After their critically acclaimed self-titled album (otherwise known as The Blue Album) was released in 1994, Weezer quickly found themselves at the front of the rock music scene in the 90’s. By the time it was 2005, Weezer had officially been a world–famous rock band for over a decade. They became a household name that people of all ages were familiar with. Even the albums that were released after Weezer (The Blue Album) received mostly high praise, despite the band taking a 3 year hiatus from 1997–2000. On May 10th, 2005, Weezer’s 5th studio album Make Believe was released. Make Believe overall received mixed reviews from both critics and fans. Despite their single “Beverly Hills” landing their first ever Grammy nomination, they were still met with mixed and negative reviews for both the song and the overall album. 

So, why was the band’s fifth album receiving consistent mixed and negative reviews? Even though there is not a straight answer, there is one element that stands out on Make Believe compared to the rest of Weezer’s discography: it was the first album that the band experimented with a poppier sound that was consistent throughout the entire album. Up until 2005, Weezer had primarily stayed within the realm of the rock sound that they were known for throughout their first 4 albums. Weezer took a big risk on the album’s overall sound when they decided to go the poppier route. If you look beyond how the album sounds sonically, Make Believe has a lot of the foundational elements of a great Weezer album: emotionally vulnerable lyrics, catchy hooks and phrases, and erratically captivating guitar solos. The integration of these foundational elements with the overall pop driven sound is a showcase of Rivers Cuomo’s (lead singer, lead guitarist, and lyricist) ability to precisely craft an album that allows room for exploration sonically while also staying true to Weezer’s rock roots at the same time. 

Even 20 years later, when you sit down to listen to Make Believe in its entirety, it’s captivating from the moment you hear the opening drums on “Beverly Hills” until you hear the last guitar chords that slowly fade out on “Haunt You Every Day”. It is the longest Weezer album, despite only being 45 minutes long. Although the production and overall sound of the album is different than the preceding albums they released, it is an album that has proven to be timeless, and it will continue to be so for the next 20 years and beyond.