Smash

Ah, comfort and nostalgia. My favorite band growing up and still a favorite genre. Unfortunately I hadn’t had much experience with this album in my younger days as I started my Offspring fandom with Americana. Classic Offspring sound. Fast and hard, fun lyrics that can be goofy and playful while still having a message. For me, I find their music energizing, even now. The intros, outros, and random intermissions were always a joy to hear, even if it did sometimes cut jarringly through the music. The extra long last track with the hidden song is a staple, but one that I’ve not missed.

Great when it's breakneck and on the verge of collapsing on itself with super hooky verses and choruses colliding with no space to breathe. The chuggier tracks kill the vibe

Amazing album. A very important album to listen too.

Come Out and Play makes it a 3 not a 2.

While I respect the punk scene and the music that came from it, this is personally not for me.

3.5

I like it but probably because I’m nostalgic

Good, last song was strange

I don’t really like this genre, but it’s smashing 💥

Classic 90s grunge

Boring

I liked the best tracks on this at the time, but it's actually very enjoyable as a whole now I've sat down and listened to it. A rare case of the best album not being the poppiest - that came next and has aged badly!

Ska isn’t dead

I hate this guy’s voice. A couple catchy hooks but very unremarkable

Very raw album and some memorable songs on here. Soft punk type vibes

2nd best Offspring album behind Ixnay

Musically not the best but cannot deny their influence.

Good. I didn't get into it as much as Conspiracy of One, Americana and Ixnay on the Hombre. Maybe I need to listen to it more.

Some of the best of this genre

such a banger

It was rough both musically and production-wise, which was its biggest strength, but biggest weakness as well. A few good songs with interesting lyrics

a lot of the songs sounded the same but still a fun album to jam too

hi-energy, clever post punk slam-dance music for intimate partners

Absolutely love this album. Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: yes Favourite Song: Bad Habit

Big album in the 90's, Offspring started shedding their punk roots for a more radio friendly Alt rock/pop punk sound on this one. It's an ok album, however the hits from this album just absolutely suck. Self Esteem? Come out and Play? Those were a shit d-bag rock anthems 30 years ago and they haven't age well. Killboy Powderhead and So Alone are pretty good. 30 years I would have given 4 stars, it's 3.5 but I'll round down since I'm old and angry.

There are a a few decent songs on this record (Something to Believe In, So Alone, Not the One) that are solid and a couple that are not good (the “hits”). The good ones remind me a bit of 7Seconds first 2 albums, except polished for commercial consumption.

Another big high school record. I've always loved the opening to Come Out and Play.

This album is on of the defining albums of my youth. Without this album, I don't listen to half of what I consider my favorite music now. I will gladly listen to this one anytime, anywhere. Also contains one of the best song for blasting out loud while driving around idiots of all time.

Just as annoying as when it was overplayed in 1994.

I loved this album as a kid, and listening to it is tied to that youthful nostalgia. It's not as world shaping now as it was back then, but damn if it isn't still one hell of an album.

Maybe I'm just a product of the time but this is a near perfect skate punk album and Offsprings 2nd best overall album.

Classic and nostalgic

Got me screaming STUPID DUMB SHIT GOD DAMN MOTHERFUCKER in traffic

Liked it

Love the hectic punky vibe on some of the tracks

Self esteem, come out and play, and gotta get away are classics. However, there is not a lot of song variety past that. Much of the album sounds the same. The offspring are better as a greatest hits album. 3/5

So many bangers on this album!

This is a bath of beautiful melodic, unrestrained punk. It is rightfully considered one of the greatest albums in the genre.

Je ne m'attendais pas à autant aimer cet album. Les petites interludes étaient un peu bizarres (ou la finale un tantinet anti-climactique), mais la musique est ultra solide tout au long de l'album. C'est du vrai bon punk rock pur, sans artifice. Accrocheur sans être générique. Un classique pour une bonne raison. 9/10

In "Pantera Fans in Love," Nerf Herders sings "I wish we'd never heard of the Offspring," which I always thought was a bit of a cheap shot. All due respect to Nerf Herder, but I wish I'd never heard of Pantera. Personally, I'd rather listen to all the Offspring albums back-to-back than listen to a single Pantera song. This album in particular is a solid offering of '90s punk(-ish) rock. It includes at least four tracks worthy of a greatest hits album, and after a quick trip to the Wiki, I've found that "Gotta Get Away," "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)," and "Self Esteem" actually are on their greatest hits album. Why "Bad Habit" isn't included is a head-scratcher. Maybe the road rage theme is considered in poor taste? If so, it seems like a weak reason to keep the song off the album; it might be my favorite track on "Smash." As for the rest of the album, it's all solid Offspring fare. Some I like more than others, but none of them compel me to jump for the "Skip" button. That's more than I can say for the majority of albums by any artist, and certainly for anything by Pantera.

This dropped in '94 when I graduated high school & went off to college. It was one of the first CDs I purchased on my own & it instantly became one of my favorites at the time. Gotta Get Away, Come Out and Play, and Self Esteem were at the top, and I always found the content in Self Esteem a bit jarring. Here's a song about a dude who has such little self esteem that he let's a slutty chick use the hell outta him. The role reversal blew my mind - it was the first time I had heard a song about a guy getting used and abused the way women often do in music. I respected the band for this perspective & thought it was pretty ballsy. Solid listen. 4 stars

Der Gesang hört sich manchmal an als wäre er in einem nicht schall-isolierten Raum aufgenommen, sehr cool. Es ist ein bisschen clipping dabei, was dem ganzen noch mehr Garagenflair gibt. Sehr 'go, go, nach vorne' Musik. sehr viel energie und rebellion, Systemkritik gepaart mit musik die lust auf demonstrieren macht

better than the previous few

Half this album can still be heard on the radio, which does take off some of the sheen. Of the 1990's punk that went mainstream, this is the most aggressive, which isn't as much my style. The songs can start to blend together during the 40 minute runtime, but enjoyable still. Best Song(s): Nitro, Bad Habit, Genocide, Come Out and Play, Self-Esteem Listen Again: Already Owned

Saw them play this one live. Loved it ever since!

