Weezer: Worst to Best
Weezer, a.k.a. Rivers Cuomo, Pat Wilson, Brian Bell, Scott Shriner, and at one point Matt Sharp (also Mikey Welsh, R.I.P.). It’s 2026 and I have found myself deep in a Weezer K-hole, deeper than I have ever gone before. It’s not my first time around the Weez block, though. I’ve been aware of the band for ages. I remember hearing “My Name Is Jonas” and “Buddy Holly” in Guitar Hero and hating them both a lot when I was 9 or 10. Then I heard “Undone - The Sweater Song” on my local hard rock/metal radio. I remember running inside when I got home from wherever I was, immediately going on the computer and going to the website where I could check what songs were playing all day. I couldn’t believe it was Weezer. After that I was all over the band, listening to all the hits all the time. It was 2010 at the time, so Hurley was the most recent album at the time, just for reference. By the time I hit high school, my taste changed a bit and I mostly listened to The Blue Album and Pinkerton, both of which I listened to A TON. Ever since then, I’ve kind of considered everything post 90’s to be a bit of a downgrade for the band, a perspective that’s pretty common among the fanbase. Fast-forward to last week. We have received The Gold Album. The band have, in short, given this demographic what they have been asking for since the 90’s: a record more explosive and rough around the edges than most of what they’ve made in the 21st century. It made me very happy and excited, but it also made me feel like a shit fan because they kind of comment on this expectation that’s put on them throughout the album, particularly on “C.E.O.” It made me feel like I’ve been ungrateful to the Weez and inspired me to give the band a true shot, a.k.a. listen to all the albums for the first time, even though I knew they won’t sound like Blue or Pinkerton. The results? Overall really really awesome!! I liked a lot more than I thought I would and discovered some really awesome albums I haven’t heard before. I also can confirm that there are some pretty bad ones too, but even those ones have a handful of good songs. There aren’t many bands that have as many monstrous highs and lows as Weezer. They’re like the Nic Cage of music. It’s a lot of work, however, to comb through their 20 albums to find all of the good tracks interspersed between them. The good news is: now you don’t have to! Well, at least you’ll have assistance. This will serve as a ranking, tier list, and analysis of all studio albums from the almighty Weezer (except the cover album, I don’t care about that). P.S.: If you make it to the end, I have a surprise gift for you all.
Okay so we’re gonna start from the bottom with our F tier albums. Probably won’t have too much to say about these ones, let’s just fly through em
16: Weezer (Black Album) - 2019
Let me start by saying I really tried to go into these poppier albums with an open mind and hopeful attitude. And to be fair it’s not an issue with the poppy sound that I have. At the end of the day, the somewhat basic and unthoughtful nature of many of the lyrics and melodies from frontman and songwriter Rivers Cuomo that make me feel so underwhelmed. Okay, and MAYBE it is too poppy for my liking. This band rocks so hard and there isn’t a single trace of that on Black. I guess it’s just not the side band that I’ve come to love so much. Maybe it’ll grow on me later.
Only song I liked: “High as a Kite”
15: SZNZ (all of ‘em) - 2022
Technically SZNZ is four different albums. They used to be classified as EP’s (as they should be) but have recently been reclassified as official studio albums. I would consider this a foolish error of the band. Seems like the fans LOOOVE this project, but I feel like this is easily one of the band’s weakest batch of songs. Not just one or two EP’s in particular, but all of them. The concept is that each EP represents a different season, and much of the music borrows directly from Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Unfortunately, a concept like this is only as good as its execution. The songs from all four installments of SZNZ are only as memorable as the concerto piece they are interpolating. Most people rank these four projects separately because they consider some stronger than others; to me, however, they are each just as underwhelming as the next. Not much else to say. It’s a big swing and a big miss.
