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

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

Nickleback! Nickleback!

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After more than 60 years of development, here is the nuclear engine that is set to go to Mars with NASA. - Farmingdale Observer

(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.)

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

(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.)

Did Trump show us once again that he is a master debater?

I think it went something like this.

Yay! Nickleback!

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

How should one handle a situation where they suspect their partner of cheating, but their partner denies it and claims it is all in their head?

(Nickleback? They suck. Who cares…)

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

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

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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…

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

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

So I’m getting piano lessons and my teacher wants me to get an upright piano instead of a keyboard. An upright piano is way above my price range, so what do I do? And what’s the difference between an upright piano and a keyboard?

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.