The Weezer Discography Explored (or, Albums Ranked)
Weezer is my favorite band. Why yes, I was an angsty white nerdy teen, how did you guess!?! Regardless of the popular and/or not-so-kind conversation surrounding the group, I think the music they’ve created, and Rivers Cuomo’s genius songwriting, are indelible marks of a certain kind of pop-influenced rock that speak to me most. Weezer has more in common with The Beach Boys than Nirvana, in spite of the ’90s groups often being lumped together on alternative rock radio. The evolution of Weezer’s sound as refracted through Cuomo’s strange life journey is another compelling facet of the band’s lore; ironically, as a nearly 50-year-old husband and father, I think he has imbued youthful fun into his songs like never before. I could talk about Weezer for hours (I should still get around to starting that Weezer podcast I’ve been thinking about for years), but what I’ve written here today is an exploration of the group’s discography. That’s a fancier way of saying I’ve ranked all 12 (EDIT: 16) of Weezer’s main studio albums…with, I hope, some useful context.
EDIT 2/1/2019: Added TEAL ALBUM to the list at #13, and moved HURLEY from #5 to #8 and DEATH TO FALSE METAL from #9 to #7. That obviously shuffled some other stuff around, and some copy has been adjusted accordingly. Also, I have a Weezer tattoo now. Uh oh.
EDIT 3/13/2019: Added BLACK ALBUM to the list as the new #10.
EDIT 2/3/2021: Added OK HUMAN to the list as the new #11.
EDIT 5/13/2021: Added VAN WEEZER to the list as the the new #15.
#16 — WEEZER (TEAL ALBUM) [2019]
Favorite track: “Mr. Blue Sky”
TEAL ALBUM was a surprise release in January 2019, just two months before BLACK ALBUM was slated for release. And Cuomo, at that time, said the band had already laid down basic tracks for their next album after that, tentatively titled MASTERPIECE! But the TEAL ALBUM was surprising in another way: it was a cover album. Like a lot of Weezer stuff (immortalized in a recent SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE [1975-present] sketch), it was pretty divisive. A cover like “No Scrubs” was praised and dragged in equal measure (maybe even dragged a bit more), and the ‘80s-tastic aesthetic of the record drew a lot of comments that accused Weezer of being a washed up dad rock cover band. I mean, calm down people. But then, there is a point to be made: it’s the worst Weezer album. I don’t super love ’80s pop-rock, and the band plays most of the covers pretty straight. It’s still Weezer, and the songs are still catchy, and I should point out I like the album. But when compared to all their original material, it just sinks to the bottom. It’s a fun, surprising experiment with some gems, like the aforementioned “No Scrubs” and ELO cover “Mr. Blue Sky,” but TEAL ALBUM just can’t stack up to even the standout tracks of the GREEN ALBUM.
#15 — VAN WEEZER (2021)
Favorite track: “I Need Some of That”
Weezer once again pulled a “releasing two albums in one year, and not only in one year, but also just a couple months apart.” But it wasn’t quite their fault. VAN WEEZER was meant to be released in 2020, to coincide with the Hella Mega Tour with Fall Out Boy and Green Day. But of course, COVID happened, and VAN WEEZER was delayed one year, from May 2020 to May 2021. The pandemic-inspired OK HUMAN (2021), although it was released shortly before, was produced after VAN WEEZER, and differs significantly stylistically. As may be able to tell from its title, VAN WEEZER was inspired by Van Halen, and more broadly, classic rock and metal from the 1980s. If there is a previous Weezer album to compare it to, it’s MALADROIT. I think that album is actually a bit heavier in sound, and VAN WEEZER does skew closer to the poppier side of “hair metal,” but it’s honestly welcome. I think the ’80s is the worst decade for music in the modern era, and much of the mainstream rock that came out of the era is to blame for that. So Weezer’s particular inspiration for this album just didn’t excite, but I’m happy that the resulting product isn’t nearly as offensive as some of the stuff it’s based on. It’s clearly not among Weezer’s best, but then I think Weezer’s never made a bad album. VAN WEEZER is a minor work, but a generally pleasant and catchy one.
