Smash
Yes, they (along with Green Day) finally brought skate-rock into the world of John Q. Mallrat, but the Offspring were hardly spring chickens at the time of this breakthrough album's release. They'd been slogging away since 1987, a span that allowed them to amass all the clever tricks showcased here, most notably the Latino-rap/moshpit-riff mega-hit "Come Out and Play." Just about every track on the disc (the band's third, if you were counting) keeps that careful balance between aggression and accessibility, from the surf-punk self- help rant of "Self-Esteem" to the airy ska-pop of "What Happened to You?" If Green Day are the '90s punk equivalent of the Beatles, and Rancid its Rolling Stones, the Offspring might be its Monkees--remembered for nothing more important than simple, indelible pop.--David Sprague