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The '''Allmusic biography of Weezer''' is a shortform biography of the band written for the [[Allmusic]] review website by Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

==Biography==
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Allmusic'' Weezer biography}}
{{Transcript|title=''Allmusic'' [[Weezer]] biography|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|date={{date missing}}|text=As one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, [[Weezer]] received equal amounts of criticism and praise for their hook-heavy guitar pop. Drawing from the heavy power pop of arena rockers like [[Cheap Trick]] and the angular guitar leads of [[the Pixies]], Weezer leavened their melodies with doses of '70s metal gleaned from bands like [[Kiss]]. What truly set the band apart, though, was their geekiness. None of the members of Weezer, especially leader [[Rivers Cuomo]], were conventional rockers: they were kids who holed up [[In the Garage|in their garage]] to play along with their favorite records when they weren't studying or watching TV. As a result, their music was infused with a quirky sense of humor and an endearing awkwardness that made songs from their debut Weezer (aka ''[[the blue album]]'') into big modern rock hits during the mid-'90s. Weezer's [[:Category:Weezer singles|singles]] were helped immeasurably by [[List of Weezer music videos|clever videos]], which made the songs into hits but also caused critics to believe that the band was a one-hit wonder. Perversely, Cuomo began to feel the same way, and decided that the band would not rely on any visual gimmicks for its second album, [[1996|1996's]] ''[[Pinkerton]]''. Simultaneously, Cuomo took control of the band, making it into a vehicle for his songwriting. While the album didn't sell as well as their [[1994]] eponymous debut, it did [[:Category:Pinkerton reviews|earn stronger reviews]] than its predecessor and paved the way for Weezer's long career.

Raised in Massachusetts, Rivers Cuomo moved to Los Angeles to attend college in the late '80s. During [[E.O. Smith Music|high school]], he had played with [[Fury|a number of metal bands]], but upon his move out west, his interests broadened to include alternative and post-punk music. By [[1993]], he had fused such interests together and formed Weezer with bassist [[Matt Sharp]] and drummer [[Patrick Wilson]]. Over the course of the next year, the group [[Pre-Blue Album club dates|played in the competitive Los Angeles club scene]], eventually landing a deal with [[DGC]] during the post-[[Nirvana]] alternative signing boom. Three days before Weezer began recording a debut album with producer [[Ric Ocasek]], they added guitarist [[Brian Bell]] to the mix. Upon completing the record, Weezer went on hiatus; Cuomo was studying at [[Harvard]] when their eponymous debut record came out. With the support of DGC and a striking, [[Spike Jonze]]-directed video, "[[Undone (The Sweater Song)]]" became a modern rock hit in the fall of 1994, but what made Weezer a crossover success was "[[Buddy Holly]]." Jonze created an innovative video that spliced the group into old footage from the sitcom ''Happy Days'' and the single quickly became a hit, making the album a multi-platinum success as well.

By the time the album's final single, "[[Say It Ain't So]]," was released in the summer of [[1995]], the group had gone on hiatus once again, with Cuomo returning to Harvard. During the time off, Sharp and Wilson formed the new wave revival band [[the Rentals]], who had a hit later that year with "[[Friends of P.]]" During the hiatus, Cuomo became a recluse, disappearing at Harvard and suffering writer's block. When Weezer reconvened in the spring of 1996 to record their second album, he had written [[Songs from the Black Hole|a loose concept album]] that featured far more introspective material than their debut. Ironically, the band sounded tighter on the resulting album, ''Pinkerton''. Released in the fall to generally strong reviews, the album failed to become a hit, partially because Cuomo did not want the band to record another series of clever videos. Grudgingly, the remainder of the band members contented themselves being a supporting group for Cuomo, largely because each member had [[Space Twins|his own]] [[The Special Goodness|solo project]] scheduled for release within the next year. DGC, however, had the band make one last stab at a hit with "[[The Good Life]]," but by the time the single was released, [[MTV]] and modern rock radio had withdrawn their support not only of Weezer, but their style of guitar-driven punk-pop in general.

Shortly after [[Pinkerton Tour|the tour in support of ''Pinkerton'']] was completed in [[1997]], it appeared as though Weezer had fallen off the face of the planet. Stung by the public's initial reaction to their sophomore effort ([[Rolling Stone]] even named ''Pinkerton'' the Worst Album of 1996) {{sic}} the band took time off to regroup and plan their next move. Unhappy with the sluggish rate of the reassessment period, Sharp left the group to concentrate more fully on the Rentals, fueling rumors that Weezer had broken up. But a funny thing happened during Weezer's self-imposed exile -- while their copycat offspring were falling by the wayside ([[Nerf Herder]], [[Nada Surf]]), a whole new generation of [[Archive:Emo|emocore]] enthusiasts discovered Weezer's diamond-in-the-rough sophomore effort for the first time, and their audience grew despite not having a new album in the stores.

Once Weezer's members wrapped up work on their side projects (Bell with [[Space Twins]]; Wilson with [[the Special Goodness]]), the band recruited former [[Juliana Hatfield]] bassist [[Mikey Welsh]] to take the place of Sharp and began working on new material. Before they could enter the recording studio to record their third release, however, Weezer tested the waters by landing a spot on the [[2000]] edition of [[Vans Warped Tour|the Warped Tour]], where they were consistently the day's highlight. Hooking up again with the producer of their 1994 debut, Ric Ocasek, Weezer recorded what would be known as "[[The Green Album]]" (an informal title given by fans, since it was actually their second self-titled release). The album was an immediate hit, debuting at number four in May [[2001]] and camping out in the upper reaches of the charts for much of the spring/summer, during which such songs like "[[Hash Pipe]]" and "[[Island in the Sun]]" became radio and MTV staples, reestablishing Weezer as one of alt-rock's top dogs. During their tour that summer, Welsh fell ill and was replaced by [[Scott Shriner]], also of the band Broken. (Welsh died in Chicago in October [[2011]] at the age of 40.) That fall and winter, the group busied itself with touring alongside bands like [[Tenacious D]] and recording its next album, ''[[Maladroit]]'', which arrived a year after ''The Green Album'''s release.

