I think it may be that you dislike all bona fide steampunk stories, and like some crossover stories instead. Every time I read Girl Genius, I'm reminded of Kaja's sobriquet "gaslamp fantasy": the effects of the Spark and the various demi-human races smack much more of magic than tech. Laputa has a similar vibe going: the ancient Laputan tech lacks the obvious rivets and steam of a steampunk hoedown (Muska's army aside).