Every Weezer album ranked: From worst to best

When Weezer released their debut self-titled album, also known as the Blue Album, in 1994, they became a voice for misfits everywhere. The evocative lyrics, fuzzy guitar riffs, and charismatic band members created a faithful fan base that would spend the next three decades following them to Raditude and back.

While they could have taken the easy way out and continued to push out copies of their hugely successful debut album forever, they have continuously opted to take chances and experiment with their sound. They’ve released no less than six self-titled albums throughout their career, constantly reevaluating and reinventing themselves.

Ironically, Rivers Cuomo and co. are still very much the same band after all these years. They have always been unpredictable and have never taken themselves too seriously. They also aren’t afraid to admit when one of their musical experiments goes haywire (re: Raditude). 

With the exception of their covers record, the Teal Album, and their EP collection SZNZ, here is is every Weezer album ranked. 

Read more: Every Red Hot Chili Peppers album ranked: From worst to best

Every Weezer album ranked: From worst to best

DGC/Interscope/Geffen

14. Raditude (2009)

We have to give them some credit: Weezer took a lot of chances on Raditude. For example, none other than Lil Wayne was featured on the dance-pop track “Can’t Stop Partying,” and Cuomo even decided to jump in and spit a few bars with him. However, the cross-genre collaborations and experiments with different music styles didn’t pay off, and Weezer ended up essentially apologizing to their fans for the album in the 2014 track “Back To The Shack.”

Epitaph

13. Hurley (2010)

Hurley can best be described as Raditude dressed up in checkered vans and Thrasher hoodies. Weezer took a step back from some of the dance-pop sounds from the previous album to take on a skate-punk persona. Really driving the point home, the band recruited Johnny Knoxville and the rest of the Jackass crew on “Memories.” Weezer also decided to really lean into the internet culture of the time for the release of Hurley, utilizing cameo appearances from YouTube personas Fred and the Annoying Orange to promote the album.

DGC/Interscope

12. Weezer (The Red Album) (2008)

Weezer kicked off their experimental era, which would later lead to Raditude and Hurley, with the Red Album. The record marked the first time all four members of the band wrote songs and sang lead. Coincidentally, it was also the last time Weezer did that. While sharing the creative burdens seemed refreshing in theory, and tracks like “Troublemaker” and “Heart Songs” lend the Red Album some stability, the album lacked direction overall.

Crush Music/Atlantic Records

11. Van Weezer (2021)

After almost three decades of success in alternative-pop music, Cuomo decided to combine his roots in hard-rock (he originally dreamed of finding success in a California glam-metal band) with Weezer’s modern sound for Van Weezer. Playing homage to legendary ‘80s acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith — and, of course, Van Halen — the band experimented with more fervent drumming, distorted guitar riffs, and extra-low bass notes. The result is a somewhat campy representation of metal music, but it’s still fun.

Crush Music/Atlantic Records

10. Weezer (The Black Album) (2019)

After a few years of trial and error, Weezer finally got blurring the lines between genres right with the Black Album. The record is the band’s best work in experimenting with the sounds and subject matter of contemporary pop music. They notably collaborated with Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace and Evanescence’s David Hodges as co-writers, which seems odd, given the overall light-hearted tone of the album, but nonetheless proved to be the right fit.

Geffen Records

9. Make Believe (2005)

With Make Believe came “Beverly Hills,” a song that has become synonymous with Weezer. The goofy musicians singing for everyone with crappy cars and a whack sense of style were back in full force. “Perfect Situation” also saw Weezer looking back on where they came from and finding themselves unsatisfied with where they were at the time. Make Believe proved that more than a decade after their debut, Weezer could still produce tracks that were not only downright infectious, but extremely relatable to their audience.

Atlantic Records

8. Pacific Daydream (2017)

A year after the White Album, Weezer evidently hadn’t left the beach and decided to release another album full of upbeat, sun-soaked songs. Pacific Daydream is another perfect record for driving along the Pacific Highway with the windows down and an ice cream cone in hand. The record also served as a bit of foreshadowing to OK Human, which would be released a few years later, as they shed their fuzzy guitar riffs and jumped head first into a decidedly poppier sound.

Crush Music/Atlantic Records

7. Weezer (The White Album) (2016)

After Weezer’s manager suggested the band write a beach record, the White Album was born. And their fourth self-titled album is exactly what you would hope for in a beach record: light and energetic pop-rock that’s perfect for sunbathing on the California coast. Weezer carried the ocean-side aesthetic all the way from the cover art, which featured the band standing in front of a lifeguard tower, to song titles like “California Kids” and “L.A. Girlz.”

Republic

6. Everything Will Be Alright in the End (2014)

Everything Will Be Alright in the End arrived after one of the longest gaps in music from Weezer. Taking four years to reminisce on their past projects, the band decided to cut back on some of the corniness that riddled previous records (namely Hurley and Raditude) and go back to a more straight-forward approach to songwriting. As Cuomo sings in “Back To The Shack,” they had to make a few mistakes to find out who they were.

Geffen Records

5. Maladroit (2002)

Maladroit saw Weezer refusing to settle into the sound they became known for on the Green and Blue Albums. Instead, they searched for a middle ground between the dark, distorted guitars in Pinkerton and the brighter, poppy stylings of their previous self-titled records. Maladroit brought a harder edge back into Weezer’s discography while simultaneously peppering in a sense of levity that made Weezer appeal to the masses in the first place.

Geffen Records

4. Weezer (The Green Album) (2001)

Weezer’s second self-titled album was a direct response to the Pinkerton fiasco of ‘96. They had a massively successful debut album, unfortunately succumbed to the ever-dreaded sophomore slump, and then staged a comeback with the Green Album. “Island In The Sun,” Weezer’s most popular song to date, helped critics to forget about Pinkerton, an intimate and rowdy album ahead of its time, by reminding them of the band’s whimsical pop-rock debut.

Crush Music/Atlantic Records

3. OK Human (2021)

Although OK Human and Van Weezer were released in the same year, the two albums couldn’t be more different. While the latter was influenced by ‘80s glam-metal powerhouses, OK Human featured a 38-piece orchestra. The whole record was a fantastic surprise, from the spectacular string section to the fact it was released seemingly out of nowhere during the pandemic. The retrospection forced upon Weezer during quarantine is prevalent in tracks like “All My Favorite Songs” and the luscious “Numbers,” which is one of the most elegant and poignant songs Weezer has ever released.

DGC

2. Pinkerton (1996)

Following the massive success of the Blue Album, Weezer’s sophomore effort Pinkerton was such an astonishing commercial failure that it sent the band straight into hibernation for five years. But while Weezer were away, Pinkerton became a cult-classic that inspired a generation of bands, including Taking Back Sunday, the Used, and Dashboard Confessional. Weezer dropped the catchy choruses and clean-cut personas of “Buddy Holly” to create an emotionally charged album that grappled with the loneliness of life on the road and being launched into rock stardom.

DGC

1. Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994)

Woo-ee-ooh, what can be said about Weezer’s debut album that hasn’t already been said? It brought us “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Undone (The Sweater Song).” It turned the band into MTV mavens. And, most importantly, it resonated with a nation of adolescents who would become lifelong fans. The Blue Album established Weezer as a group of unapologetic — albeit a little anxious — nerds. They became mouthpieces for underdogs everywhere, and who doesn’t love an underdog?