The loudness wars were not so much about live shows. It was mostly about recorded music because at one time that's what sold most records. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war#:~:text=Modern recordings that use extreme,victims of the loudness war".Seriously loud guitar amps were a '70s thing...
Whoever sounded louder on the radio, or whatever medium, would sell more product. At some point records went from more natural in frequency distribution to an unnaturally bright mastered sound. Up till that point a bright, clipped mastering style was an untried method of getting yet louder sound. Limiting, clipping, etc., had all been used before to increase perceived loudness of recorded music, but in more of a natural frequency balance. At some point the competition led to mastering records that were clipped at all frequencies because it sounded even louder than before. This happened more in the 'screamo' era, IIRC.
The point here is that some of what music people grow up and became exposed to in their particular age group is what seemed relevant to them and their friends at the time. People don't only hear guitar sounds in arena rock. There are club blues, jazz, etc. Then there is recorded music sound too. If people learn to like a particular sound it must be from a variety of exposures, seems to me anyway.
So what does all this have to do with guitar sound? IMHO guitar sound is whatever fits into the mix in records being produced at a particular point in time. You can't have a huge, fat guitar sound, a huge, fat drum sound, a huge, fat bass, sound, and a huge fat vocal sound all at once. The mix won't work. Sounds from different instruments have to bit fit together like pieces of puzzle.
Understanding the foregoing, let's us look back at the time of early blues electric guitar. There was space in the mix to let a little bit of guitar distortion sound good. Over time and as music evolved, that easy going, a little bit distorted, beautiful guitar sound had to move aside to make for the different sounds of music of later times.
The more bright and grating the guitar sound became, the more people learned to associate it with emotional angst and intensity of the upcoming generation of young people. You know, that type of thing. Some things sound good in a more natural way, and some other things may be more learned. Its not simply one or the other.
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