Fan Dumb: Many people wrongly assume that Katy Perry is a lesbian because of her song "I Kissed a Girl" in which the lyrics clearly state that the singer has a boyfriend and is not seriously into the girl she kissed.
People also think the song is about lesbians, when it's about being bicurious.
Headscratchers: Unfortunate Implications aside, "Ur So Gay" is apparently a Take That to some ex-boyfriend of hers. Assuming that the video is basically how they met (albeit of course exaggerated), it appears that SHE was the one to make the first move, and SHE was the one who changed for him. So why is he the bad guy now?
The video for "The One That Got Away", as good as it is, has a bit of a plot hole. Some of the lyrics are about the ex moving on with his life ("Saw you downtown singing the blues"), but in the video he dies virtually the second they break up.
Hype Backlash: It has been argued that she is heading toward this. This is based on her critics' claim that her music is middle-of-the-road pop that sells mainly on heavy radio airplay, catchy hooks and Perry's personal image.
Internet Backdraft: In some parts of the internet it is not wise to bring up "I Kissed A Girl", especially around lesbians who have been burned by girls like the one she's singing about. It's not pretty, to say the least.
Also, imply to a Katy Perry fan that she stole the idea from Jill Sobule, who wrote another song called "I Kissed A Girl" in 1995. Not helped at all by the fact that Sobule herself added fuel to the fire.
Lyrical Dissonance: While Lyrical Dissonance is an objective trope, there are a number of interpretations on what the lyrics of E.T. actually mean. Officially, it's a catchy pop/hip-hop song about falling in love with a foreigner. However, the lines "wanna be a victim, ready for abduction" combined with "fill me with your poison", make a pretty good case for the song being about date rape.
The dress she has on in the main page as well...especially by Hetalia fans who have made memes about her shipping USUK
Nightmare Fuel: The "California Gurls" video has some, believe it or not. A woman entrapped in Jell-O, and one wrapped up like candy, looking totally lifeless. Okay, Katy lets them out, but it's a song about how girls from California are the best, not Papa-fucking-razzi!
Also she and her friends eat a living gingerbread man. He responds only by smiling. Also that last one may have been inspired by (or copied from, if you prefer) a scene in Tom Petty'sNightmare Fuel-filled video for "Don't Come Around Here No More". Considering that in Petty's video it's a woman dressed as the main character of Alice in Wonderland being eaten after becoming a cake from the neck down, and she looks pretty horrified about it, what happens to the gingerbread man is not so bad by comparison.
The same year (two years before her debut album as Katy Perry), she appeared toward the end of P.O.D.'s "Goodbye For Now".
Tear Jerker: "Firework", "I'm Still Breathing", "Not Like the Movies", and "The One that Got Away" (especially now).
Unfortunate Implications: "Ur So Gay" implies that effeminate, "fake", or other bad people are usually gay and uses "gay" in the "bad/lame" sense. As if "Ur So Gay" didn't imply enough unfortunate things, Katy follows up with "I Kissed a Girl".
Also in "I Kissed A Girl" is her referring to the eponymous girl as "my experimental game." Ouch. It doesn't help that this ties into the "L.U.G." (Lesbian Until Graduation) stereotype.
What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?: The video for "Hot 'n' Cold" features, for no apparent reason, roller derby girls (and Katy herself skating in her wedding dress) and a zebra at the end.
Could also be applied to "California Gurls" too, but Up to Eleven.
What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?: Kidz Bop and an Ubisoft game for the Wii, rated E for Everyone, both feature "Hot 'n' Cold", a song that uses the word "bitch". They use a kid-friendly version using the word "chick" instead, noted as "Hot 'n' Cold (Chick Version)".