Weezer is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band formed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of

Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities in the northeaste ...

(lead vocals, guitar, keyboards),

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty (musical), The Full Mont ...

(drums, backing vocals),

Brian Bell Brian Lane Bell (born December 9, 1968) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Weezer, with whom he has ...

(guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), and

Scott Shriner Scott Gardner Shriner (born July 11, 1965) is an American musician best known as a member of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded twelve studio albums. Joining the band in 2001, Shriner is the band's longest serving bass guitarist. Pr ...

(bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals). They have sold 10 million albums in the United States and more than 35 million worldwide. After signing to

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

in 1993, Weezer released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, also known as the Blue Album, in May 1994. Backed by music videos for the singles "

Undone – The Sweater Song "Undone – The Sweater Song" is a song by American alternative rock band Weezer, released in June 1994 from their self-titled debut album as their debut single. Background The band originally intended to insert various sound clips into ''Und ...

", "

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

", and "

Say It Ain't So "Say It Ain't So" is a song by American rock band Weezer. It was released as the third and final single from the band's self-titled 1994 debut album on May 15, 1995. Written by frontman Rivers Cuomo, the song came to be after he had all the mu ...

", the Blue Album became a

multi-platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

success. Weezer's second album, '' Pinkerton'' (1996), featuring a darker, more abrasive sound, was a commercial failure and initially received mixed reviews, but achieved

cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...

and critical acclaim years later. Both the Blue Album and ''Pinkerton'' are now frequently cited among the best albums of the 1990s. Following the tour for ''Pinkerton'', founding bassist

Matt Sharp Matthew Kelly Sharp (born September 22, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Until 1998, he was the bassist for the Rock music, rock band Weezer, which he co-founded in 1992. He appears on their first two albums, the ''Weezer (B ...

left the band and Weezer went on hiatus. In 2001, Weezer returned with the Green Album with their new bassist,

Mikey Welsh Michael Edward Welsh (April 20, 1971 – October 8, 2011) was an American artist and musician who played bass for several bands, including the rock band Weezer. During Weezer's hiatus, he played with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo in the band Ho ...

. With a more pop-oriented sound, and promoted by singles " Hash Pipe" and " Island in the Sun", it was a commercial success and received mostly positive reviews. After the Green Album tour, Welsh left for health reasons and was replaced by Shriner. Weezer's fourth album, '' Maladroit'' (2002), incorporated a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

sound and achieved mostly positive reviews, but weaker sales. ''

Make Believe Make believe, also known as pretend play or imaginative play, is a loosely structured form of play that generally includes role-play, object substitution and nonliteral behavior. What separates play from other daily activities is its fun and cre ...

'' (2005) received mixed reviews, but its single "

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

" became Weezer's first single to top the US

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart and their first to reach the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2008, Weezer released the Red Album; its lead single, " Pork and Beans", became the third Weezer song to top the Modern Rock Tracks chart, backed by a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-winning music video. '' Raditude'' (2009) and '' Hurley'' (2010) both featured more modern pop production, along with songs co-written with other artists, receiving further mixed reviews and moderate sales. '' Everything Will Be Alright in the End'' (2014) and the White Album (2016) returned to a rock style that was reminiscent of their 90s sound, mixed with modern alternative production, and achieved more positive reviews. '' Pacific Daydream'' (2017) returned to more mainstream pop sound. In 2019, Weezer released an album of covers, the Teal Album, followed by the Black Album. In 2021, they released '' OK Human'', which featured an

orchestral pop Orchestral pop is pop music that has been arranged and performed by a symphonic orchestra. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the terms symphonic pop and chamber pop. History During the 1960s, pop music on radio and in both American and ...

sound and received acclaim, followed by the hard rock-inspired '' Van Weezer''. In 2022, Weezer released ''SZNZ'' (pronounced "seasons"), a series of EPs based on the four seasons.

History

Formation and first years (1986–1994)

Lead vocalist and guitarist

moved to Los Angeles from

Mansfield, Connecticut Mansfield ( ) is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 25,892 at the 2020 census. Pequot and Mohegan people lived in this region for centuries before the arri ...

, in 1989 with his high school metal band, Avant Garde, later renamed Zoom. After the group disbanded, Cuomo met drummer

, a native of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, and moved in with him and Wilson's friend

. Cuomo moved away from metal and explored alternative rock influences such as

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

, the Pixies and

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

. He and Wilson formed a band, Fuzz, and enlisted

Scottie Chapman This is a list of cast members of the television series ''MythBusters'' on the Discovery Channel. In addition to the core cast members, the ''MythBusters'' team includes several honorary MythBusters, and some recurring guests. Cast Replac ...

on bass. Chapman quit after a few early shows; the band reformed as Sixty Wrong Sausages, with Cuomo's friend Pat Finn on bass and

Jason Cropper Jason Rosanoff Cropper (born June 27, 1971) is an American musician. He was a founding member and the former guitarist of the American alternative rock band Weezer, prior to his firing before the release of their self-titled debut album. Biogra ...

on guitar, but soon disbanded. Cuomo moved to

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, and recorded dozens of demos, including the future Weezer songs "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" and "

". Sharp was enthusiastic about the demos, and became the group's bassist and de facto manager. Cuomo, Wilson, Sharp, and Cropper formed Weezer on February 14, 1992. Their first show was on March 19, 1992, closing for

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public imag ...

' band Dogstar. They took their name from a nickname Cuomo's father gave him, which was based on a character called " Wheezer" from the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...

'' short films. Cuomo gave Sharp one year to get the band a record deal before Cuomo accepted a scholarship at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. In November, Weezer recorded a demo, ''

The Kitchen Tape ''The Kitchen Tape'' is a demo tape by the American rock band Weezer. It was recorded on August 1, 1992, prior to the band's signing with Geffen Records. Frontman Rivers Cuomo personally made 15 to 20 copies of the demo. One copy, under the t ...

'', including a version of the future Weezer single "

". The demo was heard by Todd Sullivan, an A&R man at

, who signed Weezer in June 1993.

The "Blue Album" (1994)

Weezer recorded their debut album with the musician and producer

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek ( ), was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the America ...

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...

in New York City. Cropper was fired during recording, as Cuomo and Sharp felt he was threatening the band chemistry. He was replaced by

. Weezer's self-titled debut album'','' also known as the "Blue Album", was released in May 1994. Described by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' as integrating "geeky humor, dense cultural references, and positively gargantuan hooks", it combined

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

, polished production and what ''AllMusic'' critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

called an "'70s trash-rock predilection ... resulting in something quite distinctive". Weezer's first single, "

", was backed by a music video directed by

Spike Jonze Adam Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze (), is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze ...

;movies.yahoo.com Spike Jonze Biography
, ''Yahoo! Movies''. Retrieved on September 5, 2006 filmed in an unbroken take, it featured Weezer performing on a sound stage with little action, barring a pack of dogs swarming the set. The video became an instant hit on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. The song reached No. 57 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

. Jonze also directed Weezer's second video, "

", splicing the band into footage from the 1970s television sitcom ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

''. The video achieved heavy rotation on MTV and won four

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

s, including Breakthrough Video and Best

Alternative Music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Independent music *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alter ...