I usually tended towards Pennywise and Rancid in high school, but this is still a good (potentially one of the best) example of early-mid 90s SoCal Punk that became popular. The singles from this album are still great, and it really captures the sound of the time (that soundtracked so so so so many teen movies).

Alright. I've liked a few but I'm not a huge fan.

top notch

Not my favorite but still has some classics on it.

Fantastic punk rock album from one of the greats! Love them when I was younger and still do! Best songs: Come Out and Play, Self-Esteem, Genocide

aggressive

Hardship.

Fun punk

Pretty crazy for its time. Very fun to listen to.

Overall it was ok. Punk. Couple of radio hits.

I bought Americana in 6th grade in 1998. This album is definitely more punk thank Americana and has some of the classic songs we all know and love. Very nostalgic for anyone who grew up in that era, but maybe wouldn't vibe with people hearing it for the first time these days.

Either my nostalgia is STRONG or the hits are just much better songs than most of the rest, but I was only feeling the middle/end of the album. That said, those tracks are great. Rating 3.5.

Oof, couldn't even listen to it.

pedal to the metal, classic mainstream (punk)rock album. One of my first CD's really hits in the nostalgia field for me. Would probably get under your skin to hear it too often or in the wrong moments, but still loads of fun.

Listenable for Come Out and Play, and Self Esteem. The rest is pretty generic nineties pop punk. Come Out and Play gets most of its charm from surf rock - Pulp Fiction? Two stars for the energy and production and humor and those tracks. Otherwise forgettable and obnoxiously intentionally juvenile and repetitive and lyrically offputting.

good album, but my favourites were definitely the ones I already knew before (the singles)

Gotta keep em separated

Loud & I didn’t have to think

This is one I owned in my youth. The hits here are top notch but there is no amazing deep cuts here.

THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME?? I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE THAT DIFFERENT SONGS PLAYED??

Охуенно, особенно финальный пост-рок опус на 10 минут 7/10

Not really my thing. I made it like 4 songs through. The first little intro was kinda funny

Classic american punk rock. Few stand out tracks, other than come out and play (awesome twangy guitar, energetic hey-ey s and it effectly uses very breif moments where there is not sound). Genocide felt very repetitive and the drums were offputting, not fitting with the guitar. The vocals in self esteem were not very tuneful at the beginning but better towards the midde of the song. I cant decide whether what happened to you doesnt fit or just mixes it up. In isolation the song is alright. I love the signing on and off; it makes the listener feel much more connected to the band.

I have listed to this album for decades. I like it

I've grown to have quite warm fuzzy feelings for Offspring. At the time, nothing could beat "Dookie" where I pretty much played it so much the cassette failed. But Tony Hawk and Crazy Taxi and the mists of time have made me realise I probably should have played some other cassettes too. Standout track "Self-Esteem"

Skate punk album for teenagers, which hasn't aged well in the past 30 years. It's not completely unlistenable but it deserves nothing more than a 2.

I dont enjoy a lot of this bands more popular songs (mainly 'pretty fly for a white guy'), and come out and play is one that i still dont like that much, but for the rest of it, this record is a blast and should be listened to if you like punk rock.

A solid rock piece with a few stand out songs that defined the genre for many years. 6/10

Hey hey hey come out and play

Doesn’t really work as an album. I think too many of the songs sound too much alike but any one of these songs goes hard in a playlist so 3/5 for that at least.

LA LA LA LALA LA

Great energy

Great, energetic album with easy recognizable Offspring hits. I think that when it comes to american punk rock, you can't get much better.

Reminds me of the 1st year of university. An extra 1/2 star for nostalgia.

Favourite tracks: bad habit; gotta get away; self esteem; come out and play ; genocide

Epitome of 90's punk!

Blast off with music that will get ur blood pumping and emit 90s teen angst thru pop punk music the only way The Offspring know how to do. This album will have you sweating from the non stop guitar licks and furious fast drumming from track to track. Anticipate pure adrenaline running thru your veins. Accept the transformation.

Reminds me of just sitting and playing tony hawk just sitting and vibing off the punk energy trying to land a 900

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: yeah, was decent Favourite song: Track 8 - Self Esteem

it was ok, wouldn't seek it out again

ekki elst vel. fannst þetta fínt ungum enda með vanþróaðan framheila

This was pretty boring, which makes complete sense given my track record with punk music. Offspring is fine, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to them. My favourite song was Self Esteem.

One of my all-time favorites.

Good stuff

Not the best writing in the world. Pretty formulaic, but it was definitely unique. I liked this album quite a bit when it first came out and it holds up pretty well in my opinion.

Like kje sånn punk

Some of this is a rough listen. I'm glad to have moved beyond youthful anger.

Klassisk punk rock, fed energi. Er måske lidt for gammel til det efterhånden

- Never listened to the Offspring before but thought it'd be something I'd like - Disappointed, nothing interesting really stuck out and doesn't seem like it fits on the list

I may finf something about this album which I like, but it’s unlikely that I will ever come back.

Have always been a fan and glad to see Smash get wider love. Very representative of ‘90s-00’s skate punk.

Good music, lyrics are aged and cringe.

My intro to the Offspring. And a fan ever since.

I'm a fan of the Offspring. I haven't listened to them in a few years like I used to but this is a great album. Very nostalgic and different from their comedic songs.

Very energetic and fun, the drums carry the intense pace. Singing, harmonies and use of guitars makes them pop, although a bit raw.

The "sad punk" vibe gets a little tiring - the mood is a little drab and rainy despite the speed. Probably because of Dexter's vocal style and the minor keys. Gets kinda monotonous as the album goes on.

funny pero i have outgrown this

Never had a skateboarder phase = meh

Two really good songs

Im giving this a 4, I really like this album and knew many of the songs. Seems to have a withstanding legacy but its overall rating doesn't stand up to the bog players apparently.

Never been a fan of these guys, but Come Out and Play is a nice nostalgic ditty.

Can't stand the singers voice

classic

- Surprised to see an Offspring album on here, good for them - Not the hugest Offspring fan, but this album has some bangers - I'd give it an honest 3.5, but I'll round up cuz its punk

- legends of speed punk - musicianship is very high - lyrics can be hit or miss but the messaging is always very good

Good coypl3 of tunes reminds me of being younger but overall pretty bland and the guys voicr is kinda annoying.