#14 — WEEZER (GREEN ALBUM) [2001]
Favorite track: “Island in the Sun”
Woah, I don’t think I realized just how 2001 the cover to GREEN ALBUM is. Anyways. It’s kind of weird to start with GREEN ALBUM because it requires a bit of explanation of what happened with the band post-PINKERTON (1996). Essentially, the riskier sound and lyrics, which Cuomo felt he invested a lot of personal emotion and energy in, didn’t pay off in the wake of the huge success of BLUE ALBUM (1994). He retreated, went back to Harvard, hung out in Boston; there are a lot of weird stories and some drama in the five-year break between PINKERTON and GREEN ALBUM, but suffice to say, bassist Matt Sharp left the band and was replaced by Mikey Welsh. Welsh was only with the band for GREEN ALBUM, and sadly died at age 40 in 2011, but he certainly isn’t to blame for the weakness of GREEN ALBUM. For all my “studying” of Weezer, I’m not really sure what the problem with the record is. The whole sound of the album just feels so…bland. I think Cuomo course-corrected a little too hard after the heavier sound of PINKERTON into a glossy pop sound. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound slick, just, well, boring. This all being said, GREEN ALBUM is still a pretty fun listen, and it’s fittingly short. “Island in the Sun” is one of the most recognizable Weezer tracks, and for good reason. It’s just an immediately relaxing and easy-going song that puts me in a good place. The album isn’t offensive in any way, but neither is it really exciting.
#13 — MALADROIT (2002)
Favorite track: “Burndt Jamb”
And so it would appear Cuomo course-corrected once again. The “heavy metal-influenced” MALADROIT is certainly harder than GREEN ALBUM, but that’s not exclusively why it’s better. The hooks on MALADROIT are much more catchy, and there’s a diversification of sound within the album that GREEN ALBUM failed to create. These two albums are among the few Weezer records that could be considered “samey,” whether between their respective tracks or each other. Overproduction might be the culprit, especially considering how exhilarating the raw sound of BLUE ALBUM and PINKERTON are. In any event, there are some great standout tracks on MALADROIT. “Keep Fishin’” is a really fun song (and a great video featuring The Muppets), but “Burndt Jamb” is a great stylistic departure from the rest of the album, and indeed much of Weezer’s discography up until this point. The lightness of the song reminds me of the indie singer-songwriter sound of the early 2000s, but the guitar riff and drum beat give it more life than much of that movement ever had. And of course, since it’s MALADROIT, it still does eventually devolve into guitar rock territory. It’s a great little interlude, though, just before the back half of the album that drags into that “samey” territory I described earlier. A little more than marginally better than GREEN ALBUM, MALADROIT is hindered by a clear preoccupation with committing to salable sound.
#12 — RADITUDE (2009)
Favorite track: “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”
RADITUDE is probably the most maligned Weezer album. And perhaps for good reason. The lyrical content is silly and reductive and the collab track with Lil Wayne, “Can’t Stop Partying,” is probably the worst Weezer song (not exclusively because of Lil Wayne, I should point out). Cuomo’s solo acoustic version on ALONE II: THE HOME RECORDINGS OF RIVERS CUOMO (2008) is pretty good, though. But Cuomo and, for the first time, outside songwriters crafted some great pop hooks. I’m sorry, but it’s true. “Trippin’ Down the Freeway” is catchy as hell, and “Put Me Back Together” is a good slow song. But at the end of the day, RADITUDE is a fun album that I think showcased Cuomo’s earliest desires to be a pop star, which he refined into gold by the time of EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END and especially WEEZER (WHITE ALBUM).