Video, and two ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Music Video Awards.''LA Times Past Winners Database-VMA's 1995 '' a
Theenvelope.latimes.com
retrieved on September 5, 2006 "Buddy Holly" peaked at No. 18 on the Hot 100 Airplay and No. 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. The song is included on Rolling Stone's 500 Best Songs Of All Time. A third single, "

", followed. It was met with critical acclaim and later

ranked it #10 on the top 200 tracks of the 90s list. The song reached No. 51 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and No. 7 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. Additionally, the track was included in Rolling Stone's list of "The Top 100 Guitar Songs of All Time". Their debut album gained critical and commercial success. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it number 294 on

The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indu ...

. ''Weezer'' is certified

quadruple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in the United States as well as Canada, making it Weezer's best-selling album.

''Pinkerton'' (1995–1997)

In 1994, Weezer took a break from touring for the Christmas holidays. Cuomo traveled to his home state of Connecticut and began recording demos for Weezer's next album. His original concept was a space-themed

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

, '' Songs from the Black Hole'', that would express his mixed feelings about success.'' Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo'' (liner notes).

. 2007. B0010417-02 Cuomo conceived the story as a metaphor for his conflicted feelings about touring in a successful rock band. Weezer developed the concept through intermittent recording sessions through 1995. At the end of the year, Cuomo enrolled at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where his songwriting became "darker, more visceral and exposed, less playful", and he abandoned ''Songs from the Black Hole''.''Pinkerton Deluxe'' liner notes While attending Harvard, Cuomo experienced loneliness and frustration while also undergoing an extensive surgery for his left leg. These experiences influenced his songwriting for the next record. The other members of Weezer decided to embark on their own side projects during this time. Sharp started

The Rentals The Rentals is an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp. Sharp has been the only consistent member since the group's inception. The band's best selling single is "Friends of P." (1995). The Rentals released two albums, ''Return of t ...

, who released their debut album, ''

Return of the Rentals ''Return of the Rentals'' is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band The Rentals, released on October 31, 1995, through Maverick Records and Reprise Records. The album features Matt Sharp—Weezer's bassist at the time—on voca ...

'', in October 1995, also featuring Patrick Wilson on drums. Weezer's second album, '' Pinkerton'', was released on September 24, 1996. ''Pinkerton'' is named after the character BF Pinkerton from ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

'', who marries and then abandons a Japanese woman named Butterfly. Calling him an "asshole American sailor similar to a touring rock star", Cuomo felt the character was "the perfect symbol for the part of myself that I am trying to come to terms with on this album". It produced three singles: " El Scorcho", " The Good Life", and "

Pink Triangle A pink triangle is a symbol for the LGBT community. Initially intended as a badge of shame, it was later reappropriated as a positive symbol of self-identity. It originated in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s as one of the Nazi concentratio ...

". With a darker, more abrasive sound, ''Pinkerton'' sold poorly compared to the Blue Album''Anticipated return has Weezer in the ''Green'' '' a
Michigandaily.com
retrieved on September 18, 2006 and received mixed reviews; it was voted "one of the worst albums of 1996" in a ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' reader poll. However, the album eventually gained a cult following and came to be considered among Weezer's best work; in 2002, ''Rolling Stone'' readers voted ''Pinkerton'' the 16th greatest album of all time. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album a new review, awarding it five out of five stars and adding it to the "''Rolling Stone'' Hall of Fame". ''Pinkerton'' was certified platinum in 2016. It is credited for influencing a number of

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

bands in the 2000s. In July 1997, the sisters Mykel, Carli, and Trysta Allan died in a car accident while driving home from a Weezer show in Denver, Colorado. Mykel and Carli ran Weezer's fan club and helped manage publicity for several other Los Angeles bands, and had inspired the "Sweater Song" B-side "Mykel and Carli". Weezer canceled a show to attend their funeral. In August, Weezer and other bands held a benefit concert for the family in Los Angeles. A compilation album, ''Hear You Me! A Tribute to Mykel and Carli'', was dedicated to their memory. The album included "Mykel and Carli", as well as songs by Ozma,

That Dog That Dog (stylized as that dog.) is a Los Angeles-based rock music, rock band that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band originally consisted of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar an ...

, and

Kara's Flowers Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer Matt Flynn, keyboard ...

. In 2001,

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...

released "Hear You Me", dedicated to Mykel and Carli.

Hiatus (1997–2000)

Weezer completed the ''Pinkerton'' tour in mid-1997 and went on hiatus. Wilson returned to his home in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

to work on his side project, the Special Goodness, and Bell worked on his band Space Twins. In 1998, Sharp left Weezer due to differences with the band members. He said of his departure: "I certainly have my view of it, as I'm sure everybody else has their sort of foggy things. When you have a group that doesn't communicate, you're going to have a whole lot of different stories." Cuomo returned to Harvard but took a break to focus on songwriting. He formed a new band composed of a changing lineup of Boston musicians, and performed new material. The songs were abandoned, but bootlegs of the Boston shows are traded on the internet. Wilson eventually flew to Boston to join Homie, another Cuomo side project. The members of the band were composed of Greg Brown (

Cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

and Deathray), Matt Sharp, Yuval Gabay (

Soul Coughing Soul Coughing is an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty (also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. They developed a devout fa ...

and

Sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

), Adam Orth (Shufflepuck), and future Weezer bassist

. Although a Homie album was being recorded, they ended up only releasing one song, called "American Girls", for the 1998 film '' Meet the Deedles''. In February 1998, Cuomo, Bell and Wilson reunited in Los Angeles to start work on the next Weezer album. The group hired

, who had played with Cuomo in Boston, as their new bassist. Welsh was also previously a bassist for

Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area. She was formerly a member of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. Hatfield also fronted her own band, The Ju ...

. Weezer continued rehearsing and recording demos until late 1998. Frustration and creative disagreements led to a decline in rehearsals, and in late 1998, Wilson left for his home in Portland pending renewed productivity from Cuomo. In November 1998, the band played two club shows with a substitute drummer in California under the name Goat Punishment, consisting entirely of covers of

and

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentThe Special Goodness while Bell again worked with Space Twins. Welsh continued to tour with Juliana Hatfield.

Comeback and the "Green Album" (2000–2001)

Weezer reunited in April 2000, when they accepted a lucrative offer to perform at the

Fuji Rock Festival is an annual music festival, rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash (Music promoters), Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it th ...

. The festival served as a catalyst for Weezer's productivity, and from April to May 2000, they rehearsed and demoed new songs in Los Angeles. They returned to live shows in June 2000, playing small unpromoted concerts once again under the name Goat Punishment. In June 2000, the band joined the American

Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...

for nine dates. Eventually the band went back into the studio to produce a third album, the " Green Album". Due to the mixed reception of ''Pinkerton,'' Cuomo wrote less personal lyrics for the Green Album. The band hired

, who had also produced the band's debut album. Shortly after the release, Weezer went on another American tour. The album was supported by the singles " Hash Pipe", " Island in the Sun", and "

Photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...

