The term 'dad rock' refers to older music listened to by men who try, without success, to introduce this music to their children and other younger people.

Music can only be counted as 'dad rock' if it is music that has failed to remain popular with younger generations, e.g. Dire Straits, The Yardbirds, Bruce Springsteen etc., whereas bands of the same era such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Queen would not count as their music transcends the generation gap and is still popular with younger people

This is the hardest Springsteen album to review. It is beloved and was insanely popular, but ironically, its popularity shows what's wrong with it. The drums, saxophone, and guitar are drowned in dated '80s production. His trademark lyrics are mostly there, but his voice, especially on the title track, drapes everything in an overdone heartland affectation; what sounded natural on Nebraska and Darkness on the Edge of Town is mostly gone. This album did give us "I'm on Fire" and "Dancing in the Dark" so it's not all bad. "I'm on Fire" may be his best song.

I don't like this album much, my dad hates it...... What is 'Dad rock' anyway?

Horrible American dad rock.

Really enjoyable album by the Boss. Not his best, but it ranks in his Top 5. Standouts include the title track, "I'm on Fire", "Darlington County", "Glory Days", "My Hometown" and "Dancing in the Dark". Solid pop/rock effort by an amazing artist.

Another album where the average track rating (83) exceeds the album rating (77)! But really every track is listenable and enjoyable. Probably why it was such a commercial success in its day. However, that should not then cause it to be disparaged - as seems to be a pattern.
Oddly, my favourite track is "Cover Me", which we sing along to loudly when needing to cheer ourselves up!!

I'm on Fire and Dancing in the Dark are OK but the rest is only average.

Very, very average and not Springsteen’s best.

For the better part of two years, you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing something from this album. I suspect this plays at least a small part on why it's met with so much derision.
However, there's no getting around the fact that the reason it was so popular during its time is because there is a lot of quality on this record.

Overhated album.