Maybe what we are seeing now is a "mainstreamization" of the ABO/omegaverse concept? As far as I understand it, it had begun as a niche fetish based on a popular misunderstanding of animal relationships, but as more authors encounter it, it starts losing its focus on non-consensual sex and becomes just another New Weird setting to write stories in.
Interesting hypothesis. I will say that, while I thought it was incredibly dumb when I first heard of it, the more ABO works I read (exclusively yuri though lol) the more I think it is a rather fascinating concept. The alpha/omega distinction is basically a way to literalize and intensify the oppression of women under patriarchy, and so along with the potential for light and fluffy romances like this manhua (where the premise is that patriarchy is already in retreat), it's also fertile ground for some rather brutal dystopias if you take the concept to its logical conclusion. Well actually a lot of ABO works such as the aforementioned Best Friends are already dystopic, they just usually don't really directly confront just how much the world sucks. But a cyberpunk-ish ABO story where the main plot is to overthrow the Alpha hierarchy has the potential to be really interesting.
Yeah honestly I prefer this outlook on it lmao. I dunno if it's mainstreamization when stories can explore the setting in more varied ways with more themes when the original "theme" was just "I wanna draw noncon and need an excuse"
Usually when I think of a setting/concept like this going mainstream, I think of a dumbing down of its themes and concepts. It becomes more about the setting and less what the setting can say. I'm thinkin' Cyberpunk, mostly, as my example here.
Though this is all ENTIRELY based on the previous post. I've not read very many Omegaverse stories that really made me think "wow they're exploring this in a great way, saying some good things here", most really do just feel about the sex.
