It received renewed popularity in the 2010s as an internet meme, largely due to its association with Shrek, and has ranked as one of the most-streamed rock songs from 2017 to 2021 in the United States.

[3] Eric Valentine, Smash Mouth's producer, said the album had the "dubious distinction" of being very successful but also frequently returned by buyers, as the rest of it sounded very little like the single.

[1] For the creation of Astro Lounge, the band decided to shift their musical style away from the ska punk sound that characterized Fush Yu Mang.

[1] Greg Camp, Smash Mouth's guitarist, was tasked with writing all of the songs for Astro Lounge due to his pop sensibilities.

[1] Robert Hayes, Smash Mouth's manager, offered Camp advice in writing additional songs by pointing him to a copy of Billboard magazine.

Many of the fans that had written to Smash Mouth considered themselves outcasts and identified strongly with the band, and Camp "set out to write an anthem" for them.

[1] Manager Robert Hayes quickly licensed the song out for use in various media, resulting in its appearance in the film Mystery Men just a few months later.

"[8] During a 2017 interview, Camp stated he was interested in exploring several layers of meaning with the stripped-down song; the social battle cry, the sports anthem, the fanbase affirmation, the poetic lyricism, the sweeping melody, the inclusion, the artistic music videos, and more.

[9] Camp described the song as "a daily affirmation that life is, in general, good", something he called a "tradition" for Smash Mouth; according to him, the band frequently read fan mail they received from kids, parents, and teachers thanking them for making "fun and lighthearted" music.

Club lauded it as being "unstoppably infectious", and Rolling Stone writer David Wild felt that the song had potential to be a hit.

[18] Sandra Sperounes from Edmonton Journal praised "All Star" as an example of Smash Mouth's intelligent songwriting, specifically noting its "veiled references to stupidity".

[19] Jay DeFoore of the Austin American-Statesman was more critical, calling the song a "fluffy, made-for-MTV anthem that evaporates into thin air" and "a classic example of hit-by-numbers".

[23] In a glowing review, Leor Galil of the Chicago Reader lauded the song for having "transcended genre" to become "permanently stuck in America's hippocampus".

[56][57][58] Directed by McG, the accompanying music video features cameos by William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Janeane Garofalo, Doug Jones, and Dane Cook as their characters from the superhero film Mystery Men, which prominently features the song.

Their appearances in the video are primarily based on stock footage from the film; in all other scenes, the characters were portrayed by body doubles and depicted exclusively from behind.

[59] The visual opens with the characters from Mystery Men seeking recruits, with the group rejecting several applicants before expressing interest in Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell.

[59] The remainder of the video focuses on Harwell performing several feats (rescuing a dog from a burning building and flipping over a toppled school bus), in addition to scenes from Mystery Men.

After the band finished playing, Camp said "Save Fenway Park", referencing plans to demolish the stadium and replace it with a new facility; this elicited boos from the crowd.

[63] Smash Mouth performed it on September 9, 1999 in pouring rain, as the opening act of the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.

While the rest of the band repeated the opening riff of "All Star", Harwell began a three-minute profanity-filled verbal tirade against the crowd, with him threatening to beat up anyone who threw things onto the stage.

After being granted an early screening of Shrek, the band members were impressed and ultimately agreed to license "All Star" to appear in the film.

[1] Vicky Jenson, the co-director of the film, explained that "All Star" perfectly fits the tone and personality of its titular ogre, who is "happy in his solitary existence and has no clue that he has a lot to learn about it".

Regarding the play's concept, Adlakha said it "sounds like the dumbest idea on planet, but I'll be damned if every single member of its cast wasn't committed to the gimmick".

[79] According to Harwell, Smash Mouth has "fully accepted" the song as their legacy and consider the "obsession" with it as "a level of love [they are] more than appreciative of".