Struggling to find much merit in this, it's pretty inane. It's like they couldn't be bothered to find something worth shouting about so they just shouted anyway.

They just kind of troweled on the angst and anger without much finesse. Somehow it sounds both raw and contrived to me. Come and Play is a undeniable banger. The rest I could do without.

Most for the nostalgia: pseudo-angry pop-punk, moshing at late night 90s rock clubs, Crazy Taxi and Tony Hawks Pro Skater.

Great, high energy punk rock. I knew three of the songs already. Only negative I can think of is the vocals are done in the same way throughout. I'm sure that will lead some reviewers to say all the songs sound the same.

I liked the spoken intermissions! Plus that short hidden track at the end. Other than that, I didn't like it that much... + Time To Relax + Come Out And Play + Self Esteem

Album 144 of 1001 The Offspring - Smash Rating : 4 / 5 Favorite Track : Self Esteem I'm liking the punk offerings more, each day. This is a good one. Many songs I remember from 90s radio.

Im surprised by the quality of the riffs. Didnt expect that. Kinda heavy/thrashy sometimes.

I grew up listening to this album and at no point would I have felt the need to tell another person "You have to hear the Offspring album with Self Esteem on it." I find it odd this album is on the list, because I am not sure the impact this album had. Maybe it had a bigger impact on the West Coast than for me on the East Coast. It's really a good album, but is not a "must-listen." Plus, "Gotta Get Away" only reminds me of "Territorial Pissings" by Nirvana. I want to say they kind of ripped off the chorus of "Territorial Pissings," but that's probably not correct.

It's exactly what you'd expect from an Offspring record. Juvenile ideas executed with infectious energy. Don't get me wrong, even though the subject matter tends to be adolescent, the wordplay is pretty clever and there are some real bangers here. It's really hard to argue against "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem". They slap. Do they slap hard enough to carry a whole album? Not even remotely. But they ARE fun tracks. The biggest problem with the album is that it's 45 minutes long. That's long enough for the schtick to get old, the pace to get exhausting, and the immature songwriting to get obnoxious. I was on track to give this a solid 4-star review somewhere around "Self Esteem" but the whole vibe of the thing outstayed its welcome by the time I hit the end of "Smash".

decent song

Nice album. Nothing more and nothing less

Machine gun, rattling 3 minute stompers. Some poignant, cutting sharp lyrics, mixed in with banal drivel. Did i enjoy it... Yes... Was it great.. No. Incosistent, a bit repetetive and no real flair... But madly i liked it.

lots of catchy songs

Oh gosh, the hardest part of this list is the bland 70s rock and bland 90s rock. I enjoyed the radio hits that came off this album when it came out, but the album as a whole does little for me. It starts to feel really same/same after a while and I sort of suffered through it. 3/5 for the two decent hits, surrounded by bland grinding grunge.

The Offspring were in the right place at the right time. They pretty much perfected skate punk commercially and are instantly recognizable. 13 year old me was absolutely hyped to have this to listen to growing up.

This album fuckin rocks. It rocks fuckin hard. It’s so fun and doesn’t take itself seriously and it all works perfectly. Second half gets a little repetitive compared to the experimental first half. A little too comfortable. That and the production are my only two complaints. Everything else is so electrifying you can’t not enjoy unless you go in with shit in your pants. Also, the influence of this album cannot be overstated. Love it. 4/5

I was never a big fan of bands like Offspring or Green Day. They're called punk but I feel like they are sort of a pop-version of punk. It's okay, it has a lot of energy, but I just don't love it. 3 stars.

First time listening, is clearly a hugely influential album to modern bands

Favourites: • Genocide • Come Out and Play • Self Esteem

It's fun and I can see why my teen self got around them, but ultimately I came away from this listen thinking this was pretty lame. Fav track: Self Esteem 2.5

All for some Tony Hawks Pro Skater core but this was pretty samey and a bit lame and just never fully committed to the scratchy ratbaggery or more catchy melodic punk rock. Fave track: It'll Be a Long Time

Kind of a nostalgia listen, which makes up for a lot, considering this is actually kind of a lame punk record. Those crunchy guitars and simple songwriting aren’t much that would bring me back over and over, and it’s funny to compare this to a lot of other groundbreaking alt-rock from the mid 90s. But it’s still so much fun. Can picture my older brother playing some of these songs to a smaller sized me with Oakley sunglasses, spiked hair, and a Hawaiian shirt. Three and a half. Fave track: Come Out and Play

Never listened to this album fully, but I've heard all but a few of the songs anyway. This makes me wish ai was a little older and could have been a part of the scene at the time instead of learning about it 10 years later.

Peak pop punk. Even tiptoes into being a spiritual successor to the punk-adjacent first Iron Maiden album. I think that riff in the bridge of Genocide follows the melody from the bridge of Maiden's Phantom of the Opera. Come Out and Play back to back with Self Esteem is just diabolical. Kickass tunes. It pushes for 5 stars at times, but I think "perfect punk" is an oxymoron. Final verdict 4.25.

Eh

Damn it.

Bad Habit, Come Out and Play and Self Esteem are the best songs. Average other songs.

good length, strong 4, most songs sound very similar but I like the sound. self esteem, keep em separated (hell yeah brother), not the one

Classic pop punk

Childhood memories!

OMG! This album is amazing! Takes me back to when I first moved here. I'd listen to the tape on my walkman on the bus on my to parklane and back.

Come out and Play and Self Esteem were their big radio hits. That's about all I can take of this style of music.

Ugh, not my thing at all. Had to skip forward on many of the tracks. I'd rather punk stayed punk rather than staying into pop territory.

ermm, ok... most of the songs are good, in my opinion, but there's so little variety on this album and all of the songs sound pretty much the same to me. they blend together.

The 90s man. Good times.

This makes me feel like I should be playing Crazy Taxi. It also makes me realize I really only care about this music while playing Crazy Taxi.

Don’t hate on me for this but I really like this album

More of a 2.5 but rounding up because nostalgia

It's a 2 from me but a 5 from sixteen-year-old me. Self Esteem & Come Out And Play are fun

It's edgy, it's fun, it has spoken meta-interludes and a hidden track. Doesn't get more 90s than this.

