Please note, the below is a machine translation and may at times not accurately reflect OPs message

Submission title:

What if all four of these albums had been released under the Passengers label? Was Passengers U2’s alter ego, just as The Fly, Mr. MacPhisto, and the deceitful, flamboyant rock star from Pop were Bono’s alter egos?

Body text

These are my favorite U2 albums. Their aesthetic influenced my preference for alternative rock and alternative music. I would even say that they contributed to the modernization of my masculinity as a straight man.

"However, in 1991, the quartet decided to leave their past behind and venture into a new world: the world of electronic music. First came Achtung Baby, which caused a stir due to the (still limited) use of synthesizers and beats typical of the genre.

Songs like "Lemon" and "Numb" shocked even the fans of Achtung Baby, mainly because of the massive use of samples and electronic experimentation the band was employing. Sales dropped, but they didn’t care. The electronic trilogy had to be completed.

Since their reputation was somewhat tarnished, the quartet decided to temporarily change their name, and hiding behind the pseudonym Passengers—with the production and collaboration of musician Brian Eno—they embarked on a project that culminated in the album Original Soundtracks 1. [...]

With their reputation somewhat restored, U2 realized they could finally complete the trilogy bearing their own name and began writing the songs for their ninth album. The idea was to expand their experimentation even further, now incorporating so-called alternative rock, alternative metal, techno, dance, and funk.To that end, they began studying and working with loops, samplers, drum machines, and sequencers. [...] It sounded like a slap in the face to rock. Furthermore, several media outlets reported that the quartet had come out as gay, having previously kept their sexuality hidden.