This is why more cool and talented people should be in the public eye. Weezer legit felt, when I was 16, to be the best representation of my aesthetics and values. Writers I liked referenced them. Their music was in ads for stuff I liked. And so my teenage personality was heavily influenced by these shitty people who made good music before I was born (and pretty shit music after I was born).
And that vulnerability and honesty and that highly creative style is what drew me in, in the first place.
it always seemed kinda cheesy and phoned-in to me. Like they just came up with easy melodies and wrapped them in the most accessible format. Like a Nickelback for a different crowd.