It’s how Cher describes Radiohead in the film Clueless, and my catch all term for loud music that I’m not in the mood for right now, even though I probably would like them if I was in the mood.
It is entirely not a real genre and entirely is just my way of arbitrarily dismissing certain groups.
Complaint rock includes bands like: Deftones, Pearl Jam, Dananananaykroyd Japandroids, The Twilight Sad, Carseat Headrest, and Metz. It doesn’t include Johnny Foreigner, Carseat Headrest, At The Drive-In, Fucked Up, or Metz.
There is inherently no logic to this genre.