#11 — OK HUMAN (2021)
Favorite track: “All My Favorite Songs”
Weezer has loved surprising everybody lately. After delaying VAN WEEZER to May 2021 from May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they just went ahead and announced a new album and released it a couple of weeks later. OK HUMAN was apparently in the works even before, or at least in conjunction with, VAN WEEZER, but it apparently is in a totally different vein (apparently, because I obviously haven’t heard VAN WEEZER yet). It’s a safe bet, however, that the string-based sound of OK HUMAN is out-of-step with the ’80s rock-influenced VAN WEEZER, but in any event, this album referencing Radiohead’s OK COMPUTER (1997) is really good. Referencing the ongoing isolation brought on by COVID, at least in its marketing, this album was made with analog equipment and, as mentioned, a whole string section. It’s soaring and beautiful, and it’s augmented by extremely good pop hooks that have been on display especially since WHITE ALBUM. If there’s a reason why it’s not higher on this list, perhaps it’s underwhelming recency bias; but make no mistake, OK HUMAN is a really cool, fun, and touching listen.
#10 — WEEZER (BLACK ALBUM) [2019]
Favorite track: “Can’t Knock the Hustle”
The long-awaited BLACK ALBUM was released on March 1, 2019, just over a month from the surprise release of the TEAL ALBUM. And in spite of its name and some of the discussion surrounding its reveal, the record is not quite as “dark” as I expected it to be. BLACK ALBUM is certainly a continuation of the dance-y, poppy sound specifically a la PACIFIC DAYDREAM, filtered through a kind of disaffected/angsty vocal delivery from Cuomo and warped instrumentation. It’s Weezer’s first album with “explicit” songs and it comes with a certain degree of self-aware experimentation, but BLACK ALBUM is not a dive into the darkness like its cover suggests. It is, however, a great foray into an eclectic, electronic sound, distancing the band further from the guitar-oriented rock they were so praised for reinventing for themselves with EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END. Ultimately, though, the vast majority of songs just aren’t…catchy enough, I suppose. As indicated, it’s a bit of a middle of the road Weezer album, one that I may very well come to love as time goes on.
#9 — WEEZER (RED ALBUM) [2008]
Favorite track: “The Angel and the One”
Two of my favorite Weezer songs, and in fact songs of all time, are on RED ALBUM. “Heart Songs” and “The Angel and the One” are beautiful ballads that give me chills more often than not. Unfortunately, everything else on the album is kind of lukewarm. This marked the first time Cuomo opened up songwriting and lead vocal duties to bandmates Brian Bell, Scott Shriner, and Patrick Wilson; each have their own track on the album. I love the guys but, unfortunately, these songs are definitely the worst on the album. Cuomo’s own tracks carry the pop sound and “shallower” lyrics that would bloom fully on RADITUDE and dominate the band’s sound until EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END. But they don’t even really have the hooks that would hold up most any other Weezer record through the mid to late 2000s. The exception is “Pork and Beans,” a fine song, and the eclectic “The Greatest Man that Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)” is a really interesting, fun song. The song has “segments” that emulate a certain band or style, and it’s a weird rollercoaster ride and a cool novelty. Ultimately, though, the majority of tracks on the album are kind of hard to get through; RED ALBUM is as high as it is due to the sheer beauty of “Heart Songs” and “The Angel and the One.”
#8 — HURLEY (2010)
Favorite track: “Unspoken”
HURLEY, like RADITUDE, featured songwriters from outside the band. HURLEY, unlike RADITUDE, is a kickass pop rock record. It still feels like an attempt to “get to the youth,” but the pop melodies it results in is worth it. If RADITUDE was an album populated by a young boy or teen’s ideas of living crazy and having fun, HURLEY is the optimistic yet angsty indie teen reaction. That doesn’t mean the songs are dark, though, quite the opposite. The lyrics are just a bit more…cheesily emotional. Whatever. HURLEY still has plenty of affecting lines, such as in “Unbroken,” “Memories,” and “Ruling Me.” There are even some self-aware, funny tracks in the form of “Where’s My Sex?” (originally “Where’s My Socks?”), “Smart Girls,” and “Time Flies.” HURLEY is essentially the standout album of what I would consider Weezer’s third transition (of their current four), a catchy album full of powerful melodies and pop anthems.
