How did Nickelback gain a large fan base despite criticism of their music?

Dude, you heard that new single by that band, Nickleback? It’s awesome! Holy crap! That song is everywhere! It’s so cool!

Yay! Nickleback!

I think it went something like this.

How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke and poor air quality - The Washington Post

(It sounds a bit too much like they took what made them popular from the previous album and just did more of that.)

Hey, have you heard of this new band, Nickleback? Their first album is pretty cool.

Here’s my ranking of Nickleback’s discography. They don’t have a bad album at all. But some are better than others. In last place is their most recent album. I felt it was very uninspired. This track is the best one and that track is pretty good. But the rest of the album doesn’t do much for me…

Resident Evil 9, Requiem, Announced At Summer Game Fest With Trailer And Release Date - GameSpot

(Nickleback? They suck. Who cares…)

(Nickleback sucks! They’re the worst band ever! I can’t stand them. Why do so many people like them? So unoriginal!)

(Wow! What’s with this band? So many people are going nuts for them? What’s so special about them? They had a decent song or two. But there’s no originality now. They’re just wearing themselves out chasing their own tail.)

How has your life changed since starting college?

—

Hey, man, that band I told you about, Nickleback? The dropped their sophomore. It’s really good. Check it out.

Nickleback! Nickleback!

Is Europe willing to risk losing its alliance with the United States, if they choose to continue the war in Ukraine?

Nickleback are awesome! My new favourite band! I just got their fourth album. It totally rocks!

(Yeah, it was great at first. But I have heard it a bit too much.)

Something like that. Millions of people love them. Millions claim to hate them. The most honest criticism of the music is that it sounds like it’s being written deliberately for a particular market. I haven’t heard anything since around 2002 or so, so I can’t say for myself. They don’t suck as in bad musicians or bad song writers. They just sell millions of albums while other excellent bands struggle. That’s what the real problem is, I think.

Sophia Bush Says She Endured “Every Kind of Abuse” on Show Due to Older Man - The Hollywood Reporter

(It really bugs me that such a boring, unoriginal band gets so much attention when there are loads of other way more interesting bands out there.)