". Executives suggested that "Don't Let Go" should be chosen as the first single. However, Cuomo continued to fight and "Hash Pipe" eventually became the album's first single. "Hash Pipe" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and No. 6 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. "Island In the Sun" was released as the second single and became a radio hit as well as one of their biggest overseas hits. The song peaked at No. 11 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The song has gained increasing popularity over the years as it later joined the

digital song sales The Digital Song Sales (previously named Digital Songs and Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Luminate and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally started tracking so ...

in 2008, only to peak at No. 18 in 2022. The label tried to postpone the release date of ''Weezer'' further until June, but they ended up sticking to the album's original release date of May 15 release date. The album debuted at number 4 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

and has since been certified platinum. After suffering a breakdown from the stress of touring, undiagnosed

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...

, and drug abuse, Welsh attempted suicide and left Weezer in 2001. He later joined The Kickovers for a short stint before retiring from music. He was replaced by

. During this time,

returned to film a music video for "Island In the Sun". Matt Sharp was originally intended to appear in the video, but it did not end up happening.

''Maladroit'' (2002)

Weezer took an experimental approach to the recording process of its fourth album by allowing fans to download in-progress mixes of new songs from its official website in return for feedback. After the release of the album, the band said that this process was something of a failure, as the fans did not supply the group with coherent, constructive advice. Cuomo eventually delegated song selection for the album to the band's original A&R rep, Todd Sullivan, saying that Weezer fans chose the "wackest songs". Only the song "Slob" was included on the album due to general fan advice. The recording was also done without input from Weezer's record label,

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

. Cuomo had what he then described as a "massive falling out" with the label. In early 2002, well before the official release of the album, the label sent out a letter to radio stations requesting the song be pulled until an official, sanctioned single was released. Interscope also briefly shut down Weezer's audio/video download webpage, removing all the MP3 demos. In April 2002, former bassist Matt Sharp sued the band, alleging, among several accusations, that he was owed money for cowriting several Weezer songs. The suit was later settled out of court. The fourth album, '' Maladroit'', was released on May 14, 2002, only one year after its predecessor. The album served as a harder-edged version of the band's trademark catchy pop-influenced music, and was replete with busy 1980s-style guitar solos. Although met with generally positive critical reviews, its sales were not as strong as those for the Green Album. Two singles were released from the album. The music video for " Dope Nose" featured an obscure Japanese motorcycle gang, and was put into regular rotation. The song reached No. 8 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. The music video for "

Keep Fishin' "Keep Fishin'" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. It is the second single from the band's fourth album, '' Maladroit''. Reception Melissa Bobbitt at About.com ranked "Keep Fishin'" as the 13th best Weezer song, where she comments " Rive ...

" combined Weezer with

the Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Musical theatre, musical Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Cre ...

, and had heavy rotation on MTV. Both videos were directed by Marcos Siega.

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

reviewed it as the 6th best album of 2002. A ''

'' reader's poll also from that year voted it the 90th greatest album of all time. Weezer released its much-delayed first DVD on March 23, 2004. The '' Video Capture Device'' DVD chronicles the band from its beginnings through '' Maladroits Enlightenment Tour. Compiled by the band’s assistant Karl Koch, the DVD features home video footage, music videos, commercials, rehearsals, concert performances, television performances, and band commentary. The DVD was certified "gold" on November 8, 2004.

''Make Believe'' (2003–2006)

Before working on new material, Cuomo discovered vipassana

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

which became a large influence to his songwriting. He decided to take a more personal approach to his writing once again. One song during this process, "The Other Way", was written for Cuomo's ex-girlfriend Jennifer Chiba after her then-boyfriend, singer-songwriter

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...

, presumably died by suicide. Cuomo said, "I wanted to console her, but I was confused and skeptical about my own motives for wanting to do so, so I wrote that song about that." Before recording material for their 4th album, Brian Bell and Patrick Wilson worked on their own projects. Bell's Space Twins released '' The End of Imagining'' which Rolling Stone critic, John D. Lueressen named the 7th best album of 2003. Meanwhile, Wilson's The Special Goodness released Land Air Sea. From December 2003 to the fall of 2004, Weezer recorded a large amount of material intended for a new album to be released in the spring of 2005 with producer

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...

. The band's early recording efforts became available to the public through the band's website. The demos were a big hit, but none of the songs recorded at this time were included on the finished album. That album, titled ''

,'' was released on May 10, 2005. The album debuted at No. 2 on the

. Despite commercial success, ''Make Believe'' got a mixed reception from critics, receiving an average score of 52 on the review collator

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. Although some reviews, such as AMG's, compared it favorably to ''Pinkerton'', others, among them ''

'', panned the album as predictable and lyrically poor. The album's first single, "

", became a hit in the U.S. and worldwide, staying on the charts for several months after its release. It became the first Weezer song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and No. 10 on the

. "Beverly Hills" was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 48th Annual

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, the first ever Grammy nomination for the band. The video was also nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. The second single released from ''Make Believe'' was " We Are All on Drugs" which peaked at No. 10 on the Alternative Airplay chart. MTV refused to play the song, so Weezer re-recorded the lyrics by replacing "on drugs" with "in love" and renaming the song "We Are All in Love". In early 2006, it was announced that ''Make Believe'' was

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

, and "Beverly Hills" was the second most popular song download on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

for 2005, finishing just behind "

Hollaback Girl "Hollaback Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). It is a hip-hop song that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. The song was written by ...

" by

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani Shelton ( ; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani rose to fame as a member and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt, whose hit singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs", an ...

. ''Make Believes third single, " Perfect Situation", reached No. 1 U.S. Billboard Modern Rock chart and No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. " This Is Such a Pity" was the band's fourth single from the album, but no music video was made for its release. The ''Make Believe'' tour also found the band using additional instruments onstage, adding piano, synthesizers, pseudophones, and guitarist Bobby Schneck.

The "Red Album" (2006–2008)

After the success of ''

,'' the band decided to take a break. Cuomo returned to

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

where he ended up graduating

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

and as a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

in 2006. Cuomo also married Kyoko Ito on June 18, 2006, a woman he had known since March 1997. The wedding was attended by the current members of the band as well as

and

. During this break,

and

appeared in the 2006 film '' Factory Girl'' playing

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

and

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

respectively and contributing a cover of the

Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionist Moe Tuc ...

song "

Heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

" for the film. Also during this time, Bell started a new project,

The Relationship The Relationship was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, founded in 2007 by Weezer guitarist Brian Bell and Nate Shaw. In 2010, Bell released the first Relationship album and has since performed and recorded with ...

. ''

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

'' (also known as the Red Album) was released in June 2008.

produced the album and

Rich Costey Richard Costey is an American music producer, mixer, and engineer. He has worked with musicians across genres including rock, indie, pop, hip-hop, and electronica. Notable collaborators include Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend, Foo Fighters, Sig ...

mixed it. The record was described as "experimental", and according to Cuomo, who claimed it at the time to be Weezer's "boldest and bravest and showiest album", included longer and non-traditional songs, TR-808 drum machines, synthesizers,

Southern rap Southern hip-hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip-hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip-hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, ...

