Does it hurt to pop the cherry?

Answer 1

There's no cherry and nothing pops.

The hymen is tissue that surrounds the opening to the vagina, over time it can stretch or wear away. The hymen doesn't cover much of the vaginal opening and it is flexible so it can easily stretch to accommodate anything being inserted vaginally, but if penetration is rough or forced it can tear the hymen.

There aren't many nerve endings in the hymen so even when it is torn it often doesn't hurt, it is just as likely to feel pleasurable or just feel like a release of pressure, if you do experience pain it's just a small sting. Pain during sex is most commonly a result of lack of arousal, not from the hymen tearing.