Just before ''Maladroit'''s release, former bassist Matt Sharp sued Weezer, seeking compensation and songwriting credit for songs such as "Undone (The Sweater Song)," "[[El Scorcho]]," and "The Good Life." The band eventually reconciled with Sharp, though he didn't rejoin, and Weezer continued on with the lineup of Cuomo, Bell, Wilson, and Shriner. The limited-edition live EP ''[[Lion and the Witch]]'' appeared in May [[2002]], and Maladroit's "[[Keep Fishin']]" was released as a single. Most of [[2003]] was spent on side projects; Cuomo did some hired-gun songwriting, Bell's band the Space Twins put out ''[[End of Imagining]]'', and Wilson's Special Goodness project issued ''[[Land Air Sea]]''. Weezer returned to the studio in [[2004]], working with [[Rick Rubin]] on their fifth full-length album. ''[[Make Believe]]'' appeared in May [[2005]], prepped by the single "[[Beverly Hills]]," and eventually went platinum in multiple countries. ''[[Weezer (Red Album)]]'' followed in [[2008]] and featured a more collaborative approach, with several band members contributing songwriting ideas and lead vocals to the tracks. One year later, the band returned with ''[[Raditude]]''. Greeted with mixed reviews, ''Raditude'' marked Weezer's last album for Universal. They jumped to the indies in [[2010]], releasing ''[[Hurley]]'' on [[Epitaph]]. The new album was quickly followed by two archival releases: an expanded deluxe edition of ''Pinkerton'', and the outtakes collection ''[[Death to False Metal]]''.

Weezer took their time returning to the studio, finally re-emerging in the autumn of [[2014]] with ''[[Everything Will Be Alright in the End]]'', a record produced by Ric Ocasek and released on [[Republic Records]]. Greeted by generally good reviews, the album debuted at five on the Billboard 200 upon its October 2014 release. In the fall of [[2015]], the band delivered a pair of new singles -- "[[Thank God for Girls]]" and "[[Do You Want to Get High?]] -- the first fruits of their sessions with producer [[Jake Sinclair]]. One other single, "[[King of the World]]," appeared in January [[2016]], timed to arrive at the announcement of their tenth studio album. Another self-titled, color-coded (this time, it was white) album saw release in April. Weezer's ''[[White Album]]'' peaked on the Billboard 200 at number four and was followed by an extensive tour with [[Panic! At the Disco]].

A year after the release of the White Album, the band returned with "[[Feels Like Summer]]," the first single from their 11th LP, ''[[Pacific Daydream]]''. Released in October [[2017]], ''Pacific Daydream'' boasted a more modern sound than its predecessor and rose into the top four of the Billboard Alternative and Rock charts. Months later in [[2018]], the band placated social media fan demand by delivering a faithful cover of Toto's classic "[[Africa]]," but not before they first issued a cover of that band's "Rosanna." "[[Africa]]" became the band's first Hot 100 hit since 2009's "[[(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To]]," entering the chart at number 89. Toto returned the favor by covering "[[Hash Pipe]]" in August 2018.

"Africa" turned out to be the cornerstone of the surprise January [[2019]] release ''[[Weezer (The Teal Album)]]'', a collection of covers. Two months after ''The Teal Album'', Weezer finally delivered ''[[Weezer (The Black Album)]]'', a record Cuomo began teasing during the promo cycle for ''Weezer (The White Album)''. Produced by [[Dave Sitek]] of TV on the Radio, ''The Black Album'' appeared on [[March 1]], [[2019]]. In [[2020]], the band issued the singles "[[Hero]]" and "[[The End of the Game]]," both of which were slated to appear on their forthcoming album and return to huge, Van Halen-inspired guitars, ''[[Van Weezer]]''. After multiple setbacks related to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the completion of ''Van Weezer'', the band returned to material they'd first conceptualized and started work on several years earlier. A collection of songs inspired by Harry Nilsson and the Beach Boys, complete with string parts played by a 38-piece orchestra, ''[[OK Human]]'' was released in January [[2021]] as Weezer's 14th full-length album, with ''Van Weezer'' pushed back for a release later that year when touring could resume. Van Weezer wound up appearing in May 2021, just prior to [[Hella Mega|their summer tour]].

Weezer quickly followed their twin albums of 2021 with a four-EP project called [[SZNZ]]. A mock abbreviation for "Seasons," each of the four EPs is pegged to a different season in the calendar; the intent is for the music to match its respective season. SZNZ: Spring arrived in March of [[2022]], followed by ''[[SZNZ: Summer]]'' in June, ''[[SZNZ: Autumn]]'' in September, and ''[[SZNZ: Winter]]'' in December. Each EP consists of seven new songs.}}

'''''Editors note''': This biography incorrectly states that ''Pinkerton'' was named the worst album of 1996 by Rolling Stone. It was named the third worst in a reader's poll.''

==See also==
*[[Allmusic]]
*[[Pitchfork Media]]
*[[Rolling Stone]]

[[Category:Allmusic]]
[[Category:Music criticism]]
[[Category:Transcripts]]
[[Category:Weezer biographies]]