Weezer's best music videos from the past 20 years

The internet has been abuzz the past few months with anticipation for Weezer’s upcoming ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, out Sept. 30 on Republic. While we’re just as excited (if not more so) for a new record from these alt-rock legends (and three-time AP cover stars, natch), we’re actually more excited for the band to make a few new music videos. There are few bands that continually nail the ridiculousness and absurdity of music videos more than Weezer—from having their drummer kidnapped by Miss Piggy in “Keep Fishin’” to hanging out with sumo wrestlers in “Hash Pipe” to each member meeting a gruesome demise in “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” Weezer continually nail it. Here are our favorite clips from the past 20 years of Weezer—and here’s to 20 more!

“Buddy Holly” (from the Blue Album, 1994)
Director: Spike Jonze

This video put a confused frown on the face of anyone who grew up watching re-runs of Happy Days with their grandparents the first time they saw it. “Wait. What? These guys aren’t…? But that’s…? What is the Fonz doing?” It’s hard to distinguish what was original footage and what had been Weezerfied in the video which seamlessly merges past and present, TARDIS-ing the band directly into the classic sitcom’s central hangout. For the mind-bend factor and how much sense the song made in Happy Days context, “Buddy Holly” has remained Weezer’s standout video in my eyes. —Cassie Whitt

 

“El Scorcho” (from Pinkerton, 1996)
Director: Mark Romanek

Weezer have created more than their fair share of memorable videos in their two-decade career, but it’s the clip for “El Scorcho” I always find myself coming back to, for a handful of reasons:

  • the “weerez” sign makes me laugh literally every time
  • Brian Bell’s completely over-the-top pantomiming of playing one of the dorkiest leads ever at at 1:23
  • the complete juxtaposition between Rivers being super-serious and Pat being super-goofy
  • and last but not least, the greatest shot in the history of cinema: The one-second shot of Matt Sharp, hands clasped in acknowledgement of victory, shaking back and forth in front of a gigantic, lit-up =W= sign. It brings a tear to my eye, every single time. Someone GIF 3:53-3:54 for me, will you? Scott Heisel

[Done. —Nerdy web Ed.]

 

“Island In The Sun” (from the Green Album, 2001)
Director: Spike Jonze

In 2001, amid their Green Album career resurgence, Weezer released not one, but two official music videos for “Island In The Sun,” a track which would quickly go on to become one of their most popular. The earlier version, directed by Marcos Siega (who also helmed the prior video “Hash Pipe”), depicted the band performing at a Spanish wedding; fine, but not particularly memorable in the echelon of Weezer videos. That version was supposedly disliked by MTV executives, so the band recruited Spike Jonze, the man behind their videos for “Undone (The Sweater Song)” and “Buddy Holly,” to shoot an alternate cut. Delightfully showcasing the group rolling around in the hills of Southern California with all manners of cute, fuzzy animals, from lions to bears to puppies, the tone of Jonze’s version perfectly matches the pleasantness of the single, and notably stands as one of the group’s few non performance-centric videos. Also, noticeably absent is bassist Mikey Welsh, who departed shortly before the video was filmed. A perfect snapshot of a transitional period of Weezer’s history, it stands as one of my favorite videos from their earlier era. Philip Obenschain

 

“Beverly Hills” (from Make Believe, 2005)
Director: Marcos Siega

An early appearance from Hugh Hefner and the original Girls Next Door kicks off this over-the-top Weezer video that’s reminiscent of the days when big video budgets were still a thing. Rivers Cuomo & Co. appear about as out of place as a band can look as they jam all over the grounds of the Playboy Mansion. The band hang with playmates and hit every spot at the infamous palace: the monkey cages, the lawn, the grotto. But, because it’s Weezer and not, say, Nickelback, the video isn’t turned into some macho, fist-pumping, pyrotechnic piece of misogyny with girls laying on the hoods of cars. It’s just delightfully awkward. —Matt Crane

 

“Perfect Situation” (from Make Believe, 2005)
Director: Marc Webb

If Debbie Harry, Kathleen Hanna and Hayley Williams have taught us anything it’s that there is nothing more badass than a woman fronting a rock band. It feels like a straight up middle finger to the Man. As a woman who loves rock music but is much better at writing about singers than actually singing, watching Elisha Cuthbert’s portrayal as the rebellious frontwoman of the band Weeze (Weezer’s fictional predecessor) in “Perfect Situation” was like seeing my childhood illusions of rock-star grandeur come to life (okay, adulthood illusions too). Granted, my dreams didn’t include turning into an alcoholic with an anger problem, but hey, no one is perfect. Things don’t quite work out for Cuthbert as her antics finally get to the rest of the band who give her the boot. Thank goodness her boyfriend/tour manager Rivers Cuomo is there to take her place onstage, thereby creating Weezer. The absolute best part of the video though isn’t Cuthbert (although, as we’ve already established, she’s great). It’s the blonde girl in the crowd, wearing a Weeze shirt and giant hoop earrings. When Cuomo starts to sing, she’s the first to start nodding along. Then a smile creeps across her face. Pretty soon her arms shoot up in the air and she’s belting out the words. It doesn’t take long for the rest of the crowd to join. Moral of the story: As long as one person thinks you’re cool, you’re set. —Brittany Moseley

 

“Pork And Beans” (from the Red Album, 2008)
Director: Matthew Cullen

While I can’t pinpoint the first time I was encapsulated by the sheer genius behind Weezer’s “Pork And Beans” video, I can say that it was a definitive moment in regards to my personal portrayal of music videos. Every time I watch the clip, it puts my attention in a chokehold and refuses to let go until the final scene—essentially what any artist hopes to accomplish with their material. For some, it may bring a wave of nostalgia from the days when you spent endless hours scouring YouTube for a good laugh. Or, for others, you may not be familiar with any of the internet-famous innuendoes found throughout the video, but I’m sure that by the end you’ll have a smile on your face—and that is why “Pork And Beans” is my favorite Weezer video. Simply put, Weezer are a fun band; their music just brings a sense of happiness to those who listen to it, and the video for “Pork And Beans” portrays that pristinely. Tyler Sharp

 

“Troublemaker” (from the Red Album, 2008)
Directors: The Malloys

First of all, this kick-off track from the Red Album should be in everyone’s 100 Favorite Songs In Life list, thanks to smartassed lyrics (“I party by myself because I’m such a special guy”) and a bouncy riff that generates both pure pop perfection and guitar-god posturing. But it’s the accompanying video—which finds Team Weezer and a ton of fans gathered in the parking lot of the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, to engineer all sorts of stunts for inclusion in the Guinness Book Of World Records—that hammers the good-time vibe home. Wanton destruction of Guitar Hero controllers! A huge nacho tray built in the shape of their winged W logo! Massive pie fight and dodgeball holocaust! It doesn’t matter if you’re 17 or 70: If you ever wanted to relive the feeling of the last day of school, you really need to bookmark this clip. Jason Pettigrew