Weezer has been a part of my life for basically as long as I could remember. My mom was always a fan of them; she would play a mix of their classics ("Say It Ain't So," "Buddy Holly," "El Scorcho"), and some of their newer songs ("Happy Hour," "Can't Knock The Hustle," "Grapes of Wrath") in the car for me when I was younger. When I decided to start listening to full albums on my own, Weezer's debut Blue was one of the first albums I looked toward. One of my friends through middle and high school was also a Weezer fan, and we often talked about the band. So it's safe to say they've had a big impact on my musical upbringing. Now that their new Gold album is coming out, I figured I'd give the band's whole discography a listen, and see what I think of their highlights, lowlights, and everything in between. It was a long task, but I finally did it. Here's my ranking of every single Weezer studio album.
16. Teal (2019)
Now if you’ve heard this, you might be asking: “Brian, isn’t this a little harsh? It’s just a collection of ‘80s covers.” In response, I say: yeah. It’s only that. And it might as well be nothing. You will see soon that there are other Weezer records I am not a fan of, but they at least made me feel something. I had some kind of reaction to them. Teal left me with a blank face throughout the entire runtime, and to me that’s even worse than a bad reaction. Nothing new is added to any of the songs Weezer cover, but none of them have the guts to be less than listenable, with the possible exception of maybe “Billie Jean” (I don’t want to hear Rivers try to sound like MJ again). It’s bland ‘80s nostalgia that was put out solely to capitalize on their cover of Africa becoming viral, and it’s one of the few albums that I can confidently say wasted my time.
15. Raditude (2009)
The thing about Raditude is that it’s not good. It has some of Weezer’s worst and laziest lyrics and is itself a confused expansion into early 2010s “millennial pop” territory that makes Green -era Weezer sound like In Utero. It also comes complete with an unnecessary Lil Wayne feature that only makes more obvious how much of a swing-and- miss for the radio this was. However, did I enjoy listening to it? Did I walk away feeling like I gained something from it, even if it’s a better appreciation for Weezer’s other work? The answer is yes. “Fun” bad will always win over “boring” bad in my book, which is why Raditude sits here.
14. Black (2019)
OK, so Black is pretty mediocre…that’s it. My feelings on Black range from “ugh” to “whatever,” because it’s another overproduced album from Weezer that feels bombastic but lacks any actual weight. Usually the album’s emotion would be brought from exciting instrumentals or heartfelt vocal performances, but both are way too muted to have any real impact. The instrumentals feel too sanitized and poppy for what the band is trying to achieve, and the vocals feel too relaxed as well. Lines like “Higher education is the key to escape / But I never learned to roll a joint” aren’t winning the band any points for lyricism either. I respect Weezer trying a new sound, but for me it just doesn’t work here.
13. Pacific Daydream (2017)
I don’t hate Pacific Daydream, but again it’s not a sound I really like hearing from Weezer. I do think it works better than Black, however. The album leans fully into a very 2010s pop sound, and the results are okay. There are a couple sweet, dreamy pop songs on here I enjoy like “Mexican Fender” and “Happy Hour,” but a lot of it falls by the wayside (pun intended). It’s simply alright, but just the least alright of Weezer’s alright albums.
12. Hurley (2010)
You know, Hurley’s OK. He’s a chill guy. He’s a decent step up from the albums behind him on this list, and though he’s not perfect, he feels the most like a Weezer album on this list so far after the pop pastiche of the others. Despite tracks like “Where’s My Sex?” and “Smart Girls” still demonstrating some lyrical shortcomings, he’s got some really underrated power pop tracks like “Ruling Me” and “Unspoken” to pass the time. He’s a solid, if inconsistent, return to basics for Weezer after whatever Raditude was, with some hidden gems to find if you have the time.
11. Green (2001)
After the band took a hiatus following the darker change in sound that was 1996’s Pinkerton, a move widely criticized at the time but appreciated in hindsight, the band came back with a much cleaner and more poppy follow-up. This is Weezer for people who hated Pinkerton, and the results are actually pretty decent. Green is pretty good, with a lot of fun power pop tracks that don’t exactly break new ground but are nice to listen to. This includes “Island In the Sun,” one of their catchiest and best-known songs of all time. Tracks like “Don’t Let Go” and “Simple Pages” have great choruses and are fun listens as well. That said, the album can be forgettable and just doesn’t leave the same kind of impact that many of their other projects do. Still, it’s a sweet and breezy listen.
