The alcohol soda trend started in 2016, with drinks like Alcohol Root Beer and Alcohol Orange Soda.

Some of the more egregious variations that I have tasted were Alcohol Bojangles Tea and Alcohol Green Monster.

Soda is largely viewed as a beverage for children or immature people. Alcohol is a beverage for adults. In my opinion, combining the 2 ideas represents a rejection of growing up or traditional adult values.

The Hard Seltzer trend is different and started around 2019-2020 with White Claw. Hard Seltzers were part of a health trend. There's almost no sugar in hard seltzers, it's just water and alcohol and carbonation. A can of White Claw hard seltzer has ~100 calories.

On the popsicle website, it says that each Hard Popsicle can has 234 calories with 25 grams of sugar, that's 100 calories of sugar. You are probably right that made Hard Popsicle is made with malt liquor.

I would say that this drink is a Hard Soda rather than a Hard Seltzer because of the amount of sugar.