Toward a Theory of Burger Music

"For now, it seems to mean so many things to so many people that it ends up meaning nothing at all."

“Burger music” is a widely used phrase in online music communities, applied to songs and artists with perceived blandness, tastelessness, or goofy self-importance. The term has no clear origin, but “burger” and “ham” were used as insults in Detroit around the turn of the decade. The modern usage appears to have been popularized by Twitch streamers who used “burger” to describe musicians who act impressive or edgy while being goofy. Early targets included Dax, a janitor-turned-rapper known for motivational lyrics over simple beats. The label later expanded to other creators, including Slayr, whose detractors use cartoon-like imagery and AI-generated parody concepts.

Read at Pitchfork