system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do some people stop liking something when it becomes popular/mainstream?

Nirvana, Game of Thrones, Punk;

They all seem to have had fans who were passionate, and then as soon as these things became mainstream, some of those people just jumped off the ship.

Does anybody know the psychology behind it? Why do we often place emphasis on something being exclusive and 'alternative'?
gpt
Some people identify themselves as 'alternative' or 'underground' or whatever you want to call it, and things like music and clothing can be part of that identity. They can feel smarter or more 'involved' in the music scene if they listen to non-mainstream music. If something becomes popular it doesn't fit that identity anymore, so they stop liking it.

In the end, liking a band because they're popular (which also happens a lot) and not liking them because they're popular is pretty much the same thing; you let its popularity influence your opinion. Other people just like music because they like it, popular or not. One is not better than the other, people are just different like that.