22 Best Weezer Songs: Take Me to the Rivers

Weezer broke onto the rock scene with their legendary 1994 self-titled debut, commonly called the Blue Album. Led by songwriter extraordinaire Rivers Cuomo, they’ve consistently released some the best pop and rock of our era.

Looking to get into Weezer? Check out our list of the 22 best Weezer songs spanning their entire career.

The 22 Best Weezer Songs

22. “Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me”

Those looking for new songs from Weezer were in luck in 2022, as the band released four EPs for each season of the year.

Combined, they make for a relatively good new album from the band.

Dig the sweet synth on throwback “Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me.”

21. “Back to the Shack”

Following years of experimentation that sometimes missed more than hit, Weezer returned to their roots with 2014’s Everything Will Be Alright in the End.

On “Back to the Shack,” which hearkens back to the band’s glory days, Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo even admits as much: “I thought I’d get a new audience…I ended up with nobody and I started feeling dumb.”

Cuomo and the crew can be found “rocking out like it’s ’94” on this delightful throwback.

20. “Thank God for Girls”

Everything about “Thank God for Girls” is weird. The lyrics are weird, the video is weird, and the cover of the single – which features Pope Francis among admiring female fans – is definitely weird.

But that’s why we love Weezer, right? Weirdness is at the heart of almost all the best Weezer songs.

“Thank God for Girls” is Rivers combining his trademark later-era attempted coolness with his insane knack for writing a huge, catchy ass pop song.

The final verse alone makes it worth it.

Taken from Weezer’s 2015 self-titled release, a.k.a. The White Album, “Thank God for Girls” is a fan favorite from a fan favorite.

19. “The End of the Game”

When Weezer announced that they were going to do an album of hard rock inspired anthems titled Van Weezer, fans of the band were rightly excited. They hadn’t really released a rock album since Everything Will Be Alright in the End.

The band didn’t disappoint, as it features many of the best Weezer songs in recent memory, including lead single “The End of the Game.”

“The End of the Game” features the trademark big riffs and catchy choruses of both Weezer’s classic material and the metal that inspired it.

18. “Can’t Knock the Hustle”

“Can’t Knock the Hustle” is Weezer’s ode to the many adventurous souls who have jobs in the gig economy.

The lead single from another self-titled release better known by the color of its cover, 2018’s The Black Album, “Can’t Knock the Hustle” might just be the funkiest Weezer song.

Weezer bassist Scott Shriner shines on this fast-paced, almost disco-y anthem.

17. “Feels Like Summer”

In the 2010s, Weezer released a series of albums incorporating sleek, modern pop into their classic sound. The result was more than a handful of the best Weezer songs.

Among these is “Feels Like Summer” from 2017’s Pacific Daydream. The music at times evokes rap beats, and it has a major Imagine Dragons or Twenty-One Pilots vibe.

It makes one wonder: did Rivers really like the grunge and alternative rock that spawned classics like the Blue Album, or has he always just been doing whatever is popular, only way better than the people who made it famous?

16. “Africa”

Sorry, guys. Had to do it.

For awhile there, it seemed like Weezer was trying anything to see if it’d stick. What finally did? A paint-by-number cover of Toto, of course.

Taken from their surprise 2019 all-covers The Teal Album (though it’s technically self-titled, of course), “Africa” reached #1 on the US Rock Airplay chart.

It’s also their most recent appearance in the Billboard Hot 100, topping out at #51.

15. “Only in Dreams”

Among the longest Weezer songs, “Only in Dreams” is the textbook definition of a fan favorite.

It’s something of an anomaly on their first album, their aforementioned self-titled debut album.

Unlike the rest of the songs from it, which were mostly punchy alternative rock, “Only in Dreams” is epic, shifting moods and feels.

The star of the song is Weezer bassist Matt Sharp, whose bass riff anchors the song.

He’d leave the band after recording their second album, emo masterpiece Pinkerton.

14. “Perfect Situation”

When you’re writing something like a best Weezer songs list, sometimes you have to go with your head more than your heart.

I’m definitely doing that, because if I was making a personal list, half the songs would be from Weezer’s criminally underrated 2005 classic Make Believe.

As the meme goes, it’s Weezer’s second-best album.

The songs are as big and catchy as anything the band did, but also have a maturity and restraint that is sometimes lacking in their later career.

“The Other Way,” “The Damage in Your Heart,” and “This is Such a Pity” are some of Rivers Cuomo’s best, most heartfelt songs.

Though it isn’t the biggest hit from Make Believe, catchy “Perfect Situation” stayed at the #1 spot on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for four weeks and even hit #51 on the Hot 100.

Something like the mean between the grittier Blue Album and the polished pop of 2001’s Green Album, its poppiness reminds me a bit of the Beatles.

13. “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams”

The rarest choice on our best Weezer songs list, “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams” is an outtake from Weezer’s sophomore album, Pinkerton. Unreleased at the time, you can find it on its deluxe edition re-issue.

There’s a reason why fans love this one. It has everything that makes Pinkerton great: it’s loud, it’s reckless, and it’s catchy as hell.

That’s Rachel Haden on lead vocals.

