>>51450181Pretty sure Sanrio characters are made purely for merchandise purposes. Collectors and girls who love cute things just eat up all the stuff Sanrio cranks out, and they make TONS of merchandise. As for why e-girls like Kuromi (OP image) and My Melody (the pink one) it probably has something to do with being edgier/sweeter than Hello Kitty and by extension the quirkier choice. "Kawaii" is also just a trendy thing in general. It's basically like a modern version of pic related but with more weird projecting.
Personally I'm more inclined towards Little Twin Stars and Rilakkuma.