Pete Davidson Yells at UCF Crowd for Phone Use, Calls Them 'Retarded'

Pete Davidson put on a show for a crowd of University of Central Florida students ... but it was far less humorous than it was verbally abusive.

The 'SNL' star was the headliner for a comedy show on the Orlando campus Monday night, but instead of using his time to tell jokes ... he blasted the audience for using their phones to film, calling them all "privileged little a**holes."

After eliciting cheers in the face of insults, he bore in hard, saying ... "That's why we're embarrassing. That's why the world is gonna end in 25 years, because you're all f***ing retarded."

Pete went on to call everyone idiots and morons and told them to grow up ... like an angry old man yelling at kids. Davidson is 25.

Pete's rant came several minutes into his set, but even his intro didn't include much comedic material. After his tirade, he did a brief Q&A with the crowd but said he was only sticking around because he had to wait for his Uber.

Those at the venue tell us there weren't any signs posted about cell phone use, and it was never addressed by the MC or the 2 performers who came on before Davidson. Pete seemed to think it was common knowledge.

Also, while UCF students with a valid ID got into the show for free, others had to pay $20. No word if Pete will actually give them their money back as he suggested.

On the bright side ... those who saw Pete's show and were the target of his wrath now have a special connection for life. Perhaps that's what he wanted all along?