I feel like a lot of the posters haven't been to one in 20 years, and then there's a childish response thrown in there, so hopefully I'm of some help...
If your music genre of choice is classic rock and metal, you have no place in a nightclub. Not too sure what you mean by "people seem like they are try hard to be cool"? Perhaps that is just your interpretation or projection based on a limited perspective (ie. pictures without context, random movie scenes). I think everyone experiences it a little differently. Perhaps Charlee's experience is something she experienced herself, and while I can agree to that to some degree, it isn't the only thing. I've gone to see some of my favourite DJs with a good group of friends and it's a blast.
The gist of it for me is, you drink a little, dance a little, laugh a lot, be in the company of those you care about. Having said that, I think the club that you actually go to matters a lot, which is why I base my nightclub outings around the DJ playing. Nightclubs are naturally grounds for guys trying to pick up girls, and if you go to a club with no cover, chances are it's going to be mostly dudes trying to be predators. Vancouver clubs are often worse than those in other major cities around the world, but Vancouver's club scene is pretty weak anyway. My best club experiences are by far in Europe, followed by the 'middle to high-end' clubs in East Asia (ie. Seoul, Hong Kong) and the States (LA, NY, Vegas), and.... Vancouver is pretty far down the list.
tl;dr make sure you enjoy the music and go with people you like... usually a recipe for a good time regardless if it's a nightclub or not anyway