success on alternative and modern rock radio, with programmers grouping in the new-coming band in with acts like Sum 41 or Good Charlotte. The band's fanbase and perception shifted drastically upon the song's crossover to the top 40 format; alternative stations began to disregard the band as a pop act. "Flavor of the Weak" was among the first of many crossover pop-punk hit singles in the early aughts. The song's huge success was unusual for the band, who had just formed: "We had never even played a real show, and all of a sudden we had a song on the radio," said Jones. Jones also observed the swift backlash from the alternative scene was strange: "The [pop] radio stations would speed the song up and do their own edits. It was really weird. I think it exposed us to a wider audience that we didn't have but it also took away our connection to the rock world." Due to the song's brief popularity, it is considered to have solidified American Hi-Fi's standing as a one-hit wonder. "Flavor of the Weak" was well-received by music critics. Robbie Daw at Billboard called the tune "a perfect mix of gritty guitars and infectious hooks." Anna Gaca at Spin ranked the song among the best pop-punk choruses of the 21st century. Mike Rampton at Kerrang! dubbed it "one of the all-time top entries [of its kind]." Track listings UK CD single "Flavor of the Weak" (album version) – 3:08 "Flavor of the Weak" (mainstream radio) – 2:52 "Vertigo" (demo) – 2:11 European CD single "Flavor of the Weak" "Flavor of the Weak" (acoustic version) Australian CD single "Flavor of the Weak" "Scar" "Vertigo" (demo) "Flavor of the Weak" (video) Personnel Stacy Jones – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Jamie Arentzen – lead guitar, backing vocals Drew Parsons – bass guitar, backing vocals Brian Nolan – drums Stacy Jones – writer Bob Rock – producer Charts Release history References 2000 songs 2000 debut singles American Hi-Fi songs Island Records singles Mercury Records singles Music videos directed by Chris Applebaum Song recordings produced by Bob Rock Songs written by Stacy Jones