Every once in a while, an album comes along that doesn’t just land, it opens a door. For me, The Used’s self-titled record was that moment. When it dropped during my junior year of high school, it hit like a train. I had all this bottled-up emotion, this mix of anger, confusion, and sadness that didn’t have an outlet yet. Then this record came along, and it felt like it gave me permission to feel all of it. It wasn’t just music, it was validation that being chaotic, loud, and emotional was okay.

What made this album so special then, and what still makes it powerful now, is how vulnerable and raw it is. It is unpolished in all the right ways, full of sharp edges and gut-level honesty. Songs like The Taste of Ink, Box Full of Sharp Objects, and Blue and Yellow hit like a scream from the inside, while Poetic Tragedy and Maybe Memories carry that haunting melancholy that only The Used could pull off. It is an album you can shout along to when you are angry or fall into when you are hurting. The balance between chaos and calm is what made it so real.

Looking back now, the emotional delivery still floors me. Bert McCracken’s vocals weren’t just performed, they were lived. Every scream, every crack in his voice, every whispered line carried this honesty that few records have ever matched. It is polished enough to feel deliberate but raw enough to still sound like a cry for help. That balance is what made The Used timeless. It is human.

Hearing these songs live has always been an experience, but getting to hear the entire album front to back as part of their 25-year tour feels like something entirely different. It is not just a concert. It is a reunion with who we were when this music found us. For me, this album was acknowledgment that I was not alone and that the emotions I carried were not too much. For the scene, it was the spark that lit something massive. It became the gateway album for so many of us, the one that cracked open a new world of connection and expression.

Two decades later, The Used self-titled still feels like home for anyone who has ever felt out of place. It remains one of those rare records that is talked about with care and respect because it did not just define a sound, it helped define a generation.

Score: 9.5/10. A landmark album that gave a voice to the voiceless and still carries the same weight it did 25 years later.