I'd make the argument the argument that their taking the Hatebreed route in terms of marketing at this point. They're still a hardcore band at their core, but their sonic qualities have appeal beyond the hxc scene (I say that recognizing that Code Orange has a more diverse sound than Hatebreed has ever had during their entire career). Hatebreed has been a part of diverse tour packages for the last 15 years, and we never really question their hardcore routes. After all, Code Orange is headlining this hardcore fest in January and is no more out of place on this lineup than Vein is: Can't they be a hardcore band and still have crossover appeal?
I largely agree with you, and that's why I don't get too bogged down in subgenres. But, I think for some (and I'm not trying to insinuate that anyone here is doing this) it's also a way to exercise their "ownership" (for lack of a better word) of the art they love. This is extremely dumbed-down, but I've had conversations like this with people before (I'm just using the genre labels being discussed here): "This isn't hard rock, hard rock is what gets played on mainstream rock radio, and I don't listen to that. I listen to hardcore, and I listen to this, so this is hardcore." Similarly, but coming from the other side (and again, I'm not trying to insinuate that anyone here is doing this) it can be used to deride music that someone doesn't like and therefore doesn't think is deserving to have the same genre label as music they love. But we're getting way too far off topic here. The bottom line is that this album, and the song nominated, are awesome and Code Orange are certainly deserving of the recognition!
Forever did not age well for me. I'm glad they are getting praise but I'm hoping for a little more on the next album.
A friend of mine and I were discussing the current hardcore scene and how with Code Orange, we finally understand all those people we met growing up who didn't understand our interest or hype in the bands we loved, but were huge on older bands. Code Orange is huge, but do nothing for either of us really anymore except for some pulls off the earlier releases. Though we both recognize the influence and shift of interest for something new.