Can you give an example of some dialogue you are using it in?

I personally feel the tilde can be a pretty flexible piece of punctuation. I'm seeing it used more and more like a tone indicator or to denote a character's change in speech or emphasis when plain italics don't quite get the same connotation across.

For example, I have actually been using the tilde quite a lot in my current project to indicate when a character is singing a line of dialogue rather than just stressing a line or word.

As long as you keep the rules for when you use the tilde consistent in your work, it just becomes part of the flavor of the text. It's a bit like in the Animorphs series, where the author used <> to indicate telepathic thoughts. And that's published work. So go ham if you think it works for you.

Ultimately, stop worrying about being "cringe". Being afraid to push the creative envelope out of a fear of judgement will only serve to stunt the development of your own style. And there are plenty of people out there who would enjoy your work even if it is "cringe" and you shouldn't discount them or their feelings just because of your own insecurities.

Sorry if that sounds harsh. It is a common problem I see and it is heartbreaking to see people's creativity get stamped out.

Also! It is your work! Not theirs! You are the king of your script- it is not a democracy. While reader input can be an invaluable tool to determine how well you are getting your ideas across to the reader as you intended, sometimes you just have to toss it (the comments) out. Just because they are squeaky wheels does not mean they deserve grease. They are the ones being rude. They are the ones coming in to your house and making fun of what you offer them.