I don't like this distinction much. The way you use the term website here is as a descriptor for splash pages nobody cares about beyond their use as a business card.
You can see it in the way you're talking about them like "they don't matter - so do whatever you want". And you're right.
But I find that unsatisfying. We should be able to have it both ways - interesting aesthetic alongside utility.
> I always make the "website" / "webapp" distinction. A website would be the landing page to a product, whereas a website would be like the site you posted. To the former i say go nuts, if I'm exploring a product and I land on your landing page, feel free to completely surprise me with web design.
The first occurrence of "website" in the second sentence was supposed to be "webapp", right?
However, if you operate a webapp, Spotfiy, Gmail, Amazon, etc, settle on a "core UI" and don't change it. People don't want creativity in these kinds of sites, rather they want consistency.
I guess it all boils down to, it's all about the time and place.