Everyone grows up. For sad, die-hard fans, that statement also applies to Weezer, the 90s alternative rock band fronted by Rivers Cuomo, lord of the nerds. People complain that the latest slew of Weezer records pales in comparison to classics like “The Blue Album” and “Pinkerton.” Well, they’re right.

But it’s pretty impossible to expect a band that’s been in the biz for nearly 20 years not to experiment and change. That’s not to excuse their more awful albums of late, particularly last year’s “Raditude,” but let’s be real here – Weezer hasn’t and probably never will be as good as those “Undone (The Sweater Song)” or “El Scorcho” glory days.

So thank god for “Hurley.”

While it doesn’t hold a candle to older Weezer classics, the album comfortably settles somewhere in the middle of the band’s discography, closer to “The Green Album” and “Maladroit” than the newer ones, which is probably the best we can expect from them at this point. It thankfully restores some hope to exasperated fans.

The record, with its quirky punk pop, is a step in the right direction, and by that, I mean away toward “Raditude.” Cuomo seems to be coping with his mid-life crisis in a more mature manner, staying away from gimmicky songs and, for the most part, clichéd lyrics. There’s also the sublime goofiness of the cover, which features a striking headshot of actor Jorge Garcia, more famously known as Hurley from “Lost.”

The album opens with new single “Memories,” a hook-driven throwback to the Weezer of yesteryear with lyrics like “watching all the freaky Dutch kids vomit then have sex,” which are just bizarre enough to work. It’s followed by “Ruling Me,” possibly the best track off “Hurley,” filled with Weezer’s trademark amped-up guitars. The song could be a “Blue Album” cast-off. “Unspoken” is more uncharacteristic of Weezer, an almost stripped acoustic ditty with a gentle flute fluttering in the background that masks its bitterer words about unrealized dreams. Cuomo’s voice sounds the best it has in years, especially on “Hang On.”

And then there are the missteps.

“Trainwrecks,” while melodic and nice to listen to, is crippled by its hackneyed tripe about the trappings of the rock star life. “Where’s My Sex?” is easily the worst track off “Hurley.” It’s pretty much as stupid and blunt as its title. The tune gets particularly weird toward the end, when the band awkwardly segues into a doo-woppy rock interlude that feels even more out of place after the track suddenly switches back to its original punkier sound. Then there’s the forgettable “Brave New World,” which plagues the latter half of the album with its equally overdone lyrics.

Thankfully, “Smart Girls” counteracts any damage inflicted by “Brave New World” or “Where’s My Sex?” Indie rock fans could consider it the poppier but equally entertaining antithesis to LCD Soundsystem’s “Drunk Girls.” The joyous ode to the brainier ladies is immediately likable and guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Cuomo humorously lists off girls names “Mambo No. 5”-style, but opts for stereotypically “smart girl” names like Addison and Mary.

“Hurley” closes with the oddly folky “Time Flies” which, with its simple lo-fi production, plays like a campfire sing-along. Like most campfire gather-rounds, “Hurley” is more about the fun sing-a-longs than paving new ground. It’s clear Cuomo and co. are no longer striving for greatness or perfection – but Weezer fans are a fairly forgiving bunch so long as the outfit supplies more enjoyable records like “Hurley.”