Just wait until you’ve heard about the war crime that is Ohio Valley-style pizza
I feel like chewy is the wrong word.
As two extremes, picture wonderbread and a thick sourdough. Wonderbread smushes, and tears effortlessly. The sourdough bounces back and takes effort to tear.
If wonderbread is a 1 and sourdough is a 10, most pizza is a 4 or 5. Detroit style would be a 5 or 6.
It’s mostly because it’s a bit thicker in the dough department, and the pan it’s cooked in is greased so the dough is a bit more crisp than the crunch of another pizza crust.
You would not say that it’s “gummy”, just a little thicker and a slightly closer texture.
Depending on where you are, jets pizza is a good representative. Domino’s and little Caesars both have a low grade offering in their deep dish or pan pizzas, as they’re both Detroit or Detroit adjacent.