Elitist entail their is a technical reason behind it, otherwise it's only gatekeeping.
In music it can be some music theory, prodigious playing, complex sound design etc...
I did fall a bit into this idea of elitism too at first. It's easy when you are just starting to educate yourself and only see the technique.
But then at some point you gotta start having opinions and preferences that goes beyond rationality, or your not really enjoying an art form.
You can still be a bit elitist, but then it's only personal and you stop gatekeeping.
That said the technical aspects can be very interesting.
Moreover I also love the way anyone passionate about music describe what they like.