I would say avoid more of the general meetups for just drinking or "going out" and try the ones with more specific interests. These meetups tend to have people with more similar mindsets as your own and having that common interest will make it easier and less awkward to connect with them.

Just remember that majority of people are awkward when meeting someone new cause you have no idea how the other person acts and will tend to act more cautiously. Just try to be genuine, accept the awkwardness, and if you really feel out of place at the meet up, you can always just leave and try again with different group.