Every Jimmy Eat World Album: Ranked From Worst To Best

After listening to Clarity from start to finish, it's easy to wonder how Jimmy Eat World went another two years before being discovered by mainstream audiences. Sure, it's not as unapologetically pop-oriented as their next album, Bleed American, but it features impeccable songwriting and an untouchable knack for melody.

Clarity was a cool kids' secret, an emo cult classic. It served as a jumping-off point for teenagers who'd grown weary of Green Day and Weezer.

This is an album in constant oscillation, alternating between intricate ballads, uptempo punk anthems, and sweeping epics. And somehow, as if to defy the laws of musical nature, it does all of it with equal aplomb.

It also created the single greatest power pop song of the 90s. There will never be another "Lucky Denver Mint." That's a fact that's as beautiful as it is sad. There are a lot of amazing songs on Clarity, but "Lucky Denver Mint" showcased every positive songwriting trait the band has all at once. It's accessible but profound. At times delicate, and at others robust. It's symphonic perfection.

Clarity kickstarted a legion of imitators who wanted to try their hand at a more tuneful brand of punk rock, but none of them have quite been able to match the album's earnest craftsmanship.