As a college freshman who thought he was way more knowledgeable about music than he was, I repeated often and loudly that there was one band that everyone loved, no matter what kind of music they usually listen to.

That band was the got dang Goo Goo Dolls. And as far as my horizons have been expanded since then, I still stand by it.

While on the surface, there might not seem to be anything all that exceptional about their brand of uber-radio-friendly pop rock, there are several reasons this record went 5x Platinum—and absolute megahit “Iris” is only one of them.

It’s easy to forget that the Buffalo outfit started out as a punk band. At this point, Johnny Rzeznik was already spending half a grand to make sure his haircut was properly disheveled, and was propped up as the heir apparent to John Bon Jovi. From outward appearances, bassist Robby Takac—still rocking his greasy, dyed-pink locks and running around stage in a kilt—was the only remaining bastion of their earlier, rawer days. Even the tracks with Takac’s lead vocals—”January Friend,” “Amigone,” , “Full Forever,” and “Extra Pale” seemed to stand at odds with the radio singles.

And when you compare any of those songs to “Iris”‘ cinematic ambitions or “Broadway“‘s flashes of country, there might be some uncomfortable juxtaposition. But what’s remarkable—especially speaking as someone who heard most of the album tracks through P2P networks in the early 2000s instead of in the album proper—is that there aren’t many moments of whiplash in the context of the record. While Robby’s voice is certainly less suited for mainstream success, the production is consistent enough to unite those tracks with Johnny’s songs.

And even those songs have a little more edge than you might expect—barring the whisper quiet “Acoustic #3.” Even on ballads like “Black Balloon,” there are full band bursts and soaring melodies that retain the rawness of their punk days. “Iris” itself manages to work a fuzzy guitar solo in between the mandolins and strings. On top of all this, Rzeznik’s voice still retains a bit of grit that makes even the sweetest pop hooks (see: “Slide“) satisfyingly rough around the edges.

While the record doesn’t consistently reach the heights of “Iris” or “Black Balloon”—and let’s be honest, it would be hard pressed to do so—it’s never unenjoyable. Even the weakest moments are pop rock delights and still stand head and shoulders over many of their peers even twenty-five years later.