Formed in Los Angeles in 1992, Weezer signed to Geffen Records in 1993.
In the early 1990s, singer Rivers Cuomo had an awkward girlfriend who was routinely picked on. His efforts to stick up for her inspired Weezer’s breakthrough single, Buddy Holly (August 1994) – a track whose bubble-grunge hooks and lines such as “I look just like Buddy Holly/And you’re Mary Tyler Moore” helped the band reach a nation of pop-minded suburban punks.
It also earned them personalised, autographed photos from the real Mary Tyler Moore.
After Weezer’s 1994 debut album (“the blue album”) sold more than 2 million copies and their 1996 follow-up Pinkerton tanked, a long period of artistic hibernation set in. Side projects and breakup rumours proliferated, but the band returned in 2001 with a release the band referred to as “the green album”, containing ten Ric Ocasek-produced tracks clocking in at just under thirty minutes and brimming with hooks, high harmonies and handclaps.
The first single, Hashpipe, made it to #2 on the US Alternative charts.
For the 2002 album Maladroit, Cuomo rediscovered his adolescent love of metal, combining glam-rock riffs with doo-wop vocals. The album was self-financed and its tracks were first released as downloads on the band’s website (although Weezer’s label tried to shut down all the freewheeling to regain control of the distribution process.) The LP was also the first to feature new bassist Scott Shriner.
Make Believe (2005) received mixed reviews, but its single Beverly Hills became Weezer’s first single to reach the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2008, the band released “the Red Album” and its lead single, Pork and Beans, became the third Weezer song to top the US Modern Rock Tracks chart, backed by a Grammy-winning music video. Raditude (2009) and Hurley (2010) featured songs co-written with other artists and achieved mixed reviews and moderate sales.
Their ninth and tenth albums – Everything Will Be Alright In The End (2014) and “the White Album” (2016) – returned to a rock style and achieved more positive reviews. Their eleventh album, Pacific Daydream (2017), featured a more mainstream pop sound.
In 2019, Weezer released an album of covers – “the Teal Album” – followed by “the Black Album”. In January 2021, the band released OK Human, which featured an orchestral pop sound, followed by the hard rock-inspired Van Weezer (May 2021).
Rivers Cuomo
Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Brian Bell
Guitar, vocals, keyboards
Matt Sharp
Bass, vocals
Patrick Wilson
Drums, vocals
Scott Shriner
Bass, vocals, keyboards
