Question for those who like recent mainstream pop... why?

"currently listening to some gothic rock and *I* don't *THINK* theres anything better than this..."

Sounded like a personal opinion to me. While writing this I actually considered starting it with "I'm genuinely curious, ...", but decided against it because I thought people would know that anyway. It seems like I probably should've went through with it though.

No hate against current pop music, I just personally find it hard to enjoy, so I'm curious to hear a fan's perspective.

And if music elitism was a plague, *I* don't *THINK* the radio would sound like what it does :P

true, good point, I just see it as a money-maker, that's why I wonder how it even sounds good to people. and why I say modern is because in my opinion the popular music of the 60s-80s was good 90% of the time. 

yeah I understand where you're coming from, of course it wasn't easy to find much alternative music but my point is that even the popular music at the time was good in my opinion. it degraded over time because now its way easier to become popular, and now anybody is on the radio, even some random person who "blew up on tiktok"

yeah no of course I wasn't saying that the main reason was tiktok, in my opinion pop music got worse way before that. and yes you're right, there is less effort now. but at same the time it's the sound too, the choice of what kind of music people choose to make whether it's easy to or not. it's depressing and annoying, even music from early 2000s is better. I just wanna know how people even like today's music

really? wow I haven't talked to any pop fans much, or at least never about the music so that's why I created this topic haha

hi! im probably one of the biggest pop music fans out there... that being said, i don't particularly like "mainstream" pop... or at least any song of the last 3 years that has reached like the top 40 LOL

i think why i love pop music so much is the melody and the choruses. i like music that makes me happy and that is fun to sing and dance too! I love a really well written pop song and tbh i think the best artists in strictly "pop" music right now are probably Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor... those two know how to make a generic topic and create something quite interesting, compelling, and super addictive! im assuming that when i say that, you immediately will judge me! but believe me... they can make such ADDICTIVE songs. Hard on Yourself by Charlie Puth and Wave by Meghan Trainor are some of the greatest pop songs of the last few years that have been so largely ignored... its so unfair.

however, i will say i'm more of a fan of dance-pop music, which most people just label as "pop"... someone like Ava Max who picked a musical theme (being 2010-esk club dance-pop) and stuck to it. I also think her song "Dancing's Done" is one of the most beautifully produced songs of the past few years... the beat is so electrifying and her voice is beyond perfect, illuminating the track. i played this song for my scene friend and he said it was so boring >.< i don't understand how anyone could say that though!!!!

but yes! i love a variety of music including scene music and pop rock... like im super obsessed with The Ready Set, Brokencyde, and Breathe Carolina! Recently been getting more into Get Scared though... I think i tend to like most genres of music, as long as the melody and chorus are interesting, upbeat, and catchy!

Don't worry, I'm not judging anyone in these replies, I just want insight because I genuinely wonder. And I see where you're coming from! I will say you definitely didn't give me a bad choice, and even that's not what plays on the radio. It's almost as if they pick the exclusively terrible songs to play on the radio in my opinion. however I gotta say I still prefer the upbeat dance-y songs of the 70s, 80s, or maybe even 90s. Older music had a more dramatic feel, for instance Dancing Queen by ABBA is still far more dramatic than upbeat songs of today. I guess my taste might also come from my character, I can't say I'm very upbeat as a person even. I prefer more dark, dreamy, and melancholic sounds in music, which can be heard in pop songs but genres like gothic rock as I mentioned take those elements and push it to the max. Once you get into that, pop songs sound a little too upbeat

id like to start this off by saying yes i do listen to a lot of alt music! like a lot of different genres and stuff. but i do like mainstream pop! its mainstream for a reason. ofc it depends on the song but they can be catchy or emotional or relatable and a bunch of other stuff that makes it appealing. anyway my top three artists this year were in order Olivia Rodrigo, Penelope Scott, and Marina and im unashamed lol

"it's mainstream for a reason" doesn't apply now, the music industry does not work based on how good music is. it's about money, and people make music for the money now, rather than earn money because their music is naturally so good. singers and bands are always talking about record labels forcing them to make certain stuff that they think will earn the most. Plus people make their way to the top by paying enough people anyway. I'm not saying those artists are bad, I actually think olivia rodrigo is a lot better than most of what you get now. but I gotta say those other singers you named aren't really the modern mainstream music I was talking about , Penelope Scott  is definitely not mainstream even though she got popular, and Marina never really was the kind to be on the Top 40 on the radio (correct me if I'm wrong), and her most popular stuff was made 10 years ago. I suppose I meant to say recent pop, not modern. I asked this question because my ears bleed whenever I listen to the radio now, and I'm wondering who'd enjoy it.

so I was a swiftie, or at least I used to be, since things have gotten more conflicting and toxic now and I feel it's no longer safe for me to keep associating myself with the term or most of the community itself but I still enjoy the music. but I think the biggest appeal to her music is how relatable it is and how much of a safe space it is for young afab people like me. 

growing up, I was always surrounded by media that taught me being feminine was something to be ashamed of so I never really got to fully enjoy Taylor Swift's music until I was about 14 when I broke out of that "not like other girls" phase, when I really started listening to the rest of her music and realized "hey, I was lied to, this actually isn't that shallow or meaningless as people always said, it's actually fun and relatable!" and it's somewhat true, actually. Taylor writes about more than just breakups and boys and 'Shake it Off'. She's written about the grief that comes with losing a family member or a close friend (marjorie, Roman), about coping with her mother being diagnosed with cancer (soon you'll get better), the worries and simple joys of being fifteen years old (fifteen),  wrote a whole completely fictional song about a character killing a guy who cheated on her best friend (no body, no crime), and a whole album based on a fictional love story she came up with (folklore). and even when she writes about break ups, she still writes it in a way that is very specific and raw, in ways that are still different and creative and at times, poetic. sure, I do believe that Taylor still isn't the best songwriter out there and I feel that the appeal to her music is definitely not poetic songwriting, but simply being relatable and offering that well-needed safe space for young girls, as Courtney Love said, and that's not wrong at all.

well, these days, I listen to MCR a lot more and identify more with their fandom and the emo subculture, and it's interesting to note that mainstream emo and Taylor Swift actually have a convergence in fandoms. it's so prevalent that there's a term for it and it's called "swemo." I am actually experimenting more with my music taste and genuinely trying to listen to more underground bands, but it still pisses me off that there are still many people in alt communities who see people who like pop, especially swifties, as lesser. yes, there are genuinely reasonable criticisms, but most of the time, it's still rooted in the stereotype that everything feminine is shallow and vain. and no, I actually don't regret being a swiftie at all, I simply accept that the community is no longer something I can participate in, but it was still something that helped me a lot growing up and Taylor Swift's music continues to help young girls.

so yeah. that's simply my take on it. thank you for bringing up the topic!! ^-^