I think you are on the right track. I have a very similar weed, which is an Artemesia but I forget the last name. It is commonly called Biennial Wormweed or Wormwood. Mine doesn't normally have as many or such large leaves coming out of the seed stalk, but otherwise looks identical. The plant carries a distinctive scent, although I find it hard to describe. Maybe some elements of marigolds and some of sagebrush. It grows on disturbed ground. It germinates in the fall and forms a rosette, then takes off in the spring, usually looking like nothing more than a pin head in the spring when it starts to grow. It will also germinate during the growing season and grow, but just forms a rosette until the next year. You can control it easily in the fall with tillage or herbicides. In the early spring, tillage will also work easily, but herbicides rapidly lose effectiveness as it gets bigger although glyphosate will continue to work. Pulling a plant of the size you've got will be difficult unless the soil is very wet. The lower stem will be like wood.

I am seeing this in several gardens I tend in central OH and early on in the season I, too, thought it was an aster so allowed it to grow. But it has not produced flowers, just keeps getting bushier & bushier! Wish I knew what it is...

Yes, a weedy pest in many lawns, but it also has been considered a valuable medicinal herb, and is edible as well (if not exactly delicious! LOL)

Interesting. I assumed this was the same weed that I had at our old house, but I remember the old weed having nice, red fall color. The weed pictured seems to be ID correctly as Parietaria (I checked the leaf margins.) The fall color on the old weed must make it Acalypha. They really do resemble each other.