At the time of writing this essay, I hold the only doctoral degree in popular romance studies in Pakistan, and while I recognize that the discipline may never have a future amid the growing regression in the country, I cannot help looking at my own research in the field and the research of my graduate supervisees as an instigation for change. I have received an unexpected interest in my book, Romance Fandom in 21st-Century Pakistan: Reading the Regency, across national universities, despite it not even being available for purchase in local bookstores. The best part of conversations about my book with Pakistani university students is the way their eyes light up at the realization that popular romance studies is a legitimate academic field. This enthusiastic reception challenges the traditional dismissal of romance studies through the new generation of Pakistani scholars who are keen to look beyond the highbrow and the global appeal of romance genre. The inherent grandeur of popular romance studies lies in the discipline’s power to bridge academic discourse with widely consumed media and to challenge prevailing assumptions about gender, emotions, and literary merit.