Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim, and Edgar Wright’s 2010 film adaptation, deals fundamentally with arrested development. The character Scott Pilgrim is charming on the surface, but selfish, emotionally immature, and constantly hurting those around him while fighting imaginary battles to win external validation.
Butler borrows this framework to scrutinize his own bad habits. In the comic, Pilgrim fights the "League of Seven Evil Exes" in high-octane video game set pieces. In Butler's reality, the evil exes are replaced by unpaid bills, incomplete assignments, and emotional stagnation. Naming the song "Scott Pilgrim vs. My GPA" directly contrasts fictional, stylized heroism with the pathetic reality of sleeping through a noon midterm exam.
The metaphor resonates because it dismantles the romanticism of the "sad indie boy." Butler realizes that he is not fighting an epic battle against the universe; he is simply failing to show up for his own life. That harsh realization distinguishes Mom Jeans from earlier generations of emo songwriters who frequently cast themselves purely as victims of unrequited love.