From the first lines of John Mayer’s (not that one) vocals on “Time To Relax”, I feel incredibly safe and nostalgic in the arms of Dr. Dexter Holland (look it up) and the rest of The Offspring. One of the greatest punk rock records of the 90’s, I have listened to this so many times that I was honestly shock that “Nitro (Youth Energy)”, “Bad Habit” and “Something To Believe In” didn’t even have their own Wikipedia pages - in my mind they were definitely singles. There’s not a bad moment from the intro until after “It’ll Be A Long Time” where it takes a minor dive until “Smash” once again brings it all back. I’m rounding this up due to it having a hidden track - how 90’s is that?

Volgens mij vond Klaske dit leuker om te luisteren dan ik.

Vet! Hoewel ik nooit meer iets van ze heb gedraaid, blijft deze toch wel vers in mijn geheugen staan.

Dat is nog eens nostalgie. Maakt nu toch minder indruk dan destijds.

Haha hoe tof om dit weer eens een keer te horen! Heeft nog weinig van zijn kracht verloren. En stukken relevanter dan al die blije kutzooi die ze op volgende albums hebben gegooid.

Ik vind toch vooral de hitjes leuk.

completley unappealing to me - couldnt wait for it to end but I suppose it will appeal to some

I'd give it less than one if I could.

They got better with time. This showed some promise and had plenty of energy in a way I like, but it got a bit samey by the end

I'm not mad at this: seemed like a solid rock punk record and from what I can tell definitely has it's cult following. Didn't jump to me as smth I would listen to again and again but I can give myself with time (or a viral tiktok sound) coming to really like or even love this album.

The singles are really good but the rest of the album is loud punk, which is not my style

The energy in this album was very much appreciated on my Friday morning walk to work. I think I’m probably missing out on some zeitgeisty element of the Offspring by not listening to a rip off of Napster and smoking skunk weed in a basement, but I’ve got a good enough imagination to see the appeal. You can definitely tell a lot of bands afterwards were heavily influenced by these guys’ sound. The bangers are bangers but 3 stars still feels appropriate when the name of the game is greatest albums of all time

“What happened to you?” is catchy. Percussion was too similar across a lot of tracks in a way. Guitar and bass did not disappoint. Title track “Smash” was nice. Empowering and what I needed leaving work to go home and smash plates on a Friday. Then it transitioned into a simple, but chant like percussion and chords

I had never listened to the Offspring aside from their hits, but Smash is about as complete of an album as any to come out of the nineties. Now I’m going to listen all the way through Americana too just to see what other hidden gems the band has to offer. “Bad Habit” may as well be called “The Houston Driver’s Anthem.” Throughout the song I couldn’t help but imagine a cobalt blue Challenger topping 120 southbound on 59 through Greenway. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, I guess. “Gotta Get Away” has a Nirvana-esque feel to it, especially during the chorus. “Come Out and Play” is a classic, and I’d never appreciated the depth of the song and its story until I took a couple of listens this weekend. I do wonder if the band would have written it in a post-Columbine world, though. I hate to admit it, but “Self Esteem” sounds all too familiar with lines like “I may be dumb, but I’m not a dweeb.” “Not the One” appears superficial at first, but the final verse reveals the band’s maturity and ability to incorporate meaningful lyrics into their head-banging style. Though we bear the burdens of past generations’ mistakes, we can only hope we’re not cursing future generations in the exact same way, but more likely than not, we are. I was looking forward to a seven minute solo to finish things off with “Smash,” and while the five minutes of silence followed by an Arabian take on “Come Out and Play” confused me, I’ll assume there’s an artistic value I don’t understand. Smash is the epitome of mid-nineties angst. With both classics and deep cuts orchestrated by a soothing narrator, the album has not a single skip in 14 tracks. Hmm, I especially enjoyed that one. Let’s see what’s next!

I am highly biased on this album because I have loved a bunch of it's songs since I was a kid. My mom shared her love of 90s rock music with me and I have many fond memories of listening to Come Out and Play with her in the car. Bonus fun fact: The Offspring have a song titled You're Gonna Go Far Kid that was adopted by bronies as a theme song of sorts.

Initial impression after the first few tracks... boring. Just not that much going on. Production has too much emphasis on midrange, they seem to be thinking they are playing super fast super thrash which is true but conversely this just isn't all that interesting. Vocals are lame, just a monotone sing shout. There are two songs I recognize and they are a bit more tuneful and better, but honestly, without them this album would be pretty terrible. I was listening to Dead Kennedys right before this and boy, what a contrast, so much better songwriting, so much more emotion, so much more energy! I was sorely tempted to give it one star, but there are two decent songs, if I could I'd do 3/10 so I'll give them two stars and save the one star for something truly awful, not just boring.

Fun, nice energy. Got me enthusiastic, but eventually the Offspring is a one trick pony.

It's ok

Certainly one of the albums

The songs I like from the offspring, I like because they came to me when I was 13. Most of these songs didn't not and I'm not 13 anymore.

Totaler Klassiker. Ich find so richtig gut singen kann er nicht der Kurt. Aber die Songs sind totale smasher! 5 Sterne.

A politically conscious pop punk album with more pop than punk. Much better than the other limited selection of pop punk albums I’ve heard across my life.

J'ADORE !!!

Heard before Saved 9/14 Top track: Bad Habit

Released right after Dookie, this album's highly accessible sound propelled skate punk to the mainstream, with many songs being radio staples to this day. Its diy raw punk style offered many listeners a good alternative to both grunge and that "poppy" alt-rock that dominated radio. It's aggressive, fun, and catchy with tons of hits in the first half. It has its weak songs. "Something to Believe In" is a little catchy and has a killer guitar solo but sticks out as the odd one in a side full of hits. The second half has its moments in every song and is more true to traditional hardcore and skate punk, honestly feels like a Minor Threat EP. It's good, but not as memorable or strong as the first half. My highlight was the ska "What happened to you?" It's their most consistent album, and doesn't have any bad tracks (unlike their other albums), but there's very clearly more potential here.

One of the must hear it

2 stars, just a bit to metal for me!

Pressed skip a number of times on this. That cookie cutter punk drums and constipated Kurt Cobain vocals just aren't right.

