The ’90s were a much softer time. You could sell a bunch of records as a rapper if you were just a decent rapper but could kill some choreography, and pop-punk was all the rage, offering shrink-wrapped rebellion without the drug addictions and general insanity of punk. Nerf Herder remember the ’90s well. It was a time when they could be as soft and squishy as the balls that share their first name and still gain the popularity that would allow them to open for a band that is probably just as fond of those years, Weezer. Well, the Star Wars-referencing band has now made a song full of that nostalgia and longing for simpler times — the aptly meta-titled “We Opened for Weezer,” which premiered at Spin. It’s an ultimately endearing, amusing song that recounts fun times on the Pinkerton tour and defends Weezer against Rolling Stone. That sounds completely contrived, especially with Weezer set to drop an album soon, but it’s steeped in witty self-deprecation and jokes that are actually funny. They also manage to sneak in their two biggest accomplishments with references to the Buffy theme song and another song named after a better band, “Van Halen.” Listen and reminisce below.

Nerf Herder’s Rockingham, their first album in eight years, is out later this year.