Learn French: Ce que je n'aime pas, c'est ce silence gênant et le malaise. - What I do not like is this awkward silence and the discomfort.

In these emphasis structures, Ce que means 'what' when it is the object of the verb. Here, it is the object of je n'aime pas (you do not like what?). If 'what' were the subject doing the action, you would use Ce qui, as in Ce qui me dérange... (What bothers me...).

Why do we use c'est after the comma instead of just est?

When you start a sentence with Ce que or Ce qui to highlight a point, French requires you to introduce the highlighted part with c'est (it is) or ce sont (they are). You cannot just say est by itself after the comma.

Why is it ce silence? Doesn't the -e ending usually mean a word is feminine?

Often yes, but not always! While many French words ending in -e are feminine, silence is masculine. Therefore, it takes the masculine demonstrative adjective ce (this) rather than the feminine cette.

What kind of word is gênant?

It is an adjective meaning 'awkward' or 'embarrassing', but it is formed from the verb gêner (to bother). Words ending in -ant are often present participles (the equivalent of English '-ing' words) that have become regular adjectives.