I use exclamations in Windows ("!!first" will be sorted above "!second" for example)

and "I’m curious what’s the need for the folder to be sorted first that something like folder pinning or tagging"

Not sure what "tagging" would be in a windows perspective, does it have that? and "pinning" could be using the Quick Access bar I guess which I do for folders I want access to GLOBALLY, but if I have many sub-folders, and in the context of THAT FOLDER I am interested in several more than the rest, but outside that folder I don't care less about them, I'll use exclamations so I can find them easier

(Example, I have a TTRPG folder of art assets for maps from dozens of different sources, each with own naming conventions, and two folders !!Sorted and !Working, as I slowly go though the list to find, name, sort, discard and otherwise clean up the list so I can find what I want. If it was called "Sorted" it would be in the middle of the folder structure and a pain to find when I need it, but I also NEVER NEED that sub-folder unless I am working on cleaning up/sorting that data)