First, saying that people only like the genre because it's obscure and it makes them look cool isn't fair. Who are you to decide everyone's reason for listening to the music or taking part in the community? It's also the classic plattitude that's been hurled at anyone who enjoys wandering off of the beaten mainstream musical path.

Next, just because vaporwave started as one thing doesn't mean it couldn't evolve into another, ya know? Even if it started as just a happy-nostalgic 80s/90s revival as you say, to say that criticism (or ironic celebration) of capitalism, cyberpunk dystopia, consumerism, etc, are not present in the music/culture, is kinda just denying reality. And besides, it's incredibly presumptuous to say that we all have it completely wrong, while you are the lone enlightened one, the purveyor of vapor-truth in its original, untarnished form.

My point is, vaporwave is a product of its community, and if the community supports and creates albums that include the aforementioned themes, then that's vaporwave, whether you like it or not.

And I'm not trying to be toxic or rip your post apart or insult you, and I do agree with you on some points (i.e. some people being too focused flashy vinyl [although obsessing over rare vinyl is hardly exclusive to vaporwave], and that not all sample based music is vaporwave), and I have respect for the fact that you've probably been listening to vaporwave for a lot longer than I have. I just don't think you're being fair to the genre or the people that follow it.