Only songs I liked: “Angels on Vacation”, “I Want a Dog”
14: Raditude - 2009
I feel like historically Raditude has often been considered Weezer’s lowest point. While I would somewhat agree, I’d put it at the top of the F tier because there are a couple redeeming moments on it. When I say a couple, I literally mean two songs, one of them being called “I’m Your Daddy.” The song is an absolute ear worm that may be one of my favorite Weezer tunes I discovered during this expedition, but that does not change the fact that it is indeed called “I’m Your Daddy” and that the chorus repeatedly includes the phrase ‘and I’m your daddy.’ This is indicative of the greater Raditude dilemma. Some of the songs have potential that is squandered by some of the worst lyrical moments the band has ever given us. But not to give the album too much credit, because some of the album’s instrumentals leave a lot to be desired too. It very much feels like the bands attempt to assimilate to a futuristic late 2000’s/early 2010’s electro-pop sound, with a Lil Wayne feature and all. The two songs that I do like from Raditude fuckin rock though, so I gotta give it some respect for those at the very least.
Only songs I liked: “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”, “I’m Your Daddy”
Okay. Those are all of our F tier albums. Time to move onto our D tier albums.
13: Van Weezer - 2021
This was the second Weezer album to come out in the year of 2021 following OK Human. The album name is a play on Van Halen, as is the album’s artwork, as is pretty much everything else about the album. Lots of trademark guitar tapping, pinch harmonics, even motorcycle sounds. It’s very much an ode to Van Halen through and through, but with pretty typical Weezer songwriting underneath all of the flash and flare of glam and arena rock. The album is definitely a mixed bag for me, especially considering I really don’t care much for Van Halen or glam rock as a whole. Maybe fans of Van Halen will like it more than I. However, I really enjoy some of these cuts. “Sheila Can Do It,” for example. Holy shit!! That is a phenomenal fucking song that reminds me a lot of Pinkerton but waaaay louder. Another big highlight is the acoustic closer “Precious Metal Girl.” Such a cool way to end that album in my opinion. I would definitely check it out if you like glam and 80’s arena rock. For the most part, not really my cup of tea though.
Songs I liked: “The End of the Game”, "Beginning of the End”, “Sheila Can Do It”, “Precious Metal Girl”
12: Weezer (Red Album) - 2008
It may be surprising to see this album as low as it is. Heck, I’m surprised to see it so low also. The first three tracks are songs I’ve known since I was a kid, and I’ve always liked those songs. I would expect the rest of the album to follow suit and, you know, be pretty similar. Unfortunately this batch of songs that follow the first three are quite unremarkable if you ask me. If the first three weren’t so great, particularly “Pork and Beans” which I would consider to be one of the best singles Weezer ever put out, I would probably put this album in the F tier. None of the songs I hadn’t heard before were worth listening to again in my opinion. This album also seems to have lots of fans’ high praises as well, and I don’t really understand why. I think anything in the color series, especially an older one like this, is automatically looked at in a somewhat high regard as a classic album of theirs (excluding Black lol). That’s my hypothesis anyways. Maybe people just really like “Pork and Beans.” Anyways, this album is one I will likely just continue to listen to three songs from, like I have for over 15 years now.
Only songs I liked: “Troublemaker”, "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)”, “Pork and Beans”
11: Pacific Daydream - 2017
At number 11 we have another very pop forward entry from the band. Again, this isn’t particularly my favorite lane for the band to venture in. They often fall into traps of poor lyricism and underwhelming songwriting like they did on Black, and the songs are just often less memorable than the material on their other albums. That being said, this album has a lot more memorable and quality material than Black does. There are like four songs that I think are really effective pop songs that don’t fall into those aforementioned traps. That’s a solid amount of good songs to have here in the D tier on a bubblegum sunshine pop album. I don’t have too much more to say. It’s far from my favorite, but it’s one I would be happy to return to and reevaluate sometime. It’s another album I was hoping I would like more, but also one I think may grow on me over time more than some of the others I don’t like as much.
Songs I liked: “Mexican Fender”, “QB Blitz”, “Sweet Mary”, Get Right”
So we are now moving up to the C tier, and now we are really getting into the band’s more consistent albums. I know up to here everything has been super critical, it hardly sounds like I’m a fan at all. But I swear I have nice things to say. Pretty soon you’ll see that I am indeed a fan of Weezer. Okay let’s go.
