Extremely hoppy ≠ extremely bitter. A lot of hops have floral, citrus or tropical fruit flavors and aromas. It’s why hazy IPAs have become so popular; they tend to use more of those kind of hops rather than the bittering varieties and end up juicy and balanced, rather than having overwhelming bitterness.

Or, perhaps, people simply have different tastes. IPAs make up nearly 1/3rd of the dollar share of craft beer in the US - they're hardly some ultra-acquired taste that you could use to signal that you are part of the beer elite.

They're just nice. People have different taste. I don't understand why you have to make theories. If I had to I'd theorise people who make theories about people who like hoppy IPAs (1) have sensitive taste buds, (2) are performing some kind of signaling.

So meta!