<p>Attitudes toward gender roles, deeply rooted in cultural norms, play a pivotal role in shaping individuals’ well-being and self-concept. Understanding how these attitudes interact with self-esteem and mental health outcomes is essential, particularly in culturally diverse contexts where traditional and egalitarian roles may exert influence. The study objectives were: (a) to find out the relationship between egalitarian and traditional gender role stereotypes with self-esteem and mental health outcomes in young adults, and (b) to explore the moderation effect of self-esteem on gender role stereotypes and mental health outcomes. A correlation research design utilizing structured assessment scales, i.e., Gender Role Attitudes Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Health Well-being Scale, was used in this study. The sample size was 200 young adults, including males and females, aged 18–25 (<i>M</i> = 21, <i>SD</i> = 1.9). They were taken from undergraduate university students through a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Results showed a significant and positive relationship between egalitarian gender roles and self-esteem (<i>r</i> = .46, <i>p</i> &lt; .01) and between egalitarian gender roles and mental health outcomes (<i>r</i> = .38, <i>p</i> &lt; .01). However, a significant negative relationship between traditional gender roles and self-esteem (<i>r</i> = − .32, <i>p</i> &lt; .01) was explored. Moderation Analysis was conducted through Smart PLS 4, which indicated that self-esteem moderates the relationship between egalitarian gender roles and mental health outcomes and between traditional gender roles and mental health outcomes in young adults. The research holds significance in creating awareness regarding interventions, policies, and education that foster a supportive environment for young adults on their path to mental well-being.</p>