Bands like Kansas killed prog by making it "girl friendly"
Yes is popular with the female audience. My wife and I were up late one night, having a few cocktails, and she astounded me by knowing every single lyric from Going For The One.
Kansas was actually a really good band, but they got a bad rap once they became popular. I saw them fill in, unannounced, for Queen. The audience was NOT happy, but by the third song, the band had the crowd with them. I think it was the violinist who cracked the ice - "Hey, we didn't know we were supposed to be here EITHER. If I'd known you wanted Queen, I'd have worn glittered underwear."
A couple of my old band mates were previously in the remains of The Flock, whom Kansas idolized. These guys got to go backstage, and Kansas treated them like royalty.
Steve Walsh also did some time in a touring version of Cheap Trick.
And...
If you listen to stuff like "Can I Tell You?" or "Journey To Mariabronn" from the first album, you hear a different Kansas than what the radio liked.