It’s the cheese of the Sinosphere in taste, variety, and smell. Every town has its own style and there’s always one that tastes delicious even if the others are disgusting.
I remember the first time I encountered it was in 2000 outside Shenzhen, China (which was mostly a construction site at the time). I literally thought a sewer main had broken.
Some decades ago the stink spread far and wide, multiple blocks at least. It was a great way to advertise when you didn't have internet advertisement. There are probably regional differences as well, the ones I recall having in Taiwan don't stink as much either, probably due to the same reasons.
It's worth a try if you come across them. They actually just taste like normal fried toufu.
Stinky Tofu's smell is so distinct, so awful, and so powerful, it is the subject of numerous scientific studies on that topic alone. Wikipedia notes that "The main volatile compound was indole, which has an intense fecal odor".
For example, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6268145/
This is nothing like sauerkraut. German towns don't have rules forbidding people from bringing sauerkraut into buildings.
As I mentioned in another comment, I suspect neighbors complaining made it evolve into some milder forms.
Even in its mildest form, it's still a much more distinct smell than fermented veggies.