'New York Dolls'

I don't quite understand why The New York Dolls weren't as popular as they were. I have two theories.

They were too divisive. They were raw and edgy (like punk) but theatrical and androgynous (like KISS).

See, those two sects of music fans (from what I've seen in movies) never quite intersected. The punks were a bunch of pansy homos and the KISS fans were dunderheaded jocks.

The Dolls were too punk for one and too rock for the other.

Also, I firmly believe that the use of "dolls" in their name were too much for the mainstream music fan. Despite the fact that the mainstream music fan lauded a band named "KISS." What's gayer than that?