10: Hurley - 2010
When writing this, I had Hurley in the D tier. As I began writing and thinking about the album more, I realized I had way been more critical of the album than I needed to be. I’ve been revisiting songs from this one a lot, and I’ve come to realize it’s truly a C tier album. Not perfect, sometimes a bit corny and disjointed, but full of character. Honestly, the overall sound of this one rules. Something about it feels so unique and explosive. Really blown out and wide sounding production, a particularly aggressive and assertive sounding Rivers on vocals, and true anthemic and enormous pop songs. So many great high moments on this project. Unfortunately, the curse of Rivers’ underwritten lyrics continues to bring the band’s music down a notch. I think I may end up becoming more forgiving to some of those though, because the songs I do like on this album I REEEALLY like. It’s a side of Weezer that I frickin love. Electric and infectious pop music turned up to 11 with lots of human emotion. It’s really a super colorful album. The songs that rock on this album make it very worth checking out. Lots of really underrated Weezer songs live on Hurley. I think I may end up reevaluating the album even more soon. Maybe I’m still being too harsh.
Songs I liked: “Memories”, “Trainwrecks”, “Unspoken”, “Run Away”, “Hang On”, “Smart Girls”
That’s the only C tier album I got. Moving along swiftly to the B tier!
9: Make Believe - 2005
I feel like people look at Make Believe as the day Weezer died. Well, times have changed and the bar of the Weez has been lowered substantially. But was Make Believe ever really that bad?? The bottom half of this album is definitely a little less exciting for me, but the top half is honestly phenomenal! I think when people heard “Beverly Hills” for the first time, they were probably pretty disillusioned by the fact that these were the same guys that made Blue and Pinkerton. It’s drastically different. Obviously, that song has been played to death ever since it was released. It’s one of the biggest hits Weezer ever had. But I’m tired of that song being overlooked and considered one of the band’s weak moments. That song is class. Absolute class. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. In fact, I think it’s a crowning achievement of Rivers’ and his ability to craft a perfect pop song without sacrificing his creative vision in the slightest. The same could be said about lots of the songs from the first half of Make Believe. “Perfect Situation” follows “Beverly Hills,” and I would certainly call this a perfect situation if I say so myself. All miserable puns aside, this song is quite literally pop perfection, and it starts with the nastiest guitar solo ever. Growing up, this was a major favorite of mine. Coming back to it for the first time in a while, I think it maybe still is to be honest. After these two phenomenal songs, we get fucking “This Is Such a Pity.” Christ!! Such an awesome new wave inspired pop song. It’s not my intention to analyze every song like this, but it’s important to recognize how many incredible songs there are on the front end of this thing. Maybe the back half will grow on me in time, but even if it doesn’t the album still has so much to offer. Don’t listen to the haters, because Make Believe is a vital piece to the puzzle of le Weez.
Songs I liked: “Beverly Hills”, “Perfect Situation”, “This Is Such a Pity”, “Hold On”, “Peace”, “We Are All On Drugs”, “The Damage In Your Heart”, “Freak Me Out”, “Haunt You Every Day”
8: Weezer (Green Album) - 2001
In my opinion, this album is more of a significant transitional album than Make Believe was. This feels like the birth of a new Weezer to me. As I type this out, I realize how widely agreed upon this perspective is and that it’s really not much of a keen observation. The band sounds louder, brighter, fuller, and poppier than ever. While many see this change as a bad thing (I definitely did for a while), I think the execution of this change was done very well. Not only that, but it also allowed Weezer to enter the new decade (and century) at the top of an emerging culture of a new evolution of alternative rock, a position they would hold for the rest of their career for the most part. It’s pretty clear to me that Rivers has always really wanted his music to chart. After Pinkerton flopped so hard commercially, I see Green as a major statement from Rivers that he still has the stuff it takes to make rock music with chart topping pop appeal (I don’t know if they topped the charts or not, but that’s not the point). When you look at the three singles from the album — “Island in the Sun”, “Hash Pipe”, and “Photograph” — you see lots of variety, music that appeals both to fans of pop and fans of hard rock. Overall, the album does have a pretty consistent power pop sound more akin to “Photograph,” which I frickin love. That being said, they did a really good job picking singles to promote the album and introduce the world to the new Weezer of the 2000’s. There’s definitely a few songs that don’t stand as tall as the rest, which is why it sits in the B tier. But I don’t mean to undermine the album, because it may be one of their most important and distinct releases in all honesty. Forever a classic Weezer album.
