…preferably a mildly insulting one?
“Mundane,” used as a noun, is the closest thing I can think of…although I understand “Berm” is used by some in the UK.
So…any others?
Jock
Chowderhead
Bonehead
Moron
Retard
A few fries short of a happy meal
Mouthbreather
Meathead
Knuckledragger
Or, if you are talking about the social skills of nerds:
Pretty-boy
Player
Mimbo (per the Seinfeld episode)
Slick
Nouns don’t necessarily have exact antonyms.
What’s the opposite of a dog? Or a wrench?
Nerd should work a little better because adjectives or adverbs (based on my quick thought experiment, so YM definitely MV) can almost always be provided (if only by the trivial expedient of adding an “un-” prefix), and “nerd” seems to be more descriptive or adjectival (for a noun) than, say “chair” or “street.”
Action or existence likewise have direct corrolaries (failure to take the action, or preventing/reversing it; failure to exist or annihilation), so lend themselves to logically-opposite counterparts.
You may end up dissatisfied with the absolute fitness of any particular suggested “antonym” (especially given on which of the many behaviors and traits and perceptions associated with nerds are singled out as the facet for which to pick the opposite). Some of the above look pretty apt for certain traits.
Maybe narrow down which aspect of the popular perception of nerd you’re concerned with contrasting?
Slacker? Drop-out? Cannon fodder?
Here’s the general definition(s) that I use, Huerta88.
So, in short, “I smile when I say ‘nerd,’ pil-grim.” ;D
Alpha Beta? (After the rival fraternity in Revenge of the Nerds)
To tell the truth, I’ve only heard “Mundane” used as a slight pejorative by fans (SF fans) to designate non-fans (As in “Save the Mundanes! We need them for breeding stock!”) But “fan” does not equal “nerd” (except perhaps to a Mundane), so I don’t think it exactly fits your bill.
I’ll bet that “Muggle” will start to take over the role of “Mundane” over the next few years, due to the popularity of Harry Potter. But it still won’t mean “non-fan”.
About BMOC?
Ok, that made no sense 'tall.
How about BMOC?