If the motive for committing a mass shooting against a country music concert was hating country music, would that make the crime worse, or less bad?

Sounds like a country music song in the making.

Depends on the definition. I think the “hate crime” laws usually refer to hating a class of people, not hating music, a single person, or cans or whatever.

Claiming to like country music would support an insanity defense. I am not sure the inverse works.

It all depends on one’s POV, really.

If you are trying to get to a reason that committing a mass murder might be acceptable, you really need to look at yourself long and hard in the mirror.

Imagine you are the relative of one of the dead. What difference would it make?