You use “ Cult” like it’s a bad word.
It describes a type of following.
The Greatful Dead have a cult following.
There are Cult follower movies like Red Dawn.
“ cult
Social group with socially deviant or
novel religious, philosophical or spiritual
beliefs and practices.
In modern English, a cult is a social group that
is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or
philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its
common interest in a particular personality,
object, or goal. This sense of the term is
controversial, having divergent definitions
both in popular culture and academia, and has
also been an ongoing source of contention
among scholars across several fields of study.:
348-56 The word “cult” is usually considered
a pejorative.”