Editing Weezer (section)

=== ''OK Human'' and ''Van Weezer'' (2019–2021) ===
{{main|OK Human|Van Weezer}}
[[File:Weezer_Hella_Mega_Tour_Denver_2021.jpg|alt=Weezer Hella Mega Tour Denver 2021|thumb|Weezer during the Hella Mega Tour at [[Dick's Sporting Goods Park]] in [[Commerce City, Colorado]]]]
During a Beats 1 interview by [[Zane Lowe]] on Apple Music on January 24, 2019, Cuomo announced that Weezer had already recorded the "basic tracks" to the follow-up album to the "Black Album". The album, produced by [[Jake Sinclair (musician)|Jake Sinclair]] (who also produced the ''White Album''), would feature piano and strings-based songwriting and had already been recorded at [[Abbey Road Studios]]. For the recording process, Weezer departed from the modern "grid music" style (music recorded via modern software using grids to organize and manipulate the individual elements of recorded music) and did not perform to a "click" (i.e., [[metronome]]) for a more natural style.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hudson|first=Alex|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/weezer_have_already_recorded_most_of_the_follow-up_to_the_black_album|title=Weezer Have Already Recorded Most of the Follow-Up to The Black Album|work=Exclaim!|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> Furthermore, Cuomo said he was currently working on an album with the working title ''[[Van Weezer]]'' that harkened back to their heavier rock sound after noticing how crowds enjoy epic guitar solos at Weezer shows.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Franich|first=Darren|url=https://ew.com/music/2019/02/27/rivers-cuomo-weezer-black-album-interview/|title=Rivers Cuomo on Weezer's Black Album and struggling with the success of covering Africa|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=February 27, 2019|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=February 28, 2019|title=Rivers Cuomo: Weezer Will Go 'Back to Big Guitars'|url=http://loudwire.com/rivers-cuomo-weezer-big-guitars/|access-date=March 1, 2019|publisher=Loudwire.com}}</ref>

On September 10, 2019, the band announced the [[Hella Mega Tour]] with [[Green Day]] and [[Fall Out Boy]] as headliners alongside themselves, with [[The Interrupters (band)|the Interrupters]] as an opening act. They also released the opening single, "[[The End of the Game (song)|The End of the Game]]", off their upcoming fifteenth studio album, ''[[Van Weezer]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Greene|first1=Andy|title=Green Day, Weezer, Fall Out Boy Announce 2020 'Hella Mega' Stadium Tour|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/green-day-weezer-fall-out-boy-2020-hella-mega-tour-882156/|website=rollingstone.com|access-date=September 10, 2019|language=en|date=September 10, 2019}}</ref> The song reached No. 2 on the [[Alternative Airplay]] chart.<ref name="Weezer"/> Cuomo said that the band would return "back to big guitars". He remarked that when the band would perform "[[Beverly Hills (Weezer song)|Beverly Hills]]" live in concert, he would perform a guitar solo that was not present on the recorded version of the song. "We noticed that, recently, the crowd just goes crazy when I do that. So it feels like maybe the audience is ready for some shredding again."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schatz|first=Lake|date=September 10, 2019|title=Weezer announce new album Van Weezer, share "The End of the Game": Stream|url=https://consequence.net/2019/09/van-weezer-album-end-of-the-game-song-stream/|access-date=November 10, 2022|website=Consequence|language=en-US}}</ref>

The band recorded a version of "[[Lost in the Woods]]" for the 2019 film ''[[Frozen II]]'', which was included on the [[Frozen II (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Arcand|first1=Rob|title=Here's Weezer's New Song for the 'Frozen 2' Soundtrack|url=https://www.spin.com/2019/11/weezer-lost-in-the-woods-frozen-2-soundtrack/|access-date=November 24, 2019|work=Spin|date=November 16, 2019}}</ref> The music video featuring the band and the ''Frozen'' voice actress [[Kristen Bell]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/weezer-kristen-bell-frozen-2-video-lost-in-the-woods-923652/|title=Weezer Enlist Kristen Bell for Video for 'Frozen 2' Song|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=December 7, 2019|access-date=December 8, 2019}}</ref>

On May 6, 2020, Weezer released the single and music video "[[Hero (Weezer song)|Hero]]" a tribute to essential workers during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Simultaneously, they announced the delay of ''Van Weezer'' for a time to be determined.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/weezer-delay-album-and-share-new-song-hero-listen/|title=Weezer Delay Album and Share New Song "Hero"|first=Madison|last=Bloom|website=Pitchfork.com|date=May 6, 2020|access-date=October 1, 2020}}</ref> The song reached No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart.<ref name="Weezer"/> On May 10, Weezer guest-starred on an episode of [[The Simpsons]], "[[The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds|The Hateful Eight-Year Olds]]", where a snippet of their song "Blue Dream" from ''Van Weezer'' was played.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 11, 2020|title=Weezer debut new song Blue Dream on The Simpsons|url=https://www.datathistle.com/article/116203-weezer-debut-new-song-blue-dream-on-the-simpsons/|access-date=November 10, 2022|website=Data Thistle|language=en-GB}}</ref> On August 14, 2020, the band announced that the album had been delayed to May 2021 in order to coincide with the rescheduled Hella Mega Tour. That same day, the third single, "Beginning of the End", was released as a part of the soundtrack for ''[[Bill & Ted Face the Music]].''<ref>{{Cite tweet|url=https://twitter.com/weezer/status/1294123815954534400|number=1294123815954534400|title=Quick update on Van Weezer,...|access-date=March 12, 2023|user=Weezer|language=en}}</ref>

