On one end of the spectrum are regular-looking pedal bicycles with assistive motors that cut out at 20 mph and weigh around 40 pounds. On the other end of the spectrum are electric mopeds, motorcycles, and dirt bikes (some street legal, some not) with fat tires and vestigial or removed pedals that can reach 35+ mph and can weigh 200+ pounds. Both have valid use cases and both can be ridden well or poorly, but they are qualitatively different vehicles in terms of weight, power, riding style, and safety risks.
The fact that both of these vehicle types are often simply referred to as "e-bikes" without specifying their class makes discussions more difficult than necessary.
Edit: Electrek is particularly egregious about this, referring to anything with a battery and pedals as an "electric bike" or "e-bike", for example:
https://electrek.co/2023/07/18/british-soldiers-electric-bik...
https://electrek.co/2023/04/13/eunorau-flash-launched-as-220...
https://electrek.co/2023/05/28/wau-project-cyber-cryptically...
https://electrek.co/2023/07/07/police-crackdown-on-illegally...