12. “El Scorcho”

One of several songs from Pinkerton that have been accused of having problematic lyrics (at least it isn’t “Pink Triangle”), “El Scorcho” features perhaps their very best singalong chorus.

The lyrics follow the emo template of the album, with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo deep diving on what he loves about his new infatuation.

Best line: “I asked you to go to the Green Day concert/you said you never heard of them/how cool is that?”

11. “All My Favorite Songs (feat AJR)”

Rivers and company planned on releasing rock-oriented Van Weezer in 2020. The pandemic put that on hold, so Cuomo began writing songs on the piano.

OK Human was the result, a lush album of ballads and typical heart-on-your-sleeve Rivers lyrics.

“All My Favorite Songs” is the poppiest song of the bunch, though “La Brea Tar Pits” is up there, too.

10. “Pork and Beans”

So we’ve finally arrived to the top 10 best Weezer songs, and we begin with a doozy, “Pork and Beans.”

I consider “Pork and Beans” to be the greatest protest song. Don’t believe me? Scream along with the bridge, where Rivers simply repeats “I don’t care…I don’t care…I DON’T CARE I DON’T CARE” over and over. It’s beyond cathartic.

What exactly doesn’t Rivers care about? Critics. What do those dorks at Pitchfork know anyway?

This message of being yourself is tough to pull off without being trite, but Rivers does so perfectly.

Taken from the band’s uneven Red album, it has a similar message to its lead-off track, “Troublemaker.”

9. “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”

Simply, “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” is the only good song on Weezer’s 2009 mess of a record Ratitude.

For the album, the band tried different collaborators to find mainstream success. It failed, as it was their last album on Geffen Records.

The song titles speak for themselves, the worst offenders being “The Girl Got Hot,” “Can’t Stop Partying,” and “I’m Your Daddy.”

Despite all this, Ratitude’s opening track, “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” is easily one of Weezer’s best. The chorus is top drawer, featuring the hallmark whimsy that makes them so loveable.

8. “My Name is Jonas”

It all began with “My Name is Jonas.”

Throughout the Blue Album, Rivers Cuomo filtered power pop and alternative rock through his singular lens with a power that it’d be hard for him to ever top.

“My Name is Jonas” is a perfect example. It swings like nothing else on rock radio at the time, but it also rocks. Its fingerpicked guitar is almost folk flavored as well.

The lead-off track from their self-titled debut sets the tone for the band’s success.

7. “Island in the Sun”

What is Weezer’s biggest hit? That’d be “Island in the Sun.”

The pop song might be the band’s most lightweight, though it does have something of a Beach Boys vibe. At least if they dabbled in alternative rock.

Fans of streaming music certainly dig the tune, as it is the most streamed Weezer song on Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Spotify.

6. “Hash Pipe”

It seemed like a long five years between Pinkerton and Weezer’s third album, 2001’s (self-titled but so-called) Green Album.

The wait was worth it, though, as Green is filled with many gems, especially if you’re a fan of pure pop songwriting.

“Hash Pipe” features one of Weezer’s most instantly recognizable riffs. The catchy track brought them back into the mainstream after the commercial disappointment of Pinkerton.

Guitarist Brian Bell stands out on this one as well.

5. “Undone – The Sweater Song”

The song that put Weezer on the map was their first single, “Undone – The Sweater Song.”

In many ways, it laid the template for what has made the band so enduring and loveable – it rocks, it’s melodic, and it’s kind of weird.

Every song on the Blue Album could make this list. Personally, I’d replace this one with “Surf Wax America,” but I couldn’t put the whole dang album on here.

4. “Beverly Hills”

When was Weezer really popular? Most would say during their run of hit singles in the mid-90s.

Their biggest hit, though, is from 2006’s Make Believe.

“Beverly Hills” is too damn catchy for its own good, which is why hardcore fans of the band hate it as much as the mainstream populace loves it.

3. “The Good Life”

Weezer song lyrics don’t get any better, more fun, or more typical than the chorus of “The Good Life”:

I don’t wanna be an old man anymore

It’s been a year or two since I was out on the floor

Shakin’ booty makin’ sweet love all the night

It’s time I got back to the good life

It’s time I got back

And I don’t even know how I got off the track

The sentiment perfectly encapsulates the overall feel of Pinkerton, and of many of us in our more emo moments.

The main riff is deceptively simple, and Rivers again shines on the melodic, singalong chorus. Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson puts on a clinic as well.

2. “Buddy Holly”

Who can forget the iconic video for “Buddy Holly” with the band re-creating Happy Days? It was one of the most memorable music visuals of the 1990s.

Rivers once again proves he’s a master of melody on not only one of the best Weezer songs, but one of the best songs of the 90s.

Producer Ric Ocasek, famous lead singer of the Cars, gets the sound perfect as always.

1. “Say It Ain’t So”

On “Say It Ain’t So,” Rivers Cuomo perfectly filters pop songwriting and gritty alternative rock through his imitable charming and dorky lens.

The third hit from the Blue Album, “Say it Ain’t So” is Weezer at their grungiest. While we couldn’t exactly imagine Kurt Cobain singing it, its dark jankiness certainly should have made him smile.

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