Because barre chords contain no open strings, you can move them around the neck, allowing you to play any chord by using just one fingering form. The letter names of the chord change (from A to B to C, and so on), but the fingering and the quality stays exactly the same. Because all the strings in a barre chord are fretted, you have more control over the sustain (or ringing out) of the strings, which is why barre chords sound less folky or cowboy-like than open-position chords.

Barre chords are harder to play than open-position chords  and even harder on an acoustic than an electric guitar. But luckily playing these chords gets easier quickly, and before you know it, you can’t even distinguish between a barre chord and an open-position chord. You simply chose the right chord for the job, and if it happens to be a barre chord and not an open-position chord, you just play it and don’t even think about the agony you endured while learning it.