I have had this experience. Still don't understand the fascination - maybe I had inferior quality bubble tea.
It's a fad. That said, the texture/sweetness of the pearls can vary a lot. (They're pretty finicky to cook correctly), so you are going to get a pretty big range of quality. That said, I prefer egg custard if I get milk tea.
It's a fad? I've had bubble tea for the last ~15 years. There have been and are countless boba stores all over the States.