Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Led by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Rivers Cuomo, the group became one of the defining alternative rock acts of the 1990s by combining power-pop melodies, distorted guitars, dry humor, and an unusually self-conscious outsider image. The band's classic and current lineup consists of Cuomo, drummer Patrick Wilson, guitarist and vocalist Brian Bell, and bassist Scott Shriner.
Cuomo formed Weezer with Wilson and bassist Matt Sharp after moving to Los Angeles. The band quickly built a following in the city's club scene and signed with DGC Records in 1993. Guitarist Brian Bell joined shortly before the recording of the group's debut album, Weezer, released in May 1994. The record, later known as the Blue Album, established the band's central sound: concise songs with strong choruses, crunchy guitar arrangements, and lyrics that turned insecurity and social awkwardness into accessible pop-rock.
The album's success was closely linked to its music videos. Spike Jonze directed the playful video for "Undone - The Sweater Song," while the video for "Buddy Holly" placed the band inside the world of the 1970s television comedy Happy Days. The innovative visual presentation helped make Weezer a major presence on MTV and introduced songs such as "Say It Ain't So" and "My Name Is Jonas" to a broad audience.
Weezer took a more ambitious and emotionally exposed approach on Pinkerton, released in 1996. Initially met with a mixed response, the album later became one of the band's most influential releases. Its blunt songwriting, unconventional arrangements, and themes of romantic frustration and alienation helped shape the emotional vocabulary of later alternative rock, emo, and pop-punk. Pinkerton's reputation grew steadily over time, eventually making it a central part of Weezer's artistic legacy.
After a period of inactivity and lineup changes, Weezer returned with Weezer, commonly called the Green Album, in 2001. Produced by Ric Ocasek, it restored the band's compact power-pop format and generated major radio hits with "Hash Pipe," "Island in the Sun," and "Photograph." Matt Sharp had left the group, and former bassist Mikey Welsh was replaced by Scott Shriner during the subsequent touring cycle. Maladroit followed in 2002, continuing the band's guitar-driven approach while reflecting a more unsettled creative period.
Through the 2000s and 2010s, Weezer moved between polished mainstream rock, experimental production, classic-pop influences, and deliberately playful concepts. Albums including Make Believe, Weezer (Red Album), Raditude, Hurley, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, and Weezer (White Album) showed the band's continuing ability to shift styles without abandoning its melodic identity. The Teal Album, released in 2019, consisted largely of cover versions, while the Black Album and the 2021 releases OK Human and Van Weezer explored darker, orchestral, and hard-rock textures.
In 2022, the band issued the SZNZ series, four seasonal collections released across the year. Weezer followed with its self-titled Gold Album in 2026, its twentieth studio album. Across more than three decades, the group has remained notable for treating pop hooks, eccentric humor, music-video imagery, and fan expectations as equally important parts of its musical identity.