Songs I liked: “Don’t Let Go”, “Photograph”, “Hash Pipe”, “Island in the Sun”, “Crab”, “Knockdown Dragout”, “O Girlfriend”
7: OK Human - 2021
At number 7 we have the album that preceded Van Weezer in 2021. Although they were released the same year, the two albums couldn’t be more different from each other. Unless Van Halen ever made an orchestral chamber pop album. If they have, then I’ve misspoken. But I don’t think they have. What I’m trying to say is that this is an orchestral chamber pop album. Even among the Weezer catalog it is one of a kind. Of all of the band’s non-rock albums, this would easily be my favorite. I think this one has so much more passion and heart than the rest, probably because it’s a very different style of pop music. It’s like comparing Elton John to Bebe Rexha. That might be mean to Weezer and their pop albums. Sorry Weez. Pacific Daydream has its own strengths too. But OK Human definitely resonates much stronger with me. The album was recorded entirely with analog equipment and features a 38-piece orchestra throughout the tracklist. Furthermore, there is not a single electric guitar featured on the album (I don’t think, someone correct me if I’m wrong). There are riffs on the album though. They are just played on cellos, violins, and other orchestral instruments. This may feel very uncharacteristic of the band, but a major Weezer nerd would know that Rivers Cuomo is a major fan of classical music, something we would also see on SZNZ later. So while it doesn’t really deliver the sound I’ve grown to love of the band, you simply can’t argue with the quality of this project. The production is so crisp and warm, the songwriting is really strong, and the album is overall surprisingly consistent in quality. It hardly feels like Weezer at all, but for the first time ever that doesn’t feel like a bad thing. Rather it’s a very welcome and exciting sidestep in this legacy act’s ever so dynamic career. It’s probably A tier quality to be honest. I think personal preference puts it a bit lower, but I foresee this one growing on me more and more in the years to come.
Songs I liked: “All My Favorite Songs”, “Aloo Gobi”, “Numbers”, “Mirror Image”, “Screens”, “Bird With A Broken Wing”, “Dead Roses”, “La Brea Tar Pits”
And just like that, we are now moving into the A tier!
6: Everything Will Be Alright in the End - 2014
I had a feeling this album would be either A or S tier when I began this expedition. It’s one of the few albums that seems to be largely agreed upon as a triumphant moment for the band among fans of both the old Weez and the new Weez. I’ve come to realize that asking the band to sound like they did in the 90s and complaining when they didn’t was so annoying and dismissive of all the good qualities of their newer music. Sorry if that’s a point I have mentioned too many times, but I feel like it’s so endlessly relevant in this article. I thought of it now because I think Everything Will Be Alright in the End reminds me a lot more of new Weezer than old Weezer. If I had to compare it to one album only, I’d choose Green. Yes, it’s one of their oldest albums, but I still consider it new Weezer! Logistics aside, it’s clean cut radio-friendly pop rock that doesn’t skimp out on the pop or the rock in the slightest. Beyond this, the album flows so nicely from top to bottom. It feels like such a well crafted album for a band whose focus tends to fall on a more song to song basis. It progresses so naturally and feels like such a great packaging of tunes. Speaking of packaging, I also must mention how much I love the album art. The fantasy land and paper bear monster thing somehow fits the vibe of the album perfectly. There is a somewhat grandiose nature to songs like “Eulogy For a Rock Band,” “The British Are Coming,” "Foolish Father,” or any of the “The Futurescope Trilogy” songs, and the art encapsulates this grandiosity so well. That being said, some of the more simple songs are my favorite. “Lonely Girl” I could listen to a hundred times without getting tired of it. “Cleopatra” has one of Rivers’ best guitar solos ever. “Go Away” is just a purely undeniable tune. Whether they’re building up a fantasy world or just crafting catchy tunes, the string of songs present on EWBAITE are full of charisma and the album as a whole feels like a very special period for the band. I couldn’t recommend it more.