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

, and band members other than Cuomo writing, singing, and switching instruments. Pat Wilson said the album cost about a million dollars to make, contrasting it with the budget of the Blue Album. The album was produced by

and

Jacknife Lee Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including the Cars, U2, R.E.M., the Killers, Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, AFI, the Hives, Weezer, One Direc ...

. The album debuted at No. 4 on the

while receiving generally positive reviews. Its lead single, " Pork and Beans", topped the ''Billboard''

charts for 11 weeks while also peaking at No. 64 on the

. Its music video won a

for Best Short Form Music Video. The second single, " Troublemaker", debuted at No. 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and peaked at No. 2. In October 2008, the group announced that the third single would be " The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" which was met with critical praise. On May 30, 2008, the Toledo Free Press revealed in an interview with Shriner that Weezer would be unveiling the "Hootenanny Tour", in which fans would be invited to bring their own instruments to play along with the band. Said Shriner: "They can bring whatever they want... oboes, keyboards, drums, violins, and play the songs with us as opposed to us performing for them." The band performed five dates in Japan at the beginning of September and then embarked on what was dubbed the "Troublemaker" tour, consisting of 21 dates around North America, including two in Canada. Angels and Airwaves and Tokyo Police Club joined the band as support at each show, and Brian Bell's other band

also performed at a handful of dates. Shortly before the encore at each show, the band would bring on fans with various instruments and perform " Island in the Sun" and "

" with the band. At a show in Austin, after Tokyo Police Club had played its set, Cuomo was wheeled out in a box and mimed to a recording of rare Weezer demo, "My Brain", dressed in pajamas and with puppets on his hands, before being wheeled off again. This bizarre event later surfaced as the climax to a promo video for Cuomo's second demo album, '' Alone 2''.

''Raditude'' and ''Hurley'' (2009–2013)

Weezer toured with

Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...

in 2009, including an August 30 stop at the

Virgin Festival The Virgin Fest, known as the Virgin Mobile FreeFest in the United States, was a rock festival held in the United States and Canada, a spin-off from the V Festival held in the UK. In North America the Virgin Group, Virgin name, and more recently ...

Merriweather Post Pavilion Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by ''Billboard'' magazine. The venue was also ranke ...

Columbia, Maryland Columbia is a planned community in Howard County, Maryland, United States, consisting of 10 self-contained villages. With a population of 104,681 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most-populous community in Maryland ...

. Drummer

Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American drummer. A member of punk rock band the Vandals since 1989, Freese has also been a member of new wave band Devo since 1996. He was previously a member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses ...

joined Weezer on a temporary basis to play drums on the tour, while Pat Wilson switched to guitar. Wilson said in an interview for Yahoo! Music that Cuomo wanted "to be active and more free on stage and him having guitar on was an impediment." Freese stated he was a Weezer fan and did not want to pass up the opportunity to play with the band. On August 18, 2009, Weezer released the first single for their upcoming album, " If You're Wondering If I Want You To". The song peaked at No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100. The title of the album was called '' Raditude'' which was a suggestion from actor

Rainn Wilson Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director. He starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of ''The Office'' from 2005 to 2013, and received t ...

. '' Raditudes album artwork was revealed on September 11, featuring a

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

contest-winning photograph of a jumping dog named Sidney. The record's release was pushed to November 3, 2009, where it debuted as the seventh best-selling album of the week on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The band scheduled tour dates in December 2009 extending into early 2010 to coincide with the new album's release. On December 6, 2009, Cuomo was injured when his tour bus crashed in Glen, New York due to

black ice Black ice, sometimes called clear ice, is a coating of glaze ice on a surface, for example on streets or on lakes. The ice itself is not black, but visually transparent, allowing the often black road below to be seen through it and light to be ...

. Cuomo suffered three broken ribs and internal bleeding, and his assistant broke two ribs. His wife, baby daughter, and their nanny were also on the bus, but they escaped injury. Weezer cancelled the remaining 2009 tour dates the following day. The band resumed touring on January 20, 2010. In December 2009, it was revealed that the band was no longer with

. The band stated that new material would still be released, but the band members were unsure of the means, whether it be self-released, released online, or getting signed by another label. Eventually, the band was signed to the independent label

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

. Weezer co-headlined The Bamboozle in May 2010, and performed at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee in June. In August 2010, Weezer performed at the Reading and Leeds Festival, and performed at the Voodoo Experience festival in

New Orleans, LA New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in October 2010. The album '' Hurley'' was released in September 2010 through

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...

. The name comes from the character Hugo "Hurley" Reyes from the television show '' Lost''.

Jorge Garcia Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show '' Becker'', but subsequently became best known for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurl ...

, the actor who portrayed Hurley, stated that being featured on the album cover is "one of the biggest honors of iscareer." The first single, "

Memories Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is Encoding (memory), encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future Action (philosophy), action. I ...

", was chosen as part of the ''

Jackass 3D ''Jackass 3D'' (known as ''Jackass 3'' on home media) is a 2010 American 3-D film, 3D reality film, reality comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the third installment in the Jackass (franchise)#Films, ''Jackass'' film series, and the sequ ...

'' soundtrack with the music video featuring members of the cast contributing backing vocals. Weezer used internet streaming service YouTube as a way to promote the album. Weezer loaned itself to 15 amateur online video producers, "going along with whatever plans the creator could execute in about 30 minutes." The band was promoted through popular channels such as Barely Political, Ray William Johnson and

Fred Figglehorn Frederick "Fred" Figglehorn is a fictional character who appears in the YouTube web series ''Fred'' (stylized as "FЯED") created by American Internet personality Lucas Cruikshank from 2006 to 2015 and revived from 2020 to 2021. The characters' ...

. The Gregory Brothers solicited musical and vocal contributions from the band on one of its compositions built around speeches by Rep. Charles Rangel and

President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...

. Weezer called the promotion "The YouTube Invasion". In November 2010, Weezer released a compilation album composed of re-recorded versions of unused recordings spanning from 1993 to 2010, ''

Death to False Metal ''Death to False Metal'' is a compilation album by American rock band Weezer, the final compilation album released on November 2, 2010 by Geffen Records. The album comprises several previously unreleased tracks from throughout Weezer's career, w ...

''. "'Together, they are the album that should logically follow Hurley,' says Weezer front-man Rivers Cuomo." The lead track, "Turning Up the Radio", was a collaborative effort with many fans on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. On the same day a deluxe version of '' Pinkerton'', which includes "25 demos, outtakes and live tracks" was also released. A third volume of Cuomo's solo '' Alone'' series, titled ''Alone III: The Pinkerton Years'', consisting of demos and outtakes from the ''Pinkerton'' sessions, was released on December 12, 2011. The band also contributed a cover of

the Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

' " You Might Think" for the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

film ''

Cars 2 ''Cars 2'' is a 2011 American animated spy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to '' Cars'' (2006), the second film in the ''Cars'' franchise, and the 12th animated film from the studio ...

