mumpcake
I'm not going to blame grunge.  Or coldplay.
 
I'll blame emo.  Grunge may have had the older generations asking "Why are you so pissed off?".  Emo had the older generations asking, "Why are you so pissy?"
 
And singing shows.  Alanis Morrissette and Cher are likewise guilty. 
 
Pink has a role too.  Anyone who sings the lyric "So what, I'm a Rock Star" sets the bar a little low for everyone else.  Cause if you are such a rock star, we'd know it without you having to sing about it.
 
Easy digital replication is also to blame.  Real rock stars take time and investment.  The changing market had the labels desperately focusing on the quick fix of disposable pop.

For clarity's sake - I wouldn't "blame" grunge. Whatever happened happened as a result of all that came before. And it had the merit of being spontaneous. The last rock albums which had any kind of social relevance in my book was... Nirvana's Nevermind. The Downward Spiral if one's ready to stretch their definition of rock a bit.
 
As a guitar player, the first obvious consequence is that displaying even just a bit of virtuosity became almost impossible. 25 years later, rock hasn't really recovered. At least, it hadn't really the last time I checked.
 
Unless you are an old, nostalgia act, or a spoof band like Steel Panther. But otherwise, it's almost as if all the technical progress made during the 80's had been wiped clean. Unless you're a 14 year old showing off on YouTube.
 
So we have "serious" bands who look and sound like they're right out of the 70's and fun bands who allow themselves to tap into the 80's by playing with ridicule.
 
That's my impression. The 90's also saw the reunion tour phenomenon gaining a lot of momentum. Nostalgia kind of took over, and I'm guessing that it filled a void.

sharke
... & garlic smoothies  

That's not a real thing.  Is it?

Rain
 
 
I'm always reminded of this picture, taken during the recording of Ace Frehley's solo album. Now that IS rock and roll. 
 

 

I have to respectfully disagree with your analysis: "that IS rock and roll".  If I'm not mistaken, that album contained a cover of "New York Groove".  Many consider that historically significant as a turning point in Rock & Roll ushering in its slow and painful decline.

Good posts here!  I wasn't sure people would "get" what I was saying.  I was kind of being tongue-in-cheek, but yet with an element of truth in there.  I think someone else mentioned it too, that the same thing has happened with comedians.  

Well I'm going to blame the rise of narcissism.  Whatever reason for its ascension, advocate theater psychology can't be ignored.  I've done it, shamefully enough, while fully aware I was doing it. 
 
The overwhelming desire and need to snatch opportunities to put your mainstream social media approved anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti whatever-ism on display, usually overacting with pretentious anger presentation and patronizing passion to the predictable cheers and accolades by the observers.  Used to just happen at parties, when someone wanted to be the social justice hero of the room.  In social media, this is on an exponential scale.  
 
You can't deny the intoxication of a room cheering their approval for your theatrical advocate performance, especially when that explodes into millions of social media benefits, access to people and institutions and even more adoration of already adored fans.  It feeds the ego exactly what it wants.  Whatever twitter says is the cool social message, pick it up and pretend like it's always been your message, and now you're pissed, and you're going to FIGHT for those who have been ignored!  Yeah!! 

Maybe social media helped this rise in narcissism, I don't know.  But when I watch judges on singing shows get more and more over the top with showering compliments for mediocrity, turning them into minutes long teary eyed speeches about their "evolution" on a freaking singing competition, as the crowd validates their approval of these faux love feasts, it just seems so obvious to me.  Even judging and commenting is yet another social performance for them.  

Gee, how can I wax on and on about this 16 year old girl singing a song about her butt and make it sound like she's sacrificed years and years in the cold, bloody trenches of saturated obscurity? 

Rain
 
 

 

 
I see Slipknot have had a change of image.
 
 
Actually, who is that?

Pearl Jam

Sandals and beige are the new plaid.

jamesg1213

Rain
 
 

 

 
I see Slipknot have had a change of image.
 
 
Actually, who is that?

Justin and BeeBurrs?

Voda La Void
The overwhelming desire and need to snatch opportunities to put your mainstream social media approved anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti whatever-ism on display, ...

For the record, I must admit that I am both a racist and a sexist.  Yes, I am only really interested in females of the human race.  Deal with it!