to get pretty good at tailoring so his jorts don’t come out lopsided, but cutting his own is certainly far cheaper than buying a newfangled designer pair.

Write to Jacob Gallagher at Jacob.Gallagher@wsj.com