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 learned
from bands like Kiss. But what set the band apart was their geekiness.
None of the members of Weezer, especially leader Rivers Cuomo, were conventional
rockers - they were kids that holed up in their garage, playing 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 like "Undone (The Sweater
Song)," "Buddy Holly," and "Say It Ain't So"
into big modern rock hits during 1994 and 1995. All the singles were helped
immeasurably by clever videos, which may have made the songs into hits,
but they also made many critics 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 their second album, 1996's Pinkerton.
Simultaneously, Cuomo took control of the band, making them into a vehicle
for his songwriting. While the album didn't sell as well as their 1994
eponymous debut, it did earn stronger reviews than its predecessor. Cuomo's
assumption of the leadership of Weezer wasn't entirely a surprise, since
he had been the band's primary songwriter since their inception in 1993.
Raised in Massachusetts, Cuomo moved out to Los Angeles to go to college
in the late '80s. During high school, he had played with a number of metal
bands, but once he arrived in college, he became interested in alternative
and post-punk music. By 1993, he had formed Weezer with bassist Matt Sharp
and drummer Patrick Wilson. Over the course of the next year, they played
in the competitive Los Angeles club scene, eventually landing a deal with
DGC during the post-Nirvana alternative signing boom. Three days before
the band began recording their debut with producer Ric Ocasek, they added
guitarist Brian Bell. Upon completing the record, Weezer went on hiatus
temporarily - 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 hit 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 hit 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, 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 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 contented themselves
to be a supporting group for Cuomo, largely because each member had their
own solo project scheduled for release within the next year. DGC, however,
had the band make one last chance 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 to Weezer, but their style of guitar-driven
punk-pop in general. Shortly after 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 dismal reaction to their
sophomore effort (ever-fickle Rolling Stone named Pinkerton the Worst
Album of 1996), 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 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.
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