It all comes down to taste. Music is all about feeling. Shredding can achieve that just as effectively as 3 chord chart pop songs, if that excites you. It is and always will be a matter of taste.

However one could argue shredding requires a lot of skill to play, and a good (all round) guitarist should be able to do it. But I'm not convinced it's the epitome of difficulty when it comes to guitarplaying :)

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Sid