We caught up with the 20-year-old singer outside Studio Siwa in the L.A. area Wednesday ... where she told us she was simply misunderstood when she said in a Billboard interview she planned to invent gay pop with the release of her song "Karma."

She said her mission was to simply raise awareness regarding the genre of music, since many people are still unfamiliar with it. However, she did acknowledge she underestimated the public's familiarity with queer icons ... like Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Madonna, etc.

Of course, pop duo Tegan and Sara -- two twins who identify as queer -- gave JoJo a little side eye on social media over her remark ... 'cause they've been in that space forever.

The "Dance Moms" alum added ... "I definitely am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. But I do want to be a piece in making it bigger than it already is. I want to bring more attention to it."

However, she did joke that she'd happily step into the role of CMO for the music genre.

It's been a bit of a rough couple weeks for JoJo, who's been roasted for the new "bad girl" persona she debuted in her "Karma" music video. She turned heads at the iHeartRadio Music Awards earlier this month by hitting the red carpet in an all-black mesh bodysuit.

While JoJo has tried to laugh off her critics, she told us she's found some solace on Snapchat these days ... her go-to social media platform -- and where her fans can find her posting the most.

She says Snapchat is the least toxic app out there right now -- noting it's very community-based and family-based, which she appreciates.