This is a guilty pleasure. Great memories of moshing at Balinese nightclubs during Schoolies '96. The Offspring never sounded this good again.

real, energy and fun

Really good punk album. The Offspring are one of those bands that get people into punk music, and this album has a few of the great songs that hooked us.

Smash

Too rowdy for me

Not a fan, but I can get into it I’m some moods.

The idea of listening to this band after hearing 'Cruising California' makes me cringe. However, this album is a different ball game, Self Asteem, Keep 'em Separated and What Happened to you are the standouts. The drumming is excellent and very tight, but at times quite repetitive, backing vocals are a big highlight. Overall about as solid a 3 as you can get

-okay that intro song is HILARIOUS -this just seems like very average punk rock -like teen garage band punk rock -and some bands like that are really really good! -but i don’t super think this band is -the songs weren’t bad to listen to -definitely enjoy a lot of the rock on this list WAYYYYY more

Very of it's time. Consistent. Angsty. Strong middle. Secret tracks are, and always have been, stupid.

I'm not a trendy asshole

There’s some good songs for sure, but it’s not really my thing.

It was okay.

3.5

4.75

Loved this when it came out. Never loved another Offspring record and stopped listening. Still a good record but feels a tad dated to me.

Es muy ruidoso y todo igual. Tiene una onda a Green Day pero más monótono. No me gustó mucho pero tampoco es tan malo.

Not a bad post-punk sound.

Until I listened to this I would have said that I'd only heard the radio-played songs off this. As it turns out almost all of them sound familiar and I even seem to know the lyrics to about half. I definitely never owned this album as a child so I think my brother must have, and played it often enough to permeate my consciousness. The good songs are still good, and individually I think they're all decent, but the thrashy energy gets tiring at length.

Damn, what an absolute pure punk rush this album is. Definitely the sort of flat out energy I can really appreciate. I can say I've heard of The Offspring, but I've not heard much of their stuff, and this was all new to me. But this absolutely rocked. It's fast and aggressive, while being super catchy and harmonic. Made for great driving music but the gas pedal seemed much heavier with this playing. Excellent album. Favourite: Nitro (Youth Energy)

This shit right here! so goddamn obnoxious! such a great time! What's the secret sauce?! Whence their charm?!

epiiiiiiiiccc as hell. i like the narrator guy hehe. he friend. i think not the one is the only song i really didn’t care for but that’s about it. fav track: what happened to you?

Marches right through without feeling monotonous, which isn't always the case with this genre.

Not for me

Really good

Not a fan

Not my kind of music

Not that interesting, quite thrashy and grungy without any memorable songs. Not one I will bother with again

Sounds like Motörhead for some reason but without the tightness. The sound of "Smash" is loose, loud, and annoying. Like an electric drill. It's an interesting take on punk/grunge, but the overall sound made me want to... you know, SMASH something? It does feel harsh giving it a 1, but I really hated this album enough to do it. The annoying chugging-train sound of punk plus the grating grunge voice? I hated it, I'm sorry.

It was interesting, but I still prefer later albums

pretty good punk rock album but it's never been one of my favorites from the Offspring. the Wikipedia page also compares it to Green Day's Dookie, which in my opinion is a far better album in most respects. still solid for the most part with a few standout tracks. i also like the reggae influence on what happened to you. favorites: nitro (youth energy), something to believe in, come out and play

Solid 3... these dudes yelling at me just didn't really resonate. clearly influenced the genre. can hear their sound utilized in Green Day, Weezer, arctic monkeys etc...

Melodic and memorable songs. The fast tempo, guitar tone and vocal style give it a lot of energy, which I really like. Some of the songs feel samey, tho. 4/7/8

Monotone shouty din.

Sick album, gotta love The Offspring Saved tracks: Nitro(Youth Energy), Gotta Get Away, Come Out and Play, It’ll Be a Long Time, What Happened To You?

Good

One now knows what to listen to next time he gets a tattoo or goes to the skate park. This is just as obnoxious and sophomoric as one remembers. It could scarcely be samier, cut to cut, save maybe for the ska pastiche (kids, maybe try listening to something more like the real thing) but even that has the same banks of fuzzy-crunching guitars (all of which sound synthetic). Plus it’s a convincing exhibit in the increasingly one-sided case that accuses the ‘90s of being the worst musical decade ever. Only needs knowing by adolescent boys and it would be better if they too skipped it. It really requires a warning label for that cohort, a warning that should specify how silly it will all sound in a few years, when presumably one will cultivate some taste, develop some perspective, broaden one’s horizons, etc.

90s classic, hearing 'Bad Habit' was tops

An album that really lives in the punk genre while also creating a small niche for itself within it. Dexters voice in particular presents itself well and is front and center on this. Bangers all around.

Enjoyed it more than I expected to, music snobs I know spoke poorly of the Offspring, but it was some solid music.

Ah junior high. This record still feels weird to me. It's the first record that I heard that openly talked about sex. Is it "real punk"? Who knows! Is it dangerous? Probably not. But it felt dangerous. And that's all that matters.

Conforme se difuminaba el grunge buscábamos un sustito y este fue parte de ese intento por mi parte. No es mal disco pero no han trascendido por méritos propios. Este disco y su Americana creo que son lo mejor y lo único que he escuchado con más o menos atención. A destacar "Bad habit", "Something to believe in", "Come out and play", "Self esteem" o los rifs de "So alone" y la velocidad de "Not the one" merecen recordar más este disco.

Pop punk. Neither pop nor punk is a new genre, so I can't give a lot of credit there. As for combining the two, I'd say that The Ramones did that way back in the mid-70s. But this is still pretty good. Offspring does pop punk well. But they're not Green Day. For me, this would be like comparing Megadeth to Metallica, but in this case it's Offspring vs. Green Day. Metallica and Green Day get five stars; Megadeth and Offspring get four.

