Wheatus are an American rock band from Long Island, New York, and they belong to the clearest category of one-hit wonder: a single, enduring anthem and very little else in the public memory. "Teenage Dirtbag", released in 2000, is a wry, self-deprecating ode to adolescent longing and outsider status, and its sing-along chorus has only grown more beloved with time.
The song was a modest chart hit on release but became a genuine generational touchstone, helped along years later by nostalgia and a wave of social-media revivals. Nothing else the band recorded came anywhere near it.
On streaming, "Teenage Dirtbag" sits near 1.1 billion plays, while their next most-streamed track, a cover of Erasure's "A Little Respect", trails at around 23 million. That sends the ratio above 45, many times our 5.0 line.
By our measure Wheatus are a certified one-hit wonder, and an emphatic one. Their catalogue, on the numbers, is essentially a single song about feeling like the loser at school, a sentiment so universal that the track has outlived its era and become a permanent karaoke and festival favourite.