On October 6, 2020, after [[Eddie Van Halen]] died, the album was dedicated to him.<ref>{{Cite tweet|url=https://twitter.com/weezer/status/1313614683233038336|number=1313614683233038336|title=We're saddened to hear of Eddie Van Halen's untimely passing today.|access-date=March 12, 2023|user=Weezer|language=en}}</ref> In addition to Van Halen, the album is also dedicated to [[Ric Ocasek]], who produced the band's debut, ''[[Weezer (Blue Album)|The Blue Album]]'', ''[[Weezer (Green Album)|The Green Album]]'', and ''[[Everything Will Be Alright in the End]]'', as Ocasek had died in September 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Try the TIDAL Web Player|url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/181531972/credits|access-date=November 10, 2022|website=listen.tidal.com|date=May 7, 2021|language=en}}</ref>

On January 18, 2021, the band officially announced their fourteenth studio album, ''[[OK Human]]'' (a play on [[Radiohead]]'s ''[[OK Computer]]'').<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaye|first=Ben|date=January 18, 2021|title=Weezer announce new album OK Human is coming next week|url=https://consequence.net/2021/01/weezer-ok-human-release-date-next-week/|access-date=November 10, 2022|website=Consequence|language=en-US}}</ref>'','' following cryptic promotional floppy discs and links sent to some members of the Weezer Fan Club a few days prior. The announcement came with a release date of January 29.<ref name="Stereogum OK Human">{{Cite web|last=Deville, Chris|date=January 18, 2021|title=Weezer Announce New Album OK Human Out Next Week|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2113421/weezer-announce-new-album-ok-human-out-next-week/news/|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=Stereogum}}</ref><ref name="Cos OK Human">{{cite news|last1=Kaye, Ben|title=Weezer Announce New Album OK Human Is Coming Next Week|url=https://consequence.net/2021/01/weezer-ok-human-release-date-next-week/|access-date=January 19, 2021|work=Consequence of Sound|date=January 18, 2021|quote=Frontman Rivers Cuomo previously described the album (a clear play on Radiohead’s classic OK Computer)...}}</ref> The album's opening track, "[[All My Favorite Songs]]", was released as a single with an alternate version featuring indie pop-rock band [[AJR]].<ref name="Stereogum OK Human" /> The song reached No.1 on the Alternative Airplay chart and was later nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]] in the [[64th Annual Grammy Awards]]''.<ref name="Weezer" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Billboard Staff|date=November 23, 2021|title=2022 Grammy Nominees: The Complete List|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/grammy-nominations-2022-full-list-1235001871/|access-date=November 7, 2022|magazine=Billboard|language=en-US}}</ref>''

The album was planned to be released following ''Van Weezer'', but when the album suffered a year-long delay following the [[COVID-19 pandemic]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bloom|first=Madison|date=May 6, 2020|title=Weezer Delay Album and Share New Song "Hero": Listen|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/weezer-delay-album-and-share-new-song-hero-listen/|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> the band decided to shift their focus to completing ''OK Human'' first.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Carter|first1=Emily|title=Rivers Cuomo explains why OK Human is being released before Van Weezer|url=https://www.kerrang.com/rivers-cuomo-explains-why-ok-human-is-being-released-before-van-weezer|website=Kerrang!|access-date=June 13, 2022|date=January 26, 2021}}</ref> Work on ''OK Human'' began as early as 2017, when the band decided to make an album that combined rock instrumentation with an orchestra.<ref name="NPR.org">{{Cite news|title=Rivers Cuomo On Weezer's Latest, 'OK Human,' And The Need To Riff (Or Not)|language=en|work=NPR.org|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/29/962124558/rivers-cuomo-on-weezers-latest-ok-human-and-the-need-to-riff-or-not|access-date=November 10, 2022}}</ref> The band hired a 38-piece-orchestra and recorded the album entirely with analog equipment to achieve their desired [[Baroque pop|baroque]] sound. The album was additionally inspired by [[The Beach Boys]]' ''[[Pet Sounds]]'' and [[Harry Nilsson]]'s ''[[Nilsson Sings Newman]]'' (1970).<ref name="NPR.org"/>

The fourth single, "I Need Some of That" was released on April 21, 2021.<ref>{{Cite tweet|url=https://twitter.com/weezer/status/1384540735895130112|number=1384540735895130112|title=It's almost Van Weezer time.|access-date=March 12, 2023|user=Weezer|language=en}}</ref> ''Van Weezer'' was released on May 7, 2021, along with an animated music video for "All the Good Ones".<ref name="Cos OK Human" /> The album has been compared to their fourth studio album ''[[Maladroit]]'' (2002), and is inspired by 1970s and 1980s [[hard rock]] and [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] bands such as [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], [[Black Sabbath]], [[Metallica]] and [[Van Halen]] (the last of whom inspired the album's title).<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 10, 2019|title=Weezer Detail New Album ''Van Weezer'', Share New Song: Listen|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/weezer-detail-new-album-van-weezer-share-new-song-listen/|access-date=November 10, 2022|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}}</ref>