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By that standard, many alphabets, including the Phoenician and Arabic alphabets, aren't "real" alphabets.

Yes, exactly. Linear A was the first alphabet, and greek gave "alphabet" its name.

I almost get the sense that people are interpreting abjad as "lesser-than" an alphabet. It's just a distinction, it's not a value judgement.

It's a subclass, not a separate category. Some alphabets don't write vowels.

How do you refer just to the sort of alphabets that do have vowels and not abjads?

Indeed, Arabic is an abjad.

shouldn't it be called a bjd?

I know you’re joking, but Arabic doesn’t write short vowels only. A as in “ah” is still written, so it would be “Abjd”

Abjads are a type of alphabet. In fact, they're the OG alphabet.