Few LPs boast as strange a narrative as Weezer's Pinkerton. Its 1996 arrival was met with unimpressive numbers, a lack of hit singles and mixed reviews from critics. But soon the album established itself a misunderstood masterpiece - offering captivating hooks, raw lyrics and a universal viewpoint that anyone could relate to. Today, it frequently appears in lists of best '90s albums. Written largely from Rivers Cuomo's perspective as he attended Harvard, Pinkerton confronts loneliness, isolation and awkwardness with Cuomo using Puccini's Lieutenant Pinkerton from Madame Butterfly to reflect the characters in the songs' quest for identity. Besides the melancholia, the album also contains witty humor - like "El Scorcho"'s shyness, the juxtaposition of humor and sadness in "Pink Triangle," and the contradictory mix of tedium and longing in "Tired of Sex." Psychosexual confusion, unrequited adoration and good intentions create unexpected feelings that remain one of the record's remarkable attributes.