1.) Time To Relax: 5/10 Decent intro. Prefer the intro to Shellac’s Prayer to God 2.) Nitro (Youth Energy): 6.1/10 Alright sounding punk song. Not much to say really 3.) Bad Habit: 7.5/10 Really loved the intro ngl. Pretty cool lyrics and nice melody 4.) Gotta Get Away: 5.9/10 Decent punkish song I guess 5.) Genocide: 7.6/10 Immediately enjoyed the faster pace. Cool lyrics and nice hook. Dog eat dog. 6.) Something To Believe In: 6.6/10 Nice fast pace again. Didn’t enjoy as much as Genocide though 7.) Come Out and Play: 6.5/10 Everyone knows this song for literally the first part. Nice lil surf riff (that’s my favorite part ngl) 8.) Self Esteem: 5/10 The other song everyone knows. My band was gonna play this but it got cut. Don’t like it as much as Come Out and Play. Sounds tired. 9.) It’ll Be A Long Time: 6.9/10 This is a jumpstart from Self Esteem and a much needed one at that. The faster pace actually makes me enjoy it way more than Self Esteem. More punky. Kind of a tired trite version of punk that’s been done to death but punky nonetheless. 10.) Killboy Powerhead: 6.3/10 Like the title. Sounds like a Big Black title. The punkish sound they’re going for is kinda wearing off on me. Album seems fairly one note to me ngl. 11.) What Happened to You?: 6.8/10 Nice change of sound. Very ska influenced since Sublime’s Ten Oz. To Freedom had been out for two years by this point. Vocals sound too polished across this whole album ngl. Double tracked too well I guess. Seems unnatural. 12.) So Alone: 6.2/10 Punk song to its very core (just over a minute long) 13.) Not The One: 5.6/10 Nice lyrics. Whole album’s kinda wearing at me by this point 14.) Smash: 5.8/10 Oooh hidden track. Not as good as Endless, Nameless though (although nothing can be). Cool lil surfy jam though (I recognize the song yet cannot for the life of me figure out the name) Final rating: Strong 4/Light 5 Just kinda felt like the mainstream perception of punk in the worst way possible. Did have some bangers though.

I used to really like this band and it was still enjoyable, but the songs I hadn't heard didn't really grab me.

Seemingly upbeat indignant outrage and great hooks. Sam said, "turn it up."

It’s good, definitely on the more punk end of pop punk which is great, self esteem does kinda stand out as the best track but all the songs are solid 4/5.

Dexter’s voice is so unique. Sounds pretty unskilled but kind of works sometimes. Other times horribly annoying. Teeters between the two for me.

Not a genre I usually enjoy, but this was alright

I thought it was going to be "dire and serious" punk but it turns out its more of a "lighthearted and fun" punk that would characterise the pop-punk to follow.

The Offspring is one of those bands I've managed to avoid listing to (on purpose), though it's hard to avoid, "Come Out And Play", which seems to appear everywhere. Actually, I don't mind that song, though too much of anything is tiring and separated. I've considered them one of those bands that help take punk rock (along with...Green Day) to the mainstream, well at least pop-punk and is the ideal band for newbies of the genre. Inoffensive, but edgy enough to spike your hair and get multiple tattoos on your face to make your parents nervous. The music is fine, but nothing that hasn't been done before and there are a lot more less popular bands that do it better and are less annoying.

come out and play en self esteem zijn classics, de rest is maar matig. Americana is stukken beter imo

één gigantische schijf de rest vrij mid

I like their other stuff, this was a little bit of a headache though, maybe would've given it a 3/5 on a good day and a 4/5 on a hot summer day playing horseshoes with my second cousins.

I fucking hate this band.

How does my brain still know every word of this album, after not hearing it for yearssss, yet I forget how old I am?

7,5/10

If you're into funk and angsty rock this album is probably for you. I enjoyed a few songs but after a while, it becomes quite dull.

I never understood what the 1990s US punk revival was about since the bands of that era didn't add anything to what came over a decade earlier. Offspring was able to get the formulae right for the large audience FM stations with songs like Self Esteem and Come Out and Play but this isn't really a compliment.

I think that if was born in 1980 I would have liked this. It’s not as bad as a lot of the late 20th century quasi punk/metal out there. The song-writer has a good knack for catchy sing-along choruses that don’t sound (too) trite.

This is a cut above Green Day, but this shouty adolescent pop/punk sound is not my jam.

pioneer. challenging. inspirational. monotonous.

What a strange album to have to review for this list. I listened to this album all the time when I was younger, and to this day I love the sound of this album. However, I'm not sure why it's significant other than that it is a really good pop punk album that was part of punk breaking through to the mainstream in the 90s. I don't think it should be criticized for that fact, but it seems like a weird inclusion. Like, is there a Mighty Mighty Bosstones album on this list in recognition of ska's breakthrough in the late 90s? All pedantry aside, this album fucking kicks ass and it's a real fun listen all the way through. I don't think it broke much new ground, but I suppose it fits on this list as a sign of times in which it was popular 4/5

BL: Forgot to write a BL - but I am aware of the offspring and used to be a big fan of them when I was 12-14 AL: pretty good album, a lot more variety than I expected. The guitar parts were good but tbh the other instrument parts weren’t massively noticeable. Lyrics were typical 90s teen angst but “Self-Esteem” is still a banger FT: “Self Esteem”, “Genocide”, “What Happened to You?” 3/5

To be fair this is not at all my favorite genre so it kind of started behind the 8 ball. Most of the songs are pretty one dimensional and sound quite similar to me, which I'm sure would change with more listens but not sure if it's worth that. The vocal delivery gets a little grating by the end as well. 4/10

Still a brilliant album after all of these years. I bought it on the strength of the single "Come Out and Play", and then not only found such a wonderful selection of tracks on this album but a new band to follow and love.

