Jimmyt - it is good to vent!   I agree with you about elitism. Your point about judging the performers on appearance was well put. It is not fair to make easy jokes about their wrinkles and toupees. That is not right. Take the music for what it was.   While I would not want a steady diet of it, some of it can be fun. It is chewing gum, but there is nothing wrong with that.

This has been said elsewhere, but some of these groups were the first "boy bands". Perhaps N'Sync owes more to them!

It's odd when you think about it. Back then groups that went "commercial" were frowned upon.   Today's generation of singer-songwriters seem bent on finding that commercial success. The only difference is today's crop of "folk" artists are not compromising their art.   I'm speaking in general, there are exceptions of course.

Ron