Favorite songs: “Ain’t Got Nobody”, ‘Back to the Shack”, “Eulogy For a Rock Band”, “Lonely Girl”, “The British Are Coming”, “Go Away” (feat. Best Coast), “Cleopatra”, “Foolish Father”, “The Futurescope Trilogy”
5: Maladroit - 2002
If you wanted to know which Weezer album is the most underrated of them all, Maladroit would be the only answer I’d accept. It cannot be denied or argued against. It’s written in the stone and is a verifiable fact of life. I feel like a fucking fool for not having heard this album until about a week ago. It rocks. It rocks hard. It just may be the band’s hardest rocking album that they have. Maybe that’s a hot take, but there’s really something about this album that feels grittier than anything else Weezer has ever done. It’s in the tone, the songwriting, the performances of the band. It feels like the band stripping away their nerd personas and cosplaying as hard rocking cool guys for the first time, and they do a surprisingly convincing job. That’s not to say there’s no pop songs or pop appeal on Maladroit, because there is a lot of it. The best immediate example is the single “Keep Fishin’.” Classic Weezer doing their classic Weezer sound. “Dope Nose,” the other single, rides in the middle. It’s a pretty catchy tune but it's built around some real rockin’ instrumentals. Both of these songs are awesome as hell, but if you were to evaluate Maladroit based on those two songs, you’d have a much different idea of what the band was shooting for. I would reference “American Gigolo" and “Slob” as songs that are more representative of the album’s tone. They can be strange, somewhat dissonant, loud and aggressive. This refers to both the instruments and the singing. It feels quite imperfect, which is really refreshing for a band that typically makes music that’s pretty tight and cleaned up. In this sense it is somewhat like the 90’s albums, but lumping in Maladroit with those projects doesn’t really do it justice. It’s far more unique than that. In fact, it's one of the most unique albums in their catalog, only behind OK Human in my opinion. There’s a chance that a lot of you readers haven’t heard Maladroit because this album simply hasn’t gotten its flowers. If you take anything away from this article, I would recommend you take Maladroit. It’s a must listen in the world of Weezer.
Favorite songs: “American Gigolo”, “Dope Nose”, “Keep Fishin’”, “Death and Destruction”, “Slob”, “Burndt Jam”, “Space Rock”, “Slave”, “Possibilities”, “Love Explosion”, “December”
4: Weezer (Gold Album) - 2026
At number 4, we have Weezer’s most recent offering. I was debating whether Maladroit or Gold should take the lead for quite some time. My list seems to be continuously changing, and though it may change again, I chose Gold to take the lead. The reason for this is because a) recency bias, plain and simple, but also because b) this album has a strong level of immediacy to it that I love, meaning it is super accessible and it gets you hooked right off the bat. Like I mentioned earlier, this is the only album that has really scratched the 90’s Weezer itch for me. It’s a very deliberate return to that style of music. The guitars are crunchier and heavier than they have ever been, the chord progressions and lyrics often closely mimic what we heard from the band’s first two albums, and there is a returning importance of guitar solos in the music. We’ve had guitar solos all along, but it’s been a while since a Rivers guitar solo almost brought me to tears, which happens on almost every song! Based on the singles from the album — “Shine Again”, “We Might As Well Be Strangers”, and “C.E.O.” — I was expecting this album to be the best thing they’ve done since Pinkerton. Even with such high expectations, Gold still exceeded them. I think it does so by knowing when to revert to their old 90’s ways and when to allow themselves to borrow from the band’s later sound instead. Songs like “Say Yes” and “Don’t Make it Weird” sound like they share DNA from both eras of the band, which is what I think makes them two of my favorite tracks from the album. Lots of people have quickly dismissed Gold as a cheap assimilation to 90’s Weez with little character of its own, but if you ask me they are overlooking tons of these moments where the band moves in different directions. Beyond that, these songs are full of genuine charm, wonderfully goofy lyrics, and staying power that functions with or without the context of those past records. In other words, clowning on Gold really seems like an uphill battle if you ask me. It’s really a triumphant return to an era that is beloved by so many. It shows how much Weezer loves their fans too — they know how bad we’ve been wanting this. This easily is one of my favorite albums of the year, and if you haven’t heard it I would stop reading and listen to it immediately.