The mere fact that The Offspring is in this list and NOFX isn't perfectly encapsulates what's so goddamn wrong with Dimery's book sometimes. Commercial success is definitely favored over artistic merits once in a while. Usually, punk rock isn't too plagued with that sort of 'commercial concern', which makes a lot of punk albums in the list relevant. But here, it's pretty much the opposite that's going on... And it's quite frustrating. Just so you know, I really tried to listen to the album with fresh new ears, but this didn't really change my initial assessment of this record (and band) when it came out: because that thing's not so good, is it? To be clear, the problem is not merely that the band's music was way overrated by my generation. The problem was that as a songwriter, Dexter Holland was just a shrewd, cynical, opportunistic fox, and it shows. Never bought that pretense that the band didn't see their success coming, by the way. Everything in *Smash*'s singles is formatted so that said success could happen. And by "formatted", I mean *ripped off* from other 'trendy' bands at the time. Which gives an interesting subtext to some of Holland's lyrics. Are his claim that he's not a "trendy asshole" on the song "Smash" to be taken ironically, for instance? You tell me. I mean, how can you listen to *Self-Esteem* and *Gotta Get Away* and NOT see that it's a soulless attempt to replicate's Nirvana's formula? 'Soulless' being the key word to remember here. I know Kurt Cobain himself ripped off a few bands to create his timeless songs--so I guess there's still that to take into account--but at least he ripped off arcane stuff released by Killing Joke or Boston a decade or more before *Nevermind*. He didn't rip off a band that had a massive breakout success a couple of years ago. Well, Holland and his band did. OK, Cobain readily admitted that he also ripped off Pixies, not a breakout success into the mainstream at the time, but still a very important band. But at least Kurt brought his own subtle and elegant vocal harmonies to the whole thing. That's the reason most Nirvana songs sound great on an acoustic guitar and ones by The Offspring don't. What did Holland bring to that template, in comparison? To me, he brought a few simplistic, hackneyed melodies signalling his thing was all about style, not *substance*. And how much more cynical and opportunistic than that can you get, huh? About Dexter Holland's "opportunistic" tendencies, a quick sidenote: when the Nirvana tap petered out, The Offspring had to find other sources of inspiration, obviously. For a subsequent hit single a few years after *Smash*, Holland thus elected to rip off The Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"! How can you rip off The Beatles and choose one of their WORST SONGS EVER??? (instead of their many marvels)... Oh I have the answer: because it annoyingly lingers in people's heads, just like most of the famous songs recorded by The Offspring. Checks out. If enough people remember said tune--even if it's annoying to an extent--a lot of folks in general audiences will buy the damn thing anyway. Simple, eh? To return to *Smash*, it's got a couple of other memorable tracks at the start of the record, "Nitro' and "Bad Habit", and they're more in line with what the Epitaph roster was doing at the time. So I guess those two tracks are less opportunistic than the singles, at least. Speaking of singles, cheek-in-tongue "Come Out And Play" is not so bad, to be honest, but it got overplayed on the radio at the time the album was released, so I can't listen to it anymore. And apart from those few highlights I've listed here, everything else is pretty lame. There's even a mandatory ska-punk track on side two. Just in case that other trend might be useful to sell a few more unit shifters to a few more 'alternative' kids out there, I imagine. Ugh. 🙄 One last thing: Dexter's voice is quite grating in many parts of the record, even in the few good tracks in it. 'Punk' means raw or rough, I get that. Yet, there's also a whiny quality to his vocals that actually goes against the intended energy he displays while singing those songs. Maybe that whiny grain made the whole thing palatable for young mainstream audiences at the time, I don't know. To be fair, those sorts of 'flat', whiny vocals were to be found in many other skate-punk albums released around those years, so this is probably only a matter of personal taste here. But mine says such vocals didn't age well anyway. Holland is still a very talented man, don't get me wrong. It takes a lot of skills to manage the sort of shrewd success he's had with The Offspring. Besides, I've just read on Wikipedia that the man has many other assets I would never have imagined from a guy like him. He's a plane pilot, an entrepreneur, a charity fundraiser, a cook, and a science researcher. The last area is the most impressive endeavor, by the way. Working in molecular biology to potentially help find a vaccine against AIDS is worthy of all the praise you can give someone. So who cares if you never wrote a *truly* essential album when you were younger (and yet had a lot of success with it)? Trying hard to end on a *positive* note here. But it's not enough to make me include this LP in my own list. 2/5 for the purposes of such a list (which means 7/10 for a more general assessment: 5+2). Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 596 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 193 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 90 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 121 (including this one)

Shrill and shouty. Not Good

Good

Really love Dexter Holland’s voice, great album with a lot of catchy guitar lines throughout.

я не большой знаток оффспринг, но не узнать их невозможно. это бодро, весело и классно. отдельно отмечу, что слушал их в момент, когда ничего не успевал. ощущений добавляет отлично..

Очень сочно, ярко, вкусно. Один из лучших панк альбомов

Ох ты ж, какая тоже классика подъехала: это же Ляпис Трубецкой в лучшие годы! Ладно, это была плохая шутка... На самом деле, альбом очень плотный по звуку, его приятно слушать. Не фанат панка, но с удовольствием погрузился на час в этот мир. Единственное, что осталось не до конца понято - концовка. То есть, начальный скит как бы максимально в тему был: коротенький, несколько слов "по сути". А вот последний 10минутный трек-не трек... что-то странное. Часть времени там просто тишина и в какой-то момент я ненароком подумал, что пластинка кончилась. Минуту-две пришлось ехать в тишине.

Важный факт: не слушайте этот альбом в турбулентности. Уши оч болят. (Исключение: вторая часть последнего трека). А в целом оч вкусно, даже решил снова треки сразу в плейлисты добавлять и тут 4 набралось без проблем. 4+

Nirvana green day sound. Not for me

Liked this album, but prefer Americana tbh

Det finns några finfina låtar.

Terrible

I'd give this a high 3 star rating. Self-esteem is a real banger, but I didn't really get with the rest that much, even though the music style fits me well. This is why it's not a 4.

I think my first ever album i bought was Americana by The Offspring. This is a few albums earlier and it still have some hits. I loved the songs I've heard before while the others were so-so. Come out and play (keep 'em seperated) will forever be molten giants trash in MC for me.

3.5

Even opgezocht hoe dit genre ook alweer heet, punkrock dus. Vrolijk over het podium stuiteren, de gitaren laten vlammen, kritische houding tegenover de wereld en feesten maar. (Zonder Offspring geen Heideoosjes met Johnny en Anita.) Hoe dan ook, dit album is een van de betere in de genre en dan kan ik het prima aanhoren.

Een beoordeling op melodie of harmonie zou hier totaal niet op zijn plaats zijn. Alsof je abstractie schilderijen beoordeelt of het Van Goghs zijn. Het gaat bij dit soort albums juist over de 'buitenkant'; over hoe het overkomt bij de luisteraar. En dit album komt over als een knaller, met een flinke ruwe rand. Het is perfect als je wat energie kwijt moet. Lekker meeschreeuwen of, voor de meer muzikaal ontwikkelden, lekker meespelen op de luchtgitaar en bijbehorend drumstel. De twee hits (vooral Come Out And Play) zijn hiervoor het meest geschikt en krikken de rating flink omhoog. 4+ sterren.