#7 — DEATH TO FALSE METAL (2010)
Favorite track: “I’m a Robot”
My inclusion of DEATH TO FALSE METAL is a little weird, because it’s not often counted as a “canonical” studio album. It’s essentially a compilation album of previously unreleased Weezer tracks, but Cuomo himself has said that it “logically follow[s] HURLEY.” The band’s longtime friend and historian Karl Koch, however, describes it as a “special” album. At the end of the day, I think it’s a full album of songs that had never been heard before, so I classify it as a full new album. In any event, like RADITUDE, DEATH TO FALSE METAL feels like an attempt to hit the pop charts, in spite of the fact that the tracks are not contemporary. The songs’ lyrical content is only somewhat less cringey, but my favorite track, “I’m a Robot,” is legitimately funny. There are better turns of phrase throughout the record, and the thing that elevated RADITUDE for me (the pop hooks) are improved in DEATH TO FALSE METAL. It’s a really interesting relic; I have to wonder if the tracks it packaged was an attempt to solidify the pop-based sound the band was working with at the time.
#6 — PACIFIC DAYDREAM (2017)
Favorite track: “Mexican Fender”
Listening to PACIFIC DAYDREAM was an interesting experience for me. It was Weezer’s follow up to WEEZER (WHITE ALBUM), a phenomenal album that was…well, I’ll tell you how great it was later. But it also wasn’t the “Black Album” that had been teased since the release of WHITE ALBUM (and indeed, Cuomo has returned to teasing it on Twitter). Instead, it was kind of a continuation of the summer pop sound that the band had really dug into with their previous record. And it’s really good…but not as good as WHITE ALBUM. And by that sheer comparison, it gets knocked down a few pegs. Another element here is perhaps the amount of time I’ve spent with the album. I haven’t listened to its tracks nearly as many as times as I have to literally any other Weezer song, including WHITE ALBUM, which I played on repeat for probably like six months after it came out. The first half of the album is a great series of bangers (is that what the kids call them?), but its second half is notably weaker, simply not as strong with the pop hooks and production. Essentially every other album higher on this list is a much more “complete” experience, with a pretty consistent quality across tracks, and that’s mostly why PACIFIC DAYDREAM is in the middle of the pack.
#5 — MAKE BELIEVE (2005)
Favorite track: “Perfect Situation”
MAKE BELIEVE is an important transition record for Weezer, as they went from their early 2000s pop-influenced work to their late 2000s work, when they were at their critical low. The massive, silly hit “Beverly Hills” had shades of this, of course. As much as Weezer fans try to ascribe some kind of irony to the song, it really is just about how much Cuomo wanted to be a part of that culture. That’s fine; the song is incredibly catchy, annoyingly at times. But the rest of the album is a bit more nuanced, with other light-hearted beats like “My Best Friend” and “The Other Way” wedged between sonorous, “big” songs like “Perfect Situation,” tortured tracks like “Hold Me,” and the hard sound reminiscent of MALADROIT with “We Are All on Drugs.” MAKE BELIEVE is interesting in how eclectic it is, and as much as I thought it was middle of the road, I now realize it’s just a great series of solid songs. It’s underrated. And damn, that cover is even more 2005 than GREEN ALBUM’s is 2001.
#4 — EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END (2014)
Favorite track: “Go Away”
This was the album that everyone heralded as the “return” of Weezer. Besides being their first album in four years (the band’s longest period between albums besides the dramatic hiatus from 1996 to 2001), many appreciated the album for its return to a more guitar, rock-oriented sound that traces back to the band’s first two albums. And I was one of them, although I hadn’t really thought the band had gone anywhere. In any event, EWBAITE is an incredible album, something that felt wholly new for Weezer while staying true to the band’s roots. The first single, “Back to the Shack,” proclaimed more recent efforts may have been misguided (although I enjoyed them), which made clear that EWBAITE was going to be a different beast. This is a warm album, produced by Ric Ocasek, and gets back to the raw, pop rock sound that made Weezer so famous. But it’s clear Cuomo had still learned something from the band’s maligned period. He continued to work with outside songwriters, and he infused his pop ambitions and influences just below the surface of the more immediate return to guitar rock, which comes to head in the three brilliant final near-instrumental tracks on the album. “Go Away,” a collaboration with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, is a great pop dueling duet. This is an album full of winners; every song has a great hook. And I guess, in hindsight, it certainly touched off a fascinating new phase of Weezer’s career that rivaled its beginning peak.