'' as well as a cover of

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

' "

I'm a Believer "I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by the American band the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart ...

" for '' Shrek Forever After.'' Weezer began working on their ninth studio album in September 2010 with the intent of a 2011 release, but the year ended without seeing a release. On October 8, 2011, former Weezer bassist

was found dead from a suspected heroin overdose in a Chicago hotel room. Weezer performed in Chicago the next day and dedicated the concert to Welsh, who was expected to have attended. Welsh had previously joined Weezer on stage for a few performances between 2010 and 2011. The band headlined a four-day rock-themed Carnival Cruise from Miami to Cozumel that set sail on January 19, 2012. In July, Weezer headlined the inaugural Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. In early 2013 the band brought its Memories Tour to Australia—the band's first Australian tour since 1996. The band played its first two albums in full at several venues. The band also headlined the Punkspring 2013 tour in Japan and later in the year toured Canada and USA. They played multiple nights in cities around the U.S. The first night shows were dedicated to playing their hits, then the Blue album in full, front to back. The second night, they played ''Pinkerton'' in the same fashion. Koch did a "Memories" slide show at the Gibson amphitheater in Los Angeles. The slide show consisted of photos of gigs over the years and highlighted the loss of their fan club team members Mykel and Carli Allan in 1997.

''Everything Will Be Alright in the End'' and the "White Album" (2013–2016)

Over 200 tracks were considered for their next album, but they were able to narrow it down to 13. According to the album's official press release, the album is organized thematically around three groups of songs: "Belladonna", "The Panopticon Artist" and "Patriarchia". "Belladonna" includes the songs "Ain't Got Nobody", " Lonely Girl", " Da Vinci", " Go Away", "Cleopatra" and "Return to Ithaka", all of which deal with Cuomo's relationships with women. Tracks under "The Panopticon Artist" include " Back to the Shack", "I've Had It Up To Here" and "The Waste Land" all deal with Cuomo's relationships with fans. The final group of songs, "Patriarchia", are "Eulogy for a Rock Band", " The British Are Coming", "Foolish Father" and "Anonymous", which deal with relationships with father figures, "with a new spin". In January 2014, Weezer began recording with producer Ric Ocasek, who had produced the "Blue Album" and the "Green Album". A clip of a new song was posted on the band's official YouTube account on March 19, 2014, which confirmed previous rumors of the band being in the studio. On June 12, 2014, it was revealed that the album title would be '' Everything Will Be Alright in the End''. It was released on October 7, 2014 to generally favorable reviews, becoming the band's best-reviewed release since ''Pinkerton''. The first single, " Back to the Shack", reached No. 5 on the

Alternative Airplay Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart. On October 26, 2015, the band released a new single, " Thank God for Girls", through

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

and to radio the same day. The following week, the band released a second single, " Do You Wanna Get High?". Cuomo claimed in an interview with

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

, that the band was not working on a new album. Later, on January 14, 2016, Weezer released a third single, " King of the World", and announced the " White Album", which continued the critical success of the band's previous release. While writing the album, Cuomo joined Tinder to meet with people to get inspired for new songs. He also started to explore other songwriting techniques including a cut-up technique, stream-of-consciousness, and writing melodies with a piano instead of guitar. ''

'' was officially released on April 1, 2016, and peaked at No. 4 on the

. The album is considered a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

exploring the themes of gender dynamics, modern dating experiences and references to religious iconography. Musically, the album serves as a throwback to the band's first two albums, ''

'' (1994) and '' Pinkerton'' (1996), while also serving as a tribute to

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

. The album received a

grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination for Best Rock Album for the

59th Annual Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year ...

. In support of the album, the band performed on the Weezer & Panic! at the Disco Summer Tour 2016 with

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...

in 2016. The band later signed to Atlantic Records as part of a joint venture between Warner Music Group and

Crush Management Crush Music is a New York City and Los Angeles based full-service talent management firm that focuses on managing musical artists, such as Miley Cyrus, Sia, Kesha, Green Day, Panic! at the Disco, Lorde, Train (band), Train, Weezer, and Fall Out Bo ...

''Pacific Daydream'' (2017–2018)

Soon after the release of the White Album, Cuomo discussed plans for Weezer's next album, provisionally titled the "Black Album'. Cuomo said the album would tackle "more mature topics" and be "less summer day and more winter night", and suggested the band could return to the recording studio as soon as October 2016. Weezer delayed recording after Cuomo felt his new material was more "like reveries from a beach at the end of the world .. as ifthe Beach Boys and the Clash fell in love by the ocean and had one hell of an amazing baby". To write the album, Cuomo utilized various musical and lyrical fragments he had collected over time. He kept an archive of song ideas and hired programmers to organize a spreadsheet of lyric snippets by

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

, syllable, and key to call from whenever stuck. "Instead of trying to force myself to feel inspired, I can just go into the spreadsheet and search ..I just try them out to see which ones work magically." On March 16, 2017, Weezer released a new song, " Feels Like Summer", the lead single of the upcoming album. The song drew a mixed reaction from fans but became their biggest hit on Alternative radio in a decade (peaking at number 2 on the Alternative Airplay chart ). On August 16, Weezer announced '' Pacific Daydream,'' released on October 27. On August 17, the promotional single from the album, " Mexican Fender", was released. The following month, "Beach Boys" was released, and the month after, they released "Weekend Woman" to positive reception. "

Happy Hour Happy hour is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served during happy hour. This is a way for bars and restaurants to ...

" was chosen as the second official single of the album, peaking at No. 9 on the Alternative Airplay chart. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album at the

61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...

The "Teal Album" and the "Black Album" (2018–2019)

Following a persistent Twitter campaign by a fan, Weezer released a cover of Toto's song "

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

" on May 29, 2018. Prior to this, the band released a cover of " Rosanna" to "

troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

" their fans. "Africa" reached number one on the ''

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...

chart in August 2018, becoming the band's first number-one single since " Pork and Beans" in 2008. Two days later, on August 10, Toto responded by releasing a cover of Weezer's single " Hash Pipe". "Africa" eventually peaked at No. 51 on the

. The success of the "Africa" cover led Weezer to record an album of covers, the ''Teal Album'', a

surprise album A surprise album or surprise release is an album or single (music), single with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in t ...

released on January 24, 2019. The album was a commercial success as it peaked at No. 4 on the

. In addition, all tracks charted on the Hot Rock and Alternative Songs chart. On September 20, 2018, Weezer released " California Snow" as a single for the 2018 film ''Spell''. It was chosen as the closing track for the "Black Album". On October 11, 2018, Weezer released " Can't Knock the Hustle", the lead single from their upcoming album. On November 21, they released the second single, " Zombie Bastards", and announced the "Black Album", produced by

Dave Sitek David Andrew Sitek (born September 6, 1972) is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Wavves ...

and scheduled for March 1, 2019. An arena tour of the U.S. with the Pixies and supporting and international tour dates were also announced. On February 21, they released " High as a Kite" and "Living in LA" as the next singles. They would later play them on

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

to promote the album for their series of

Tiny Desk Concerts ''Tiny Desk Concerts'' is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of former ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first ''Tiny Desk Concert'' came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music edit ...

