According to the American Kennel Club, "wet dog smell" is not due to the dog itself but to the yeast and bacteria that live in dog fur. These microorganisms regularly release volatile compounds as they live out their lives on our canine pets, but we don't usually smell those compounds beyond the regular musky scent of a dry dog. However, when mixed with water, some of those chemicals become pungent, and the combination of their scents becomes malodorous. As the water evaporates from the fur, the compounds become airborne. Given that humid air holds more odour molecules than dry air, a wet dog basically takes a little stink cloud with it wherever it goes.
Drying a dog quickly can lessen the pervasion of the smell and can keep the responsible microorganisms from undergoing the quick population explosion that a damp environment encourages. As luck would have it, these little stinkers are a normal part of a dog's microbiome, so they’re nothing to worry about.