Zoo TV. No question. But it was artifice with a barbed point, I think that's why they got away with it.
Popmart was all surface glitz, imo; it didn't look to me as if their hearts were in it.
I don't believe they ever stopped taking the music seriously.
Maybe it's because I'm American and therefore easier for me to detect a non-American accent, but the only time I remember Bono (and Edge) using an American accent was when they were fooling around. I thought it was meant to be funny. I thought it was funny, actually.
Zoo - they explained it to us with character names and narratives.
Pop - they didn't.
No surprise that they got away with the former and not the latter.
Bono dyes his hair jet black, wears a weird leather outfit and climbs and spins all over the screen = weird and people reject it most probably, but 'he is the fly' and it is ahhhhhhh right yeah get it, cool...
Bono dresses up in a silver suit and giant hat and kisses himself in a mirror - with the narrative of mirrorball man people 'get it' and accept it.
MacPhisto actually parodied this very point IMO making references like 'i know you like your pop starts to be exciting , so i bought these' and points camera at his sparkly platform heels.....'tired old pop star in platform heels' quote about himself....actually explaining the act....imagine if he didn't what the reaction would be.
Names and narratives and people get it and are happy to accept it...it has been explained to them.
No names and narratives - dots not joined up for them and it is 'insincere' 'not authentic'
That is my take anyway.