Except the time Brisbane was named Australia's hippest city by Lonely Planet perhaps? I think Brisbane is hip, but in a different way to Melbourne or Sydney. It has it's own unique character but there's plenty of "cool" places with great coffee shops, bars, galleries etc. You can find "hip" suburbs in:

West End: the stereotypically "hipster" part of Brisbane. Lots of really cool places to check out here though and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Becoming gentrified and losing it's bohemian atmosphere though sadly.

New Farm: slightly more upper crust but lots of great places to eat and drink. Especially on Brunswick st near the cinema and it's intersection with Merthyr Rd. Also the Powerhouse is a good place to check out for live performances and art and New Farm park is really lovely.

Fortitude Valley: dodgy but kinda cool in a dodgy way, lots of heritage listed buildings and more places to eat and drink. This area is mostly known for live music and it's clubs which can be hit and miss. James St has a lot of boutiques and rich people, worth a look.

Tennerife: the old woolstore buildings are very cool.

Newstead: microbrewerys!

Paddington: Given terrace onto Latrobe terrace is great, lots of op shops, music stores and a bunch of good places to eat and drink.

Milton: good bars and restaurants.

Albion: fairly hip, a nice little street of heritage listed buildings with a few really nice cafes popping up

There's a few other pretty interesting places like Stones Corner and East Brisbane (mainly Stanley street).

Of course it's completely subjective what one finds cool or hip, but in my personal experience Brisbane isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.