10. Red (2008)
Red is a very interesting album. It’s almost like the evil twin of Green, as where Green played it safe and blended songs together into a unified sound, Red shows the band experimenting a lot more. As a project I respect it, but it brings mixed results. The multi-part suite of “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” and the drawn-out song structure of “Dreamin’” work really well for the band and show that they can make the most out of a long runtime. However, songs like “Heart Songs” and many of the later tracks have potential, but come off feeling half-baked and underwhelming. Still, “Pork & Beans” is a classic, and the highs on the album are the highest of any Weezer record so far on this list.
9. Make Believe (2005)
Make Believe is such an over hated record. I truly expected either something terrible or something mediocre going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Now granted, it is kind of just a Weezer record. It doesn’t do anything to stand out from other projects, but I like Weezer, so I like the record. I think there’s a lot of memorable choruses and guitar riffs on tracks like “Peace,” “Hold Me,” “Haunt You Every Day,” and “Beverly Hills,” which I have loved since I first heard it years and years ago. Now I’ll admit, the lyrics are kind of lacking on Make Believe, especially in the second half, but the instrumentals are often strong enough to make even the simpler lines hit home, at least during the first half of the project. That said, this is a good record and I’ll keep defending it.
8. Van Weezer (2021)
This might be the most controversial placement on this list, but I stand by it: Van Weezer is FUN. As opposed to many other Weezer albums that take themselves too seriously despite having ridiculous lyrics, Van Weezer leans into its absurdity. It feels like the band is just trying to have fun while paying homage to a bygone ‘70s glam rock style, and that makes many of its lyrical shortcomings go over much smoother. It also doesn’t hurt that a lot of these songs are really infectious and catchy, from the theatrical single “The End of the Game” to the earworm chorus of “I Need Some of That.” The project’s lyrical speed bumps do get more apparent as the project goes on however, which is why I cannot put it any higher (I don’t know why the pre-chorus of “1 More Hit” sounds like that). Still, I get a lot of enjoyment out of this record, and I can see myself replaying it.
7. Gold (2026)
Gold is Weezer being, well, Weezer. The successful minor sonic detours the band took earlier in the decade are pretty much done as of now, and we’re back to a sound more reminiscent of their earlier work. It’s got harsher guitars and a bit more grit to the production, but for the most part, it’s what you know the band for, which is not a bad thing really since it led to a pretty solid album. There are no major lows as many of the tracks range from solid to great. The choruses are generally well done, especially on “Don’t Make It Weird” and late-career highlight “We Might as Well Be Strangers,” which features indie band Wednesday. The shredding guitars sound great on songs like “The Show Must Go On” and “Shine Again” as well. I wish I had more to say about it, but at this point, it’s a typical solid Weezer album. Since I happen to like that, it lands higher up this list.
6. OK Human (2021)
What a great comfort album. OK Human is probably the best instance of Weezer majorly switching up their sound, as they go in a baroque/chamber pop direction with this one. Sweeping strings, playful horns, and light piano chords chime through this album in a way that makes me feel like I’ve stumbled along an Alice in Wonderland style library. It creates such an inviting environment, and Cuomo’s musings on everything from escaping through audiobooks to the pull of technology on people’s lives only add to the personable feel of the project. Even if it’s not the most complex or insightful piece of music ever made, it’s a fun and quaint listen with some of the band’s best songwriting in about half a decade.
5. Maladroit (2002)
This is one of the albums I would easily bring up in response to the argument that Weezer immediately fell off after the ‘90s. Maladroit is a great album and one of their most underappreciated, injecting some heavy guitars and more rowdy performances into the band’s sound after the prim and proper feel of Green. Songs like “American Gigolo,” “Keep Fishin’,” and “Fall Together” still have catchy instrumentals and memorable choruses, but add a bit of oomph that the band desperately needed around this time. It’s a thrilling ride, and a very consistent one at that, with no songs I’d consider a skip. Awesome record, and I recommend you check it out.
