10 Greatest Forgotten Songs Of The 2000s

There’s plenty of scope to debate when Weezer truly dropped off, but Dope Nose, from fourth album Maladroit, may be their last great track. A mini return to form after the often-anodyne Green Album, this punchy power pop track harkens back to the good old days of about eight years prior.

It illustrates so clearly just how well Weezer perfected the formula the first time of asking: massive, crunchy power chord riffs, a little bit of guitar heroics, tales of losers making the most of small victories. While it lacks the genuine genius of The Blue Album or the self laceration of Pinkerton, it’s a final nod to the long-time fans before they’d start singing about Beverly Hills and hanging around with YouTube stars.

The entirety of Maladroit has aged well, especially in contrast to what would follow a few years later, but Dope Nose is the obvious high point. Weezer would try to go back to this simple but specific sound a few times in the remainder of their career, but never with the success they achieved here.