There’s a certain kind of song that never really dies — it just waits. “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls has been doing exactly that for nearly three decades, and right now it’s having its loudest moment since 1998. The TikTok nostalgia machine has had the track soundtracking thousands of throwback videos under the “What were you like in the ’90s?” trend, celebrities from Courteney Cox to everyday users flooding their feeds with dusty childhood photos. But SZA didn’t just ride the wave — she crashed it completely and built a new one.
A couple of days ago, SZA joined the trend by posting old childhood photos on Instagram. The twist: instead of the John Rzeznik original, she set the video to her own version of the song — a trap-influenced, atmospheric reinterpretation she described as a “deep fried goo goo doll tease.” Her caption read: “Trend had me so cooked I couldn’t stop singing it so I made my own deep fried goo goo doll tease.” The Goo Goo Dolls’ official account responded with heart emojis. The internet, predictably, lost its mind.
After teasing it on her private Instagram, SZA posted a full minute of the audio publicly — and it’s genuinely striking. This isn’t another delicate acoustic run-through or a faithful piano-driven tribute. Her take strips away the alt-rock earnestness and rebuilds the song from the ground up in trap-pop territory, keeping only the emotional core — that raw, aching vulnerability — and dressing it in a completely different sonic wardrobe. For a self-described fan of ’90s mainstream rock, it’s a fascinating choice: she honors the song’s soul while refusing to imitate its sound.
The moment makes more sense when you consider just how massive “Iris” has become again. The song racked up 337.9 million streams in 2025 alone, making it the most-streamed track from the ’90s for the entire year, according to tracking firm Luminate. After going viral on TikTok, “Iris” is now Certified Diamond, with over five billion streams worldwide — and it peaked at #9 on Spotify’s Global Daily Chart nearly 30 years after its original release. Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik told The Wall Street Journal: “This is the biggest our band has ever been.”
The trend has already attracted covers from mgk, who released a studio version last year, and Sombr, as well as a Steve Aoki remix earlier in 2026. But SZA’s entry hits differently — partly because of who she is right now, and partly because of what she did with the source material.
2026 has been an extraordinary year for SZA even before this moment. The year opened with her taking home the Grammy for Record of the Year for her Kendrick Lamar collaboration “Luther.” She also contributed an original song, “Save the Day,” to the soundtrack for Pixar’s Hoppers. Her 2023 album SOS was one of the defining R&B records of the decade, and its 2025 deluxe edition — SOS Deluxe: Lana — extended its life with four new tracks including a solo version of “Open Arms.”
What makes the “Iris” cover feel significant beyond the trend cycle is the creative instinct behind it. Where most artists covering the song lean into its nostalgia — playing up the gentle guitar, the sweeping melody, the sense of late-’90s longing — SZA went the other direction entirely. She absorbed the emotional premise of the song (“I just want you to know who I am”) and translated it into her own musical language. The result is less a cover and more a conversation across genres and generations.
The Goo Goo Dolls, for their part, are still very much in business. Their upcoming show in Lincoln, CA, even features an “‘Iris’ Front Row VIP Experience” package — complete with a meet-and-greet — which tells you everything about which song people are really there for. Twenty-eight years on, that’s not a legacy. That’s a living hit.
SZA hasn’t announced any official release plans for her version yet, but given the reaction it’s already generated, the question isn’t whether it gets a proper release — it’s when.
🎵 SZA × “Iris” — Story at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Original Song | “Iris” — Goo Goo Dolls (1998) |
| Cover Artist | SZA |
| Style | Trap-pop / atmospheric R&B |
| Released Via | Instagram (1-minute audio clip) |
| TikTok Trend | “What were you like in the ’90s?” throwback photo trend |
| “Iris” 2025 Streams | 337.9 million (#1 most-streamed ’90s song, per Luminate) |
| “Iris” Total Streams | 5+ billion (Certified Diamond) |
| Other 2026 Covers | mgk (studio), Sombr (cover), Steve Aoki (remix) |
| SZA Latest Album | SOS (2023) / SOS Deluxe: Lana (2025) |
| 2026 Grammy Win | Record of the Year — “Luther” (feat. Kendrick Lamar) |
| Official Release Status | Not yet announced |