TLDR, sorry.
The “evaporation” of PM EMHs has been a long term Disney trend, well before events such as Disney After Hours were introduced.
An approximate history:
2011 - DAK PM EMHs stopped being routinely offered.
2012 - PM EMHs at all parks went from 3 hours to 2 hours.
2017- DHS PM EMHs stopped being routinely offered.
Late 2018-2019 - This is the first time we’re seeing Disney After Hours offered at three parks (MK, DAH, DAK) on a more routine basis. For 2016-2018, it was only offered at MK on a relatively isolated basis during smaller time periods of the year.
* You can find isolated exceptions to the above around land openings, events, etc, but I’m talking “regular” EMH rotation.
Aside from the above, the “regular” rotation of one MK and one Epcot PM EMH per week has been the norm for quite a while. Was this some grand multi-year scheme to wean us off PM EMHs? I don’t know.
The only actual recent reduction in PM EMH is this October where they do not have MK PM EMHs on the calendar for the month (5 Wednesdays) (but they have returned for November). Why they are doing this remains to be seen. Is it an offset to the seriously massive amount of AM EMHs added to DHS, MK, & DAK on a daily basis 8/29-11/2? Do they plan to ‘sell’ those Wednesday nights with After Hours? TBD.
I tend to think the focus on PM EMHs vs selling nighttime hours in the park via Disney After Hour type events is energy directed in the wrong place. And let’s just say they did go away, I’m not really going to cry foul over 2 MK and 2 EP hours each week. I’ve never really enjoyed MK PM EMHs all that much anyway.
What people should really pay attention to is actual regular open park hours - that impacts ALL of us... locals, off-site guests, on-site guests, etc.... and is the area where you can point to real (not conjectural) year-over-year downward trends.
This is not a blanket statement that can be applied to every week/month/time of year, but MK total year-over-year open park hours have been trending down since peaking in 2015. On the other hand, DAK hours over that time have been well up (you don’t have to go that far back to find a time when DAK would often close at 5pm or 6pm during certain times of the year, which would be unheard of today).
Total open hours across all 4 parks are relatively consistent over the last few years, but the MK decline has had a material impact on how many of us “feel” about hours - and perhaps rightfully so. It’s the most visited park with the most rides and the park where many of us want to spend late night time. I used to marvel at how late MK would be open nearly all of the time when we started going in 2013 (when we couldn’t take advantage of it with the kids). You have less of that these days.
Just speaking for me personally and how we tour, I don’t want more PM EMHs at the current parks (MK & Epcot) or the two other parks - which operationally would be a mess for rides like FoP and lands like SWGE which have long lines that will never clear and on some level would have less value for resort/eligible guests as PM EMHs.
I want more free park hours. Open park hours are the single most effective element that spreads crowds around, increases the FP count, and gives us all more touring/planning options.
And in addition to those park hours I don’t mind the option to pay for events like Disney After Hours, on occasion, that ensure a more efficient touring experience vs the PM EMH experience.