''OK Human'' and ''Van Weezer'' (2019–2021)

During a Beats 1 interview by

on Apple Music on January 24, 2019, Cuomo announced that Weezer had already recorded the "basic tracks" to the follow-up album to the "Black Album". The album, produced by Jake Sinclair (who also produced the ''White Album''), would feature piano and strings-based songwriting and had already been recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

. For the recording process, Weezer departed from the modern "grid music" style (music recorded via modern software using grids to organize and manipulate the individual elements of recorded music) and did not perform to a "click" (i.e.,

metronome A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...

) for a more natural style. Furthermore, Cuomo said he was currently working on an album with the working title '' Van Weezer'' that harkened back to their heavier rock sound after noticing how crowds enjoy epic guitar solos at Weezer shows. On September 10, 2019, the band announced the Hella Mega Tour with

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

and

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

as headliners alongside themselves, with the Interrupters as an opening act. They also released the opening single, " The End of the Game", off their upcoming fifteenth studio album, '' Van Weezer''. The song reached No. 2 on the

chart. Cuomo said that the band would return "back to big guitars". He remarked that when the band would perform "

" live in concert, he would perform a guitar solo that was not present on the recorded version of the song. "We noticed that, recently, the crowd just goes crazy when I do that. So it feels like maybe the audience is ready for some shredding again." The band recorded a version of " Lost in the Woods" for the 2019 film ''

Frozen II ''Frozen 2'', stylized as ''Frozen II'', is a 2019 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures as the sequel to '' Frozen'' (2013). The film was directed by Chris Buck ...

'', which was included on the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

. The music video featuring the band and the ''Frozen'' voice actress

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...

. On May 6, 2020, Weezer released the single and music video "

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

" a tribute to essential workers during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Simultaneously, they announced the delay of ''Van Weezer'' for a time to be determined. The song reached No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart. On May 10, Weezer guest-starred on an episode of

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

, " The Hateful Eight-Year Olds", where a snippet of their song "Blue Dream" from ''Van Weezer'' was played. On August 14, 2020, the band announced that the album had been delayed to May 2021 in order to coincide with the rescheduled Hella Mega Tour. That same day, the third single, "Beginning of the End", was released as a part of the soundtrack for '' Bill & Ted Face the Music.'' On October 6, 2020, after

Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex V ...

died, the album was dedicated to him. In addition to Van Halen, the album is also dedicated to

, who produced the band's debut, '' The Blue Album'', '' The Green Album'', and '' Everything Will Be Alright in the End'', as Ocasek had died in September 2019. On January 18, 2021, the band officially announced their fourteenth studio album, '' OK Human'' (a play on

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

's ''

OK Computer ''OK Computer'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 21 May 1997. With their producer, Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded most of ''OK Computer'' in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and the historic m ...

'').'','' following cryptic promotional floppy discs and links sent to some members of the Weezer Fan Club a few days prior. The announcement came with a release date of January 29. The album's opening track, "

All My Favorite Songs "All My Favorite Songs" is a song by the American Rock music, rock band Weezer, released on January 21, 2021, as the first single from their fourteenth studio album ''OK Human''. A music video was released on the same day. Composition The song b ...

", was released as a single with an alternate version featuring indie pop-rock band AJR. The song reached No.1 on the Alternative Airplay chart and was later nominated for Best Rock Song in the

64th Annual Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...

''.'' The album was planned to be released following ''Van Weezer'', but when the album suffered a year-long delay following the

, the band decided to shift their focus to completing ''OK Human'' first. Work on ''OK Human'' began as early as 2017, when the band decided to make an album that combined rock instrumentation with an orchestra. The band hired a 38-piece-orchestra and recorded the album entirely with analog equipment to achieve their desired

sound. The album was additionally inspired by

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

' ''

Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. R ...

'' and

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...

's '' Nilsson Sings Newman'' (1970). The fourth single, "I Need Some of That" was released on April 21, 2021. ''Van Weezer'' was released on May 7, 2021, along with an animated music video for "All the Good Ones". The album has been compared to their fourth studio album '' Maladroit'' (2002), and is inspired by 1970s and 1980s

and heavy metal bands such as

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

and

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

(the last of whom inspired the album's title).

''SZNZ'', touring and 30th anniversary (2021–present)

After delays due to the pandemic, the American leg of the Hella Mega Tour began on July 24, 2021, in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

. The European leg saw Weezer, Green Day and Fall Out Boy performing in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, England, Ireland, Scotland and France. On March 11, 2022, Weezer announced ''SZNZ'', a series of four EPs based on the seasons. The first, '' SZNZ: Spring'', was released on March 20. The lead single, " A Little Bit of Love", was released on March 16, and reached No. 1 on the

chart. On June 20, 2022, Weezer appeared on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'', debuting " Records", the lead single from '' SZNZ: Summer'', which also reached No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart. In August, a

Broadway Theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

residency planned for September 2022 was cancelled due to high expenses and poor ticket sales. On September 19, 2022, Weezer performed again under the name Goat Punishment at

Troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

, Hollywood, where they played ''SZNZ: Winter'' for the first time. They also debuted the single "What Happens After You?" from '' SZNZ: Autumn'', which was released on September 22, 2022. "What Happens After You?" was later performed on ''

''. On December 9, 2022, Weezer released "I Want a Dog", the lead single from the last EP in the ''SZNZ'' series, '' SZNZ: Winter''. ''SZNZ: Winter'' was released on December 21, 2022, alongside a music video for "Dark Enough To See The Stars". In November 2023, Weezer appeared in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

film '' Family Switch''. In June 2024, Weezer began a tour of the UK and Ireland with

Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. ...

. Reviewing their performance at

the O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...

, London, the ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

'' wrote: "Thirty years on, Weezer still dole out taut, punchy, witty powerpop with self-effacing elan ... They are patently still in love with music." In September, Weezer, along with opening acts Dinosaur Jr. and

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...

, began their Voyage to the Blue Planet tour, in which they will perform the Blue Album in its entirety for its 30th anniversary. On November 1, Weezer released a "Super Deluxe Edition" of the Blue Album. In April 2025, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' reported that Weezer working on a

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

film depicting a rivalry between Weezer and

' band Dogstar. On October 18, 2025, Weezer are set to perform at the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas.

Artistry

Musical style and influences

The styles present in the band's music have been variously categorized as

, power pop,

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

, geek rock,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

emo pop Emo pop (alternatively typeset with a hyphen, also known as emo pop-punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with pop-punk, pop music, or both. Emo pop features a musical style with more concise composition and Hook (music), hook-filled ...

, melodic metal, heavy metal, pop, and

arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...

. James Hickie of Alternative Press Magazine dismissed the notion of Weezer as an emo band, assessing: "Pinpointing exactly what Weezer are, musically, is harder than ever these days. ..In the past five years alone, they’ve made albums of pop covers, orchestral pop and arena rock. Rivers Cuomo and co. are a lot of things ..— inquisitive, inventive, musically restless — but absolutely not emo." The members of Weezer have listed influences such as

(with direct references in the song "In the Garage"),

, the Pixies,

(whose member

produced several Weezer records),

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...

