Why was the "pick up artist" movement so popular in the mid 2000s to 2010s?

Even though I randomly came across these PUA methods while browsing the internet, I never went through with them and was looking for some honest feedback since I’ve never heard of this type of content before I found it.

To answer your question, I’m assuming that times have changed and some things lose popularity overtime. However, I was never the type of guy to randomly cold approach women in public at bars, clubs, etc, even though I wanted to, but I wasn’t strong enough to go through with it. Everyone is different when it comes to socializing with others.

As of today, I’m still not into cold approaching women, even though I only talk to people whenever I feel like doing so (if I happen to be in a social setting at the time) which is different from cold approaching (IMO) if I happen to be surrounded by people (which would make it easier for me to talk to them in close proximity) instead of walking up to people and starting a conversation with them.