For me it is endlessly repetitive songs. Dude looks like a lady? Sure, how about singing some other words for a change? No? Then you’re done now. I’ll turn it off or walk away.
Your ‘hook’ is the same 5 notes played over and over with maybe 20 other notes during the entire duration of your song? GTFO.
I’m astounded by songs so many of you hate that I actually enjoy. I love “Uprising” by Muse!
That would be “Last Kiss”, recorded by a number of artists. Most prominently J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers (#2 hit in 1964), and Pearl Jam (#2 again in 1999).
Gwar. Just plain Gwar.
Doesn’t matter which song, they’re all the same noise.
You are the wind beneath my wings.
In my first year of grad school, I was in student housing and was assigned a Thai roommate who would listen to a walkman and sing along to this song off key.
“Rock” Journalists have ruined songs and entire bands for me. Most notably all the headlines to the tune of “OASIS: the NEW Beatles?!? See page seven!”
Luckily, I’d already heard a then-hardly-known Springsteen before I read the “Next Dylan!?!” garbage. I’m afraid if I’d seen that (I think it was the cover of Time, fer chrissake) before I heard him, I never would have given him a fair shot.
When I was a kid, my uncle gave me his old record player and some of his early/mid 70s 45s. Let’s just say he had a fondness for sappy or melodramatic songs from that era…
Playground in My Mind by Clint Holmes. The screechy child chorus (“My name is Michael, I’ve got a nickel…”)is enough to wish for sweet release.
Me and You and a Dog Named Boo by Lobo
The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace, famous for giving us the East Side of Chicago.
We had a very funny thread about “We Built This City” a few years back: Starship's "We Built This City" - Why the hate? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board
I do, too!
For me, it’s always been “Don’t You Love Me Baby” by The Human League, although to be fair, I also loathe their song “Human”.
Imagine by John Lennon.
Egad. I woke up to this song this morning and it immediately pissed me off :mad: In fact, it instantly occurred to me to add it to this thread 
“I’m just another writer
Still trapped within my truth
A hesitant prize-fighter
Still trapped within my youth”
WTF is that nonsense all about?
No, everybody hates that song. Let’s tar and feather Lee Greenwood.
And ‘Turn the Page’. Life is too short.
“Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis came on the radio earlier this morning and I lunged for the next-station button.
My picks:
Run, Joey Run, David Geddes (looks like at least 2 other votes for that piece of stinky cheese)
You Little Trust Maker, The Tymes (I want to stick an icepick through my eye just thinking about it)
Having My Baby, Paul Anka (at least one other vote)
I Think I love You, David Cassidy (too soon?)
Baby’s First Christmas, Connie Francis (total puke)
I did not think of it, but I’ll add a vote for Teddy Bear, by Red Sovine. I’ve only heard snippets of it in commercials for a compilation package. I hope I never have to suffer through it in its entirety.
Is it my imagination or did Pearl Jam manipulate their recording so that it sounded like a warped record toward the end?
Escape (The Piña Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes. This song is terrible both musically and lyrically.
“Cruel to be Kind.” I like Nick Lowe, but what is up with this whining, passive acceptance for emotional abuse? And the hookiness just makes it sound like he’s endorsing that bullshit.
Someone (or two) upthread mentioned Rush, I have a favorite cringe moment when, after the incredibly unmusical lyric “endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity,” Geddy Lee adds "Yeah!’ because, you know, it’s a rock & roll song.
I also want to pre-emptively defend “Brandy,” because someone’s bound to bring it up, but I’ve always thought it was a near-perfect (though patronizing) slice of 70s pop-soul.
GWAR is a comedy troupe with elaborate costumes that happen to play “comedy metal”
They’re not MEANT to be taken seriously, they’re more along the lines of “Weird Al”, except Al is far more talented and funnier.
Oh, God, yes! I played this for my college-age daughter who thought it was the most laughably awful song she’d ever heard.