, Pavement,

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. ...

and Wax. Cuomo credited

as a major influence, specifically ''

;'' Bell described Weezer's sound as "Beach Boys with Marshall stacks". Operas and musicals such as ''

'' (1904) and ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

'' (1970) influenced ''Pinkerton'' and '' Songs from the Black Hole.''''Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo'' (liner notes). Rivers Cuomo. DGC, Interscope Records. 2008. B0012341-02 The band members' deep appreciation for

and

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal band ...

was the source of inspiration behind '' Van Weezer'', including 1970s and 1980s bands like Kiss,

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

, Rush, and

(the last of whom inspired the album's title).

Instrumentation and lyrics

Weezer's music is generally characterized by loud guitars, abundance of hooks, and perceived nerdiness. According to

of ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'', the band's style "merges the heavy

of arena rockers like

and the angular guitar leads of

the Pixies The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering (drums). The Pi ...

while injecting their melodies with doses of '70s metal." Throughout its career, Weezer has maintained what has been described as a "heavy, guitar-oriented sound layedover a steady, danceable groove." The band's early material, such as the material on its debut album, was said to have "embodied the self-awareness of the intelligent alternative rock slacker." According to Tim Sendra of ''AllMusic'', the group's debut album "fuses the raucous energy of punk, the loser-friendly geekiness of indie rock, the guitar power of grunge, and the huge hooks of radio rock ombined withsome heavy metal guitar heroics." The sound present on the band's second album, '' Pinkerton'', has been described as "darker ndmessier" than its predecessor. ''

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

'' was considered to be a return to the "tight" pop sound of Weezer's debut album. According to Erlewine, '' Maladroit'' features "a tougher sound -- nowhere near as raw as ''Pinkerton'', yet similarly loud and raucous, overflowing with guitars spitting out riffs and solos with a gleeful abandon." 2005's ''

'' was considered to be a "return to hemusical, emotional bloodletting" of ''Pinkerton''. On ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

'', the band began to incorporate longer song forms. The band's aesthetic and lyrics have been described as "blurring the line between serious and humorous." The lyrical tone on ''Pinkerton'' has been described as "confessional." According to Erlewine, "None of the members of Weezer, especially leader Rivers Cuomo, were conventional rockers: they were kids who holed up in their garage to play along with their favorite records when they weren't studying or watching TV. As a result, their music is infused with a quirky sense of humor and an endearing awkwardness."

Legacy and influence

Weezer has sustained a cult following throughout its career. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of ''

'' conferred the title of "alt-rock icons of the '90s" on Weezer, and also called them "one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath." James Hickie of '' Alternative Press Magazine'' stated that the band's second album '' Pinkerton'' is "considered something of an emo cornerstone," and stated his belief that it influenced "a generation of emo bands," despite Weezer not being an outright emo band. Artists such as

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...

, Fun.,

Pete Wentz Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician who is the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy. Before the band's formation in 2001, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lead si ...

Steve Lacy Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, '' ...

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

Mac DeMarco McBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco (born Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV; April 21, 1990) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He has released five full-length studio albums: his debut '' 2'' (2012), '' Salad Days' ...

, Real Estate, Dinosaur Pile-Up,

Cymbals Eat Guitars Cymbals Eat Guitars were an indie rock band from Staten Island, New York,DNCE DNCE is an American dance-rock band consisting of lead singer Joe Jonas, drummer Jack Lawless, and guitarist JinJoo Lee. Bassist and keyboardist Cole Whittle was a part of the band from when it started in 2015 to when it went on hiatus in 2018. ...

, Ozma,

Wavves Wavves is an American rock band based in San Diego, California. Formed in 2008 by singer-songwriter Nathan Williams (born June 12, 1986), the band also features Alex Gates (guitar, backing vocals), Stephen Pope (bass guitar, backing vocals) an ...

, Joyce Manor, Origami Angel, and the Fall of Troy cite Weezer as an influence.

Solo work and side projects

Wilson started his side-project the Special Goodness in 1996, for which he sings and plays guitar and bass. In May 2012, he released his fourth record with the Special Goodness, ''

Natural Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are part ...

''. Bell started the Space Twins in 1994. They released an album, '' The End of Imagining'', in 2003. In 2006, Bell started a new band called

the Relationship The Relationship was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, founded in 2007 by Weezer guitarist Brian Bell and Nate Shaw. In 2010, Bell released the first Relationship album and has since performed and recorded with ...

, and did not contribute any songs for Weezer's ''Raditude'' to save material for the Relationship. The Relationship's self-titled debut was released in 2010, with a follow-up, ''Clara Obscura'', in 2017. Former bassist

started

the Rentals The Rentals is an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp. Sharp has been the only consistent member since the group's inception. The band's best selling single is "Friends of P." (1995). The Rentals released two albums, ''Return of t ...

in 1994. After releasing ''

'' in 1995, Sharp went on to quit Weezer in 1998 to focus more on the Rentals. Sharp has also released work under his own name.

toured with

and played bass for the Kickovers.

played bass for Anthony Green's debut studio album ''

Avalon Avalon () is an island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recove ...

''. On December 18, 2007, Cuomo released '' Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo'', a compilation of his demos recorded from 1992 to 2007, including some demos from the unfinished '' Songs from the Black Hole'' album. A second compilation, '' Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo'', was released on November 25, 2008, and a third, '' Alone III: The Pinkerton Years'', on December 12, 2011. The album was sold exclusively with a book, ''The Pinkerton Diaries'', which collects Cuomo's writings from the '' Pinkerton'' era. On March 20, 2013, Cuomo and Scott Murphy of the band

Allister Allister is an American pop-punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 as Phineas Gage when the original band members were still in high school. In 1998, Allister became one of the first bands to sign to Drive-Thru Records ...

released '' Scott & Rivers'', a Japanese-language album. They released their second album in April 2017. In November 2020, Cuomo released thousands of unreleased songs and demos from throughout Weezer's career on his website for purchase and download.

Musical contributions

In 1994, Weezer contributed the song "Jamie" to '' DGC Rarities Vol. 1'', which is a compilation of demos, B-sides, and covers recorded by bands on the label. It was the first appearance of the song until it was released as a B-side for the single of "Buddy Holly" and again on the ''Blue Album Deluxe Edition''. In 1999, Weezer contributed a cover of the song " Velouria" by

The Pixies The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering (drums). The Pi ...

to the tribute album '' Where Is My Mind? A Tribute To The Pixies''. On July 22, 2003, Weezer contributed an acoustic cover of

's "Worry Rock" to the compilation album ''A Different Shade of Green: A Tribute to Green Day''. On December 4, 2008,

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

developer

Tapulous Tapulous, Inc. was an American Computer software, software and video game Video game developer, developer and Video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Palo Alto, California. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company as pa ...

released the game ''Christmas with Weezer'', featuring gameplay similar to '' Tap Tap Revenge'' and six

Christmas carols Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

performed by the band. A digital EP featuring the songs, titled '' Christmas with Weezer'', was also released on December 16, 2008. On March 9, 2010, Weezer appeared on an episode of the children's daytime television show ''

Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a Children's television series, children's Musical film, musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz (producer), Scott Schultz and developed by Kay Wilson Stallings. The series is about five cos ...