Favorite songs: “Say Yes”, “Shine Again”, “Don’t Make It Weird”, “We Might As Well Be Strangers” (feat. Wednesday), “C.E.O.”, “Hoops”, “Nowhere”, “The L.A. Sound”
I told you I was a fan! If you still don’t believe me, you will soon. We are now at the S tier, meaning these final three albums are all among the highest forms of rock and pop music you can find on this earth. Here we go.
3: Pinkerton - 1996
I suspect many readers will be upset to see Pinkerton at number three and not number one. Most Pinkerton fans put it at the top. It’s often looked at as Weezer’s crowning achievement, even though it was considered a massive failure when it was first released. Compared to the debut, it’s very brash and emotionally vulnerable; in fact, it’s by far the most vulnerable Rivers has ever been in his music. Supposedly, he wrote the lyrics with this intention. Certain lines are meant to cause a visceral reaction and represent deeply repressed thoughts that would be considered shameful to voice. I find this to be a super creative way to express your innermost desires and insecurities, and I think in some respects this feels like the most creative and thoughtful method to songwriting that Weezer ever did. The result is an album that is a rollercoaster of emotion. Lots of fun, lots of energy, but also full of shame, resentments, and extreme loneliness. Like I said, the music is very brash. The album opens with “Tired of Sex,” and immediately you hear that the band is not in the same headspace they were in when making their debut. This song is an aggressive and powerful cry for help. It’s extreme feelings of rage, desperation, and melancholy all at once. Sonically it’s far less polished than the debut. The guitars are dirtier, tempos are jumping and dragging, Rivers is screaming like he never had before. This sonic and lyrical unease continues throughout the whole album. I feel like the band often makes really feel-good pop music, and they have incorporated that into most of their releases in some way or another. You can find that Pinkerton here and there, but I’d say this is easily their least happy album that they have. It’s the embodiment of depression and loneliness, and the songs, albeit very fun, very much reflect that. This definitely sets the album apart from the rest in a significant way, and though I consider myself a big fan of lots of the band’s music, I can see why fans of Pinkerton may feel alienated by the rest of the discography. But I’d probably have a hard time recreating something I made when it was completely shit all over by the whole world. I can’t imagine how much that hurts. All we can do now though is enjoy what we do have and thank our lucky stars we ever got Pinkerton in the first place.
