10 Worst Hard Rock Lyrics Of The '90s

The Nonsense Between the Riffs.

RHCP Give It Away
Warner Bros.

The '90s are often looked at as one of the golden periods in rock history. Just like the '60s had sprouted an era of peaceful hippies across the world, the last decade of the century ushered in a new group of disaffected youths looking to drown out their problems with some of the most emotional hard rock ever produced. Though the songs may have been amazing, the lyrics were a bit tougher to decipher.

For as much as the grunge, nu metal, and pop punk bands sounded like they had their heart on their sleeve, it was nearly impossible to actually make out what they were saying sometimes. However, once you had the actual lyrics in front of you, you start to realize that some of the most popular songs of the era are straight up gibberish. From flash in the pan acts to some of the spokesmen of the generation, plenty of artists have phoned it in with words that sound cool but have no connotation when put together.

That doesn't necessarily diminish the power of the song though, with some of these tunes displaying some of the catchiest riffs of the modern age. The prowess of these lyricists may be a bit limited, but these songs can continue to excite hard rock fans on any day of the week...for the most part.

10. Weenie Beenie - Foo Fighters

The Foo Fighters were one of the few saving graces of the post grunge movement. While many bands just wanted to ride the coattails of the acts from Seattle, Dave Grohl was able to pick up the pieces after the dissolution of Nirvana and turn into one of the greatest frontmen of the modern age. The band's debut is an absolute blast from start to finish, but the lyrics could have definitely used a bit of work.

Taking the model that Kurt Cobain had already cultivated, much of these lyrics are thrown together for word association rather than overt meaning. Though that model works well within the confines of grunge and can even be dissected as abstract art, "Weenie Beenie" might be the guiltiest party on the record. On the surface, most of this song works pretty well, with the balls-to-the-wall guitar attack sounding like a mix between punk and thrash metal. However, the actual lyrics about breaking free from some unknown hold are so one-dimensional that it becomes distracting.

Even the title of the song is a bit throwaway, with Weenie Beenie being the name of a now defunct fast food restaurant back in the '90s. Grohl would later have poignant lyrics like on "My Hero" and "Everlong," but this first step up to the plate is more for forcefulness rather than any deeper meaning.

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