'' and performed the song "All My Friends Are Insects". The song appeared on a compilation soundtrack album for the show, ''Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is...Awesome! Volume 2'', as well as a bonus track for the Weezer album ''Hurley''. On June 11, 2010, the band released a new single, "Represent", as an "unofficial" anthem for the US Men's soccer team to coincide with the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

. Although technically unofficial, the song was embraced by the team, and on June 23, 2010, US Soccer released a music video on their official YouTube channel featuring dramatic footage of the US team spliced with footage of Weezer performing. In 2010, the band recorded a cover of "

" for the movie '' Shrek Forever After''. Previously, Weezer had planned to include an early version of "My Best Friend" from ''

'' in ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Sti ...

'', but it was rejected due to the song sounding "too much like it was written for Shrek". In 2011, the band covered " You Might Think" by

The Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

for the

movie ''

''. The song appears on the movie's official soundtrack. In 2011, Weezer recorded a cover of "

Rainbow Connection "Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film '' The Muppet Movie'', with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. The song was performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog during the film's opening number, where it o ...

" with

Hayley Williams Hayley Nichole Williams (born December 27, 1988) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist and only constant member of the rock band Paramore, which she co-founded in 2004. Williams was born and raised in Meridian, Miss ...

for '' Muppets: The Green Album'', a cover album of Muppets songs which also included

OK Go OK Go is an American Rock music, rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar, bass, backing vocalist, v ...

The Fray The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King. Their debut studio album, '' How to Save a Life'' (2005) was released by Epic Records and received quadruple platinum certific ...

Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago. The band's current members are Matt Skiba (guitar, vocals), Dan Andriano (bass, vocals), and Atom Willard (drums). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Doran, and drummer Glenn Por ...

, and others. On September 20, 2018, Weezer released "California Snow" for the film ''Spell'', which Cuomo also provided voicework for. The song later appeared on the Black Album. In 2019, Weezer recorded a cover of "Lost In the Woods" for the ''

'' soundtrack. In 2020–2021, Weezer released "It's Always Summer in Bikini Bottom" for '' The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Runs film soundtrack. In June 2021, Weezer contributed the song " Tell Me What You Want" to the video game ''Wave Break''. The song is featured in a special level of the game called "Weezy Mode". In August 2021, Weezer contributed a cover of

's "

Enter Sandman "Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist ...

" to ''

The Metallica Blacklist ''The Metallica Blacklist'' is a various artists Cover version, tribute album featuring covers of every track from Metallica's Metallica (album), 1991 self-titled album (commonly known as ''The Black Album''). The collection was assembled in con ...

'', a compilation of Metallica song covers by various artists, with each song getting several covers by different artists.

Members

Current members *

– lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards *

– drums, percussion , backing vocals ; lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards *

– rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals , keyboards *

– bass, backing vocals , keyboards Former members *

– bass, backing vocals *

– rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals *

– bass, backing vocals Former touring musicians * Bobby Schneck – keyboards, rhythm guitar, bass *

– drums, percussion * Daniel Brummel – keyboards, rhythm guitar * Dave Elitch – drums, percussion Timeline

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Award is an award presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. Weezer has received one award from five nominations. , - , 48th Annual Grammy Awards, 2006 , , "

" , , Best Rock Song , , , - , 51st Annual Grammy Awards, 2009 , , " Pork and Beans" , , Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Best Music Video , , , - , 59th Annual Grammy Awards, 2017 , , ''

'' , , Best Rock Album , , , - , 61st Annual Grammy Awards, 2019 , , '' Pacific Daydream'' , , Best Rock Album , , , - , 64th Annual Grammy Awards, 2022 , , "

" , , Best Rock Song , ,

iHeartRadio Music Awards

The iHeartRadio Music Awards, iHeartRadio Music Award was founded by iHeartRadio in 2014. From 2014 to 2018 the event was broadcast live on NBC, and in 2019 the event was broadcast on Fox (channel), FOX. , - , rowspan=2, 2019 , rowspan=2, "Africa (Weezer cover), Africa" , Alternative Rock Song of the Year , , - , Best Cover Song , , - , rowspan=1, 2023 , rowspan=1, Weezer , Alternative Artist of the Year ,

Kerrang! Awards

, - , Kerrang! Awards 2008, 2008 , " Pork and Beans" , Best Video ,

MTV Europe Music Awards

The MTV Europe Music Award is an award presented by Viacom International Media Networks Europe to honour artists and music in popular culture. , - , rowspan="2" , 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards, 1995 , , Weezer , , MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act, Best New Act , , , - , "

" , , MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video, Best Video , , , - , 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, 2008 , , " Pork and Beans" , , MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video, Best Video , ,

MTV Video Music Awards

The

is an award presented by the cable channel

to honor the best in the music video medium. Weezer has received five awards from eight nominations. , - , rowspan="5" , 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, 1995 , , rowspan="5" , "

" , , MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, Video of the Year , , , - , MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video, Best Alternative Video , , , - , MTV Video Music Award – Breakthrough Video, Breakthrough Video , , , - , MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction, Best Direction , , , - , MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing, Best Editing , , , - , 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, 2001 , , " Hash Pipe" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video, Best Rock Video , , , - , 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, 2005 , , "

" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video, Best Rock Video, , , - , 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, 2008 , , " Pork and Beans" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing, Best Editing , ,

Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards were established in 1999 to honor the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports and television, being voted by young people aged between 13 and 19. , - , 2005 Teen Choice Awards, 2005 , "

" , Choice Music: Rock Song ,

Discography

Studio albums

*Weezer (Blue Album), ''Weezer'' (1994) *'' Pinkerton'' (1996) *Weezer (Green Album), ''Weezer'' (2001) *'' Maladroit'' (2002) *''

'' (2005) *Weezer (Red Album), ''Weezer'' (2008) *'' Raditude'' (2009) *'' Hurley'' (2010) *'' Everything Will Be Alright in the End'' (2014) *Weezer (White Album), ''Weezer'' (2016) *'' Pacific Daydream'' (2017) *Weezer (Teal Album), ''Weezer'' (2019) *Weezer (Black Album), ''Weezer'' (2019) *'' OK Human'' (2021) *'' Van Weezer'' (2021)

References

Bibliography *

External links

* *
Weezerpedia
{{Authority control Weezer, 1992 establishments in California American power pop groups Emo musical groups from California DGC Records artists Grammy Award winners Indie rock musical groups from California Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups reestablished in 2000 Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical quartets from California Geek rock groups Pop punk groups from California Geffen Records artists Interscope Records artists Epitaph Records artists Republic Records artists Crush Management artists Atlantic Records artists