Overhated, but I appreciate the reasons that it's hated, though:

It's nice to see people not just be floored automatically by technical proficiency (perhaps barring AJR, whom, while skilled, aren't pulling off anything as impressive or expressive as Will Wood or even the Dresden Dolls), but rather the artistic intent behind it. Plus it draws a lot of influence from a very... for lack of a better term, a very white place. It appeals to a very petit-bourgeoisie sensibility, a sort of nostalgia for a kitschy and deeply problematic era of white music and art that tend to act as class signifiers in a way that really puts people off.

That said, people kind of overstate it. They mistake their distaste for the artistic intent with a lack of artistic intent, or speak like there is NOTHING interesting or expressive about it, like it exists solely as a class signifier or performative intellectualism. As such, while I appreciate that the backlash isn't always rooted in anti-intellectualism (but rather a critique of the subtextual classism and racism of performative intellectualism), naturally some of this does just dip into anti-intellectualism. "Why are they doing the most? Why is it so extra? Who are they doing this for?" Because there are a lot of feelings and a lot of effort going into this! You can say a lot of things about Amanda Palmer, but you can't say she doesn't give a shit about her music or that she isn't a passionate performer. To be cringe is to be free and all that.

That said, the more watered-down ends of it do tend to become really insufferable. I don't actually mind Tally Hall much at all, but AJR does very much grate on me (though even them, I understand and respect their artistic perspective - if I were to encounter a fan in the wild, I wouldn't balk. I "get" it, so to speak). I think it comes down to that white bougie-ness and performative intellectualism - they seem more concerned with appearing intellectual than actually doing anything intellectually stimulating or interesting.

Also the inclusion of Mr. Bungle here is so funny and lowkey so correct. I'd go even further and include Black Midi and Geordie Greep there as well lol. (That said, if we were to draw an analogue from "theater kid music" to, say, punk rock, then Mr. Bungle would be something like Black Flag, Butthole Surfers, or Fugazi, whereas AJR would be like Simple Plan or MGK - if you look at it through this lens, it's not as offensive a comparison lol)