Well, that depends on what time in skateboarding history we are talking about. Skateboarding has gone through waves of evolution. From the first breakout in the Dog Town days through to the 80’s, 90’s and the present.
Each wave has had a style and image that dominated its time. Like in the 80’s with vert skateboarding the most popular, leading into the late 80’s and 90’s where street skateboarding took over as circumstances pushed it’s evolution this way created by the skaters themselves. The different waves in skateboarding had popularity spikes and lows. At times it was popular and growing and at others seemed dead and underground.
Though I’d say it gets more popular over time, especially today with the large growth in women’s skateboarding and in recent years hitting milestones with the first women’s Street League comp and the first Van’s Park Series women’s comp. Skateboarding is here to stay, open to more people than ever and once again evolving.