What is your overall opinion of '80s music?

I'm with SharksFan in that my overall views on '80s music are pretty mixed.

I'm going to be honest, the '80s are by far the most overrated decade for music. You constantly hear people, whether it be online, in the community, the media, radio stations, or what have you, talking about how great '80s music is, you have entire radio stations, or time segments within radio stations, dedicated to nothing but '80s music, you get the picture.
Honestly though, in reality, the '80s were actually a huge step down in terms of quality for the modern music industry. The '60s and '70s were the golden age for the modern music industry, more specifically from 1966 to 1977, in between the releases of Rubber Soul and Saturday Night Fever. After that it started going quite a bit downhill, but what would really hurt the music industry would be MTV, which launched in 1981. MTV really changed the music industry for the worse, it was no longer enough to be talented musically, you had to have the look, and you get more airtime if your record company provides enough money. This lead to the entire music industry becoming commercialized, and the artistry in the music industry being totally watered down. You had the rise of cheesy female pop stars such as Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Denice Williams, as well as radio-friendly synth-pop such as Duran Duran, A-ha, and Depeche Mode, and lets not forget the atrocity that is hair metal, with groups such as Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi (I'll actually admit, I do find hair metal a guilty pleasure, but it was still a low point in rock music nonetheless)
That's not to say I think the '80s completely sucks as a musical decade. I do love a lot of songs by Michael Jackson, Prince, George Michael, Queen, Aerosmith, UB40, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and a few others that came out in the '80s, and there was still quite a bit of good stuff that came out especially in 1982-1984, despite the fact that period was after the debut of MTV. But overall, though, the '80s musically were just a huge step down from the '60s and '70s in terms of quality.
Not only that, but the '90s were a huge step up from the '80s, a step back in the right direction. With the grunge, gangsta rap, Britpop, and third wave ska movements coming into full swing, music started to become a lot more sophisticated and raw, reverting back to the way it was in the '70s. I'd even pick the '00s over the '80s, honestly, though that may be because I'm a fan of edgy alt-rock and alt metal.

Overall though, while I do like a lot of '80s music, I do think it's one of the weakest decades for music post-1950, and it's certainly the most overrated decade for music in my opinion.

Love it (Phil Collins, Madonna, Wham!, and of course the legend Michael Jackson)

Overrated, overhyped, overrevered, but still good for the most part with some great, stunning stuff to be found, just like any era.
Especially the early and mid 80s stand out, though the late 80s are among my least favorite eras for music

Love it.