any well reviewed earbuds with a little button on it to play pause or skip tracks are goated

definitely a must have

https://community.akamai.steamstatic.com/economy/image/fWFc82js0fmoRAP-qOIPu5THSWqfSmTELLqcUywGkijVjZULUrsm1j-9xgEObRUTSB_xhzRCms_jQ_HaCeJSn99svMUMjm84kFUuYLWxMzZhdFCbUKZfCqVirVq5CHM0u58tRNmx2VWx5ls/360fx360f

apple earbuds are definitely not that bad and the mic on these arent completely awful

they might fall out while running tho

but i also havent tried many different earbuds so its my subjective opinion

edit: im prob dumb af for trying to give you a recommendation for a type of thing i havent experienced much variety in, but i also don't care much about audio quality, listen to these other ppl lmao apples overpriced always anyway

CCA CRA. Get the one with the mic

https://i.imgur.com/y8lD4Nv.png

moondrop chu or if youre willing to go a bit higher than 50 the aria is a nice upgrade

Tin HIFI T2s are also very good, but you are looking at about 60$ for them.

I get the $11 Panasonic earbuds on Amazon, they're great as something I don't really need to take care of, like I can use them while running, skiing, biking etc and have no fear of losing or breaking them bc I can just get a new pair

i just use apple earpods cos they dont get sweaty or sticky in my ears after 3 hours. sound is terrible tho

the KZ ZSN are all i have bought the past like 4 years, really nice fit, clean sound and very good price too

$50 wont get you anything very impressive.
i've been using the tin hifi t2's. they're around $50 and sound beautiful for their price, but the tips can be fiddly and they don't come with an inline microphone, so you may have to invest in a wire if you don't already have a standalone mic.

you could also pick up skullcandies or something from the kz line, but i've never got a chance to use them so i can't recommend them.

I've used KZ ZSN for a year and a half for desktop usage(bought Aug 2019) until i stepped up significantly as far as sound setup goes (DT770 250ohm) managing to separately shill my two friends into buying them, each using them for over a year and a half now and having seemingly no complaints. They are pretty loud and give decent media and gaming experience without needing to pay for an amp or a DAC. The replaceable cable is just cherry on top which I did take an advantage of by ordering an extra cable with them. Mine have been scratched on the plastic side as I've stepped on them more times than I'd like to admit but they still remain fully functional. I did stop enjoying the hook like grip on them as I've grown more hair over the last 18 months.

I did get TFTV pilled on VE Monk a few years back and honestly I enjoy them despite them being slightly quieter than ZSN's (largely in part due to them being twice the impedance) they are excellent for sleeping and general lying in bed with a laptop as they have mx500 shape so they don't go in-ear(which was actually better for using them at work as I could respond to people without taking them off) but also produce reasonable sound and they are beyond dirt cheap. They come in both no mic and mic with the little button options so there's that. Using them for a year now. They are "5$" but the shipping manages to be 7$-ish so ordering multiples is kind of recommended, in case you break, lose them or want to have an extra pair to leave at your work or your locker. I didn't have to go through that as i have a retailer with free shipping on those so that did not apply to me. These are beyond better than the <10$ Panasonics I've used in the past.

Earbuds, in-ear's and headphones in general are a rabbit hole with tendency to have marginal improvements with diminishing returns the more expensive they get. They have a bunch of nuances and quirks to them such as balanced cables, different cable materials like oxygen free or silver plated copper, amps, DAC's, lossless audio format etc. Ultimately if you are not fixated on constant pursue of perfection by means of buying more and more expensive pairs 50$ is where you basically should stop without considering slapping "just a bit more" to buy "a better pair" because there are better offerings at essentially any price range.

Another thing to look at is the connector on them as the L-shape is especially preferable if you use them in a laptop where they will naturally be bending towards you as the cable wont snap nearly as fast as on a straight connector type.

I am certain people in this thread all have decent offerings.

ty guys, gonna give the kz zsn a shot. seems affordable and if anything just need something i can use for work, hoping it lasts a year!