Rivers Cuomo *defines*
nerd rock. He's also incredibly
insecure. {snip horribly inaccurate factoid here. see writeup below for much better reasons Weezer didn't tour for several years.}
And if you ask me, he's also pretty unpoetic. If you're a die-hard fan of the band, but haven't ever really thought through the lyrics, take a little time to do so. For the most part, they're rather fumbling and/or incoherent. No seriously, I've pointed this out to no fewer than 3 people, and they all reacted with "No way! Weezer rocks!" and they all came back a few days later and said "Y'know? You're exactly right."
But that doesn't mean I don't absolutely love the lyrics. What Rivers lacks in poetic craftsmanship, he makes up for in heart. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's an immensely talented musician and songwriter.
There is one set of his lyrics that I particularly love, though. The whole stream-of-consciousness vibe of the first and last verses of Undone always strikes me as very artful. But I'm a real sucker for that kind of thing.
And this may seem just a bit off topic, but my mother is a fish.