Favorite songs: “Tired of Sex”, “No Other One”, “Why Bother?”, “Across the Sea”, “The Good Life”, “El Scorcho”, “Pink Triangle”, “Butterfly”
2: Weezer (White Album) - 2016
Man, I've been waiting patiently to talk about this one. So many times while writing this article I wanted to mention it, but I didn’t want to spoil the list. But here we are at White. When this album dropped I was a mere child with foolish notions of what I wanted out of the Weez. People said this was the album we’ve been waiting for. This was the return. I heard bits and pieces and overall decided that the crowd was wrong. This was NOT the return of the Weez. Well, being so open minded and appreciative of the band after hearing Gold and wanting to give all the band’s music a fair shot, the logical first place to go was to White once again after ten years of rejecting it. Well, let’s just say this: I’ve probably only listened to Gold one or twice after hearing White. I was listening to Gold like every day, too. I was in disbelief with Gold, but then I heard White and I almost went into cardiac arrest. Not only did the band make an album on par with their best work over 20 years after their debut, but they did it while still moving the needle forward. This doesn’t feel like an old rehash of classic Weezer sounds. This feels like a bright new future that honors the history of the band while still building upon the sound and legacy that they will ultimately be remembered for. The biggest highlight on this album for me would be Rivers’ voice. He sounds better than ever on this project. His falsetto brings me to tears on “L.A. Girlz.” If you know the song, you know the part, and if you don’t, then just listen and you’ll know it immediately when you hear it. It’s an absolute top 10 Weezer moment for sure. Maybe even top 5. But it’s not just that song, he sounds so passionate on the whole album. It’s like he bathed in the fountain of youth before recording vox. I can’t get enough of him on this album. Musically the album kind of leans into the Beach Boys influence of their early stuff and fuses it with some pop punk and indie rock influences. It’s been seen by many as their ode to California. The album cover sees the band standing on a beach. That’s pretty much what the album sounds like, although there are plenty of songs that serve as exceptions to this rule. Whatever you see it as, you can hear the band firing on all cylinders consistently throughout the album for the first time in years. Now I understand that this is what Weezer fans were talking about, and I’m happy I can finally see this album for the absolute masterpiece it truly is. Earlier I said something about “if you take anything from this article, take this album…” yada yada yada. Well I actually think this is the album that should be prioritized by anyone that hasn’t heard it, cuz it’ll change your whole perspective of Weezer, their post 90’s output, and overall what the band is capable of.
Favorite songs: “California Kids”, “Wind In Our Sails”, “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing”, “Do You Wanna Get High?”, “King of the World”, "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori”, “L.A. Girlz”, “Jacked Up”, “Endless Bummer”
1: Weezer (Blue Album) - 1994
I think we all knew this was gonna be here. Well, either this or Pinkerton. But I’ve always been a Blue boy myself. Apples to oranges really. Anyways… Bonafide classic album. One of the most bodacious albums to ever hit the shelves. One of the greatest pieces of alternative rock to exist in this world. Trying to explain the allure of this album at this point is like explaining why the Bible is so important to a room full of Catholics. It’s a seminal piece of music, for indieheads and fans of mainstream rock alike. People who don’t even listen to Weezer know half of these songs. People who don’t even listen to Weezer probably like half of these songs too. It’s such a seamless blend of pop and hard rock with wall of sound metal guitars and bubblegum pop chord progressions and songwriting. You can tell the band listens to Beach Boys just as much as they do Judas Priest. It’s a remarkable mix of sounds that the world really hadn’t heard before the release of this album. Every song rules. There isn’t a single dull moment on this album. Personally, this album rewired my brain when I was young and changed my perspective on music as a whole forever. It’s probably one of the albums I’ve listened to the most in my life and is certainly one of my favorite albums of all time. It will always stand tall above just about anything in and out of Weezer’s catalog. Not much else to say. It’s perfect.
Favorite songs: literally all of them
Well you made it to the end and I promised a gift to you. By the time I got through all the albums, I started to realize that this band has tons of under-appreciated deep cuts scattered throughout the discography. If you look at their live sets, though, they seem to play lots of the same songs live. Makes sense because they have so many hits that the fans expect to hear. But a band like Weezer has really dedicated fans that wanna hear more. Weezer is also an exceptional live band, which I can say from experience. They are seriously pros. I feel like they could play a marathon 3-4 hour show in their sleep. It made me realize that it’s crazy they haven’t done that yet. They are truly a legacy act with the skills and the catalog to make that happen. I really think a tour with no opener where they play for 3-4 hours would be siiiiiick, or maybe even just a one-off show in LA. Then I started to think… what should the set list look like? The answer is here:
I made a playlist of what my dream Weezer marathon set would look like. It features pretty much all my favorite songs and all of their major hits. Big songs, deep cuts, all bangers. If you wanna get more into the band but don’t wanna listen to a shit ton of albums, this playlist may be helpful. I have links for Apple Music and Spotify below. Enjoy, and once again, thanks for reading!
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