90s mix van punkrock en grunge. Het mooie verhaal erachter vind ik wel dat dit op een klein independent label is uitgebracht, omdat die muziek helemaal niet zo populair was. Maar we weten allemaal wat er daarna in de jaren 90 is gebeurd. Harde gitaarmuziek stond ineens gewoon in de top40, was gewoon een soort van mainstream. En daarom krijgen we het nu ook in deze 1001 albums voorgeschoteld. De Offspring wordt vaak lacherig over gedaan (zanger kan niet zingen, 4 akkoorden, etc), maar dit is toch een puik album vol energie. Lekker, een echte 90s classic.

Punkrock, faktisk helt okay, energisk

Self Esteem is a legitimately good song. Come Out and Play is annoyingly catchy. The rest of this album is glam punk nonsense. It is remarkable that this is the best selling independent album of all time.

not my style

Classic punk rock bangers

Chillled outttt…..

Some nice melodic hardcore. I can see why this sold a gajillion bajillion copies. Not my preferred flavour of punk, though

Ska sången var bänger... resten e helt trevligt

Oh man, The Offspring's debut album, Smash, is an absolute classic! Listening to it brings me right back to my childhood, when I used to blast "Self Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away" on my Walkman like it was nobody's business. I mean, this album is packed with catchy hooks, driving guitar riffs, and lyrics that speak to the teenage rebellion in all of us. It's like a shot of pure adrenaline straight to the heart. And let's not forget about the iconic album cover featuring that poor little skeleton dude getting pummeled by a hammer. It's the perfect visual representation of the album's in-your-face attitude. So yeah, if you're looking for a nostalgia trip back to the glory days of '90s punk rock, then Smash is an absolute must-listen. I give it a solid 3,5 out of 5 and I'm rounding it up to 4 because just because it's the punk rock thing to do.

This album brings back memories. I wore it out when I was younger. As soon as the voice-over said "Ahh it's time to relax..." I started to recite every word. Self-esteem, and come out and play were in heavy rotation, but the whole album just rocks. The mid 90s heavy punk style, loud guitars, drums and bass are great. Overall great album

A really excellent album with all the speed metal guitar riffs and the ease-in scream-o vocals. Time to Relax - Fitting since I'm in Playa del Carmen this week. According to Wikipedia, "The Offspring has been labeled under multiple genres, such as punk rock, hardcore punk, melodic hardcore, pop punk, skate punk, and alternative rock." I really started listening more of this band when I moved to Southern California because KROQ played them often since they came from Garden Grove. Bad Habit, Gotta Get Away, Come Out & Play, & Self Esteem are favorites followed by Not the One.

classic punk from the 90's. Pretty good.

Solid levels of angst in this one I can almost hear my young self screaming "You don't understand Mum!" as I slam the door and fling my self on my single bed and look up at my movie poster of The Crow thinking having to take out the rubbish was the epitome of war crimes, You stupid little shit. Lots of memories here, though I think I listened to Ignition more as an album there are the hits on here that got so much play back in the day. Still can't hear an Offspring song without thinking of crazy taxi though.

Really enjoyed

Not arsed by this

I didn't love it. Annoying because it's almost good like that other album. The one that hasn't made this list

Love love love

Nice heavy riffs, two of the singles are enjoyably melodic too. But Dexter Holland sounds like an overgrown brat, and his lyrics don’t show a worldview any wider than the average adolescent brat.

1/5 Not the worst but not 1001 albums to hear before you die More hardcore than Green Day Less 'joke band' than what I know Some ska (just 1 track 1 think)

Nostalgia bias but such a great punk album. Good energy, nice variety, incredibly catchy, and great unique vocals. Yeah there’s probably too many woahs but I love this album.

Been a long time since I listened to this all the way through. Just rock solid from A to Z. Killer guitar tone.

It’s the offspring 🤷‍♂️

One of my favorites from high school. Aged better than I expected. Favorite track bad habit

Like the soundtrack to middle school. Such an iconic sound, but unfortunately just not into it that much. So many songs sound like the same song. Meh.

Very loud, fast, and great

Generally enjoyable

Not the best offspring album but still good fun

It seems a bit stuck in the 90' as of this moment in time.

High energy, always loved this one

Would be a whole better experience if they didn't try to sing.... seriously.... please... stop doing that thing you think is singing.... oh geezus lord please make them stop. The music is fine... all very samey but you could listen to it.... and then oh jezus mary and the wee donkey... they open their mouths again... oh please stop... just play. Please, please, stop singing.... although.... once you remove the singing the tracks are basically all the same thrashing drum and axe.

Really don’t like his voice I felt like my brain was being drilled at one point

I can't give this album anything less than 5*! It's the soundtrack to my early teens, I love every song and know the album inside out! Offspring are pioneers of nu-punk. All I need now is my skateboard and a quarter bottle of vodka! Simpler times!!

Was never a fan at the time and hasn't aged any better. Barely made it to the end.

Pretty good album! Harder rock than what I usually listen to, but fast and catchy, a very fun listen.

Got bored quickly with this. To the point where it annoyed me a bit. It’s lost its shine which it had when I was younger. Always preferred Conspiracy of One anyway, and I think I’m one of the few people who enjoyed Splinter…

Would give it more if I could

Must be peak offspring this, never listened to smash before but it has the best singles on and the rest of the album kept up. Always liked offspring but would have put them below blink/green day/sum 41 in my teenage pop punk heydey, and now tbf. Saw them at Leeds one year, they had marshmallow cannons for some reason, knacked when those hit you, not sure what they were thinking there.

I didn't listen to this type of music when young, so it doesn't resonate with me from a nostalgia perspective, nor now from an enjoyment perspective. I see some merits, but not enough for a higher score.

I haven't heard this album for a long time, it sounded a a lot more raw than I remembered. This is not The Offspring's best album but I still enjoyed it. Highlights: Self Esteem Come Out And Play It'll Be A Long Time