#3 — PINKERTON (1996)
Favorite track: “El Scorcho”
I think the commonly accepted perception of Weezer’s discography is that the first two albums, PINKERTON and BLUE ALBUM, are their best. And until WHITE ALBUM, I thought so as well. In any event, PINKERTON is a descent into the insecurities, foibles, and sexual frustration (and weirdness) of a young Rivers Cuomo. In that, it’s a testament to the alternative rock movement of the 1990s, but also a musical synthesis of punk and heavy metal sensibilities and pop DNA. It’s not unlike BLUE ALBUM in this way, but in hindsight, BLUE ALBUM leaned over into the pop side just a bit more. PINKERTON goes darker. The infamous, unfinished SONGS FROM THE BLACK HOLE and Cuomo’s own pull into his own black hole following the relative failure of the very personal PINKERTON is just some of the lore associated with the record. While later albums would clearly deal with Cuomo’s life at some point or another, PINKERTON is unique in its status as a manifesto for Cuomo’s point of view; many later songs are written from a different character. It’s a common misconception that songwriters write solely from their experiences, but with PINKERTON, even more so than BLUE ALBUM, Cuomo treated himself as the subject. But PINKERTON isn’t a hard listen; in fact, it’s still a fun, ’90s alternative rock album. “El Scorcho” is a bouncy track, and “The Good Life” is an optimistic, if frustrated, anthem. But the angst is real, from the questionable yet painfully real “Across the Sea” to “Tired of Sex.” PINKERTON is a masterpiece, no doubt about it, but just slightly less accessible than the next two albums on this list.
#2 — WEEZER (WHITE ALBUM) [2016]
Favorite track: “Jacked Up”
As great as EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END was and is, WHITE ALBUM felt like the true return of Weezer for me. By that, I mean that I felt that rush of excitement and infatuation I had felt when listening to BLUE ALBUM for the first time, the feeling of discovery that spoke directly to my soul. That sounds like an exaggeration, but great music can connect in a way no other medium does. And WHITE ALBUM is a near-perfect collection of music, an ode to California summer by the beach, light and airy and fun. It makes me feel good to listen to WHITE ALBUM, to revel in the sun of the melodic, poppy compositions and remember a simpler time…in spite of the fact that the album came out at a difficult time in my life. Every song on this album is worth replaying over and over, none more so than “Jacked Up,” a shimmering yet strained track that’s regrettably short. “Thank God for Girls” is an insane departure for the band (in a good way) and “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori” compels me to sing along, even though I don’t know the words super well. EWBAITE signaled that something new was up with Weezer, but WHITE ALBUM drove home the idea that we are now dealing with a band that has elevated itself to a new plane.
#1 — WEEZER (BLUE ALBUM) [1994]
Favorite track: Um…all of ‘em? How about “My Name Is Jonas” or “Say It Ain’t So?” Oh shit, yeah, “Buddy Holly.” OK, fine, “Only in Dreams.”
But of course. WHITE ALBUM is near perfect, but BLUE ALBUM is perfect. Every time I listen to it I am in awe of how incredible of an album it is, let alone a debut album. It is so musically advanced and raw, over the top and catchy yet understated, and so in tune with the neuroses of the teenager I once was. A common criticism of the album is that it’s immature. Duh. BLUE ALBUM, like PINKERTON but to a lesser extent, examines Cuomo’s issues and thought process by way of grunge-influenced Beach Boys homages. Every song on this record is worthy of analysis and understanding, but more importantly, a place on most any playlist of the best alternative rock tracks of all time. BLUE ALBUM is my favorite album of all time, from my favorite band of all time, and I’m finding it hard to put to words how much I love it. Suffice to say, escaping into it never feels wrong. Only when reflecting on it do I have to wonder how everything could line up and allow Rivers Cuomo, Matt Sharp, Brian Bell, and Patrick Wilson (and Jason Cropper) to come together, under the tutelage of The Cars’ Ric Ocasek no less, and make music like this.
Enjoy a little Spotify playlist of the favorite tracks for each album here.
