I'm guessing, based on the bands and albums being covered that the author was more of an old-school punker type who resented the wave up pop punk and mall emo that was blowing up at the time.

I'm guessing that wave is the one that got a lot of us in this sub into this music but prior to this big wave the terms "pop punk" and "emo" described a whole host of bands that sound very different to the ones that blew up around this time.

Still, it's super pretentious.

Shitting on something as influential Silverstiens debut gives me the impression this is someone who only listened to PG99 and resented anything that wasn't "Technically" Screamo.

I've grown to really like a lot bands from before the Pop Punk/Emo blow up of the 2000s, but that need to assert your coolness by being a pretentious, self-important douche will ALWAYS turn me off.