4. Everything Will Be Alright In the End (2014)
This is the album that kicked off what I call Weezer’s “second prime” in the mid-2010s, and as such it’s also their “we are so back” album. Everything Will Be Alright In the End (or EWBAITE as I call it), brings back the fuzzy guitars and boisterous attitude of a project like Maladroit and Red, while instilling bulletproof pop choruses. It manages to be both confrontational and personal, as frontman Rivers Cuomo sings against the opinions of his fans while mixing in different love songs as well. Although I’m not going to act like I don’t understand why his fans were dissatisfied with releases like Hurley and Raditude, I can put that aside when we’re getting such entertaining choruses and powerful guitar riffs on tracks like “Back To The Shack,” “I’ve Had It Up To Here,” and “Ain’t Got Nobody.” The latter half of the album is also surprisingly emotional and ambitious, as Cuomo gets introspective about his relationships with his daughter and father on “Foolish Father,” and the band closes out the album with a beautiful 3-part, mostly instrumental suite that shows them going out with a bang. EWBAITE is a great return to form for the band after an odd past decade of music, and it really seemed to show promising things for the band’s future. Or at least it did for the next album.
3. White (2016)
It is crazy to me Weezer managed to make an album this good so late in their career, but I’ll take it. White is essentially Weezer’s summer album, with a lot of lyrics centered around the beach and conjuring images of sunny L.A., and it’s a great environment for the band to work with. The summery environment helps them create many of their best love/breakup songs ever, such as “King of the World,” “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing,” and the solemnly touching closer “Endless Bummer.” The fantastic choruses don’t stop either, as shown in the anthemic opener “California Kids” and “L.A. Girlz,” one of the band’s catchiest songs ever. The lyrics are also legitimately entertaining and creative, and there’s no major duds I can really think of. So many of these tracks feel earnest and passionate without veering on juvenile, and that’s really what helps this album to be as effective as it is. It can be sweet and whimsical or it can be sour and pained, but either way it feels authentic and down-to-earth, really hitting the closest to Weezer’s core appeal in a long time.
2. Pinkerton (1996)
Pinkerton is such an odd record, especially for Weezer. Pinkerton is, to this day, their most personal, abrasive, and confrontational album, almost to the point of feeling awkward at times. It’s a messy record, both lyrically and instrumentally, as harsh guitars cut through pounding drums all to back up Rivers Cuomo’s most pained vocal performances to date. He comes through with memorable choruses for sure, but they’re often yelled or shrieked, with Cuomo’s voice sounding strained and fragile, in a way reminiscent of emo music (which some say this record falls under the classification of). Lyrically, it deals with themes of social awkwardness and exhaustion, as Cuomo sings about both requited and unrequited love, physical and mental fatigue, and feeling emotionally drained in a way that comes across as very upfront. I love what this record does, personally. It’s a big switch from the rest of Weezer’s catalog and it’s not afraid to be honest, really painting a picture of the stress the band’s quick rise to fame helped cause. Every chorus is well-written and feels classic in some way, and it just rocks front to back as well. Fantastic record, and one of my favorites from the ‘90s.
1. Blue (1994)
Here, we get to my absolute favorite record of the ‘90s: Weezer’s Blue album. Blue really is the ultimate Weezer album; it’s the band at their best, really hitting home the core of their appeal with an all killer, no filler track list to boot. The album feels like introverted nerds singing about nerdy things (and I mean this as high praise): jamming out in the garage, working up the courage to ask out a girl, fantasizing about riding a surfboard to work. At times it can feel a little silly, but that makes it all the more endearing. It’s never so silly that it’s nonsensical or off the rails; again, everything feels very grounded, earnest, and relatable, and that’s why I love it so much. It feels like an album anyone can connect to at least in part, which makes it a very comforting listen. This even goes for its more dour moments, where Cuomo sings of loneliness, his troubled relationship with his father, and slowly losing one’s mind. The down-to-earth lyrics really put you in his shoes and communicate the band’s pain well, a quality they would harness to its fullest on Pinkerton. I adore the album’s ability to balance its endearing moments with its somber ones. They really paint a full and clear picture of these guys as people, and that’s such a powerful thing to be able to do. I love this album so much, and if you haven’t heard it, hopefully you check it out and love it too.
