I guess that calling everything "email marketing" doesn't help. But it can be many things and impact in many ways.

Bombarding people with spam is something that obviously isn't okay.

A nice example can be a welcome sequence to educate someone about an app and help them understand the most helpful features/ways they can benefit from it. We're all here above average internet users, but most people appreciate some guidance and tips.

It doesn't always have to be about selling stuff to people in an annoying and salesy way.

That's awesome. It's essentially what I used to do. But here, I kinda wanted to sort and categorize everything to make it easier and quicker for non-email nerds. Any examples that have stood out recently? I'd love to take a look!