As one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, Weezer merged the heavy power pop of arena rockers like Cheap Trick and the angular guitar leads of the Pixies while injecting 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 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 early singles turned into hits with immeasurable help from clever videos, and the quickly canonized 1994 debut was followed by a more artistically than commercially motivated 1996 sophomore effort, Pinkerton, which was adored by critics and set the tone for what became the band's long and winding career. As years turned into decades, Cuomo's idiosyncratic personality seeped more and more into his songwriting, resulting in albums that ranged from the catchy nerd rock of 2009's Raditude to the enduringly tender orchestral pop songcraft of 2021's OK Human, as well as their ambitious four-part EP series SZNZ in 2022.