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Green Day is an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band formed in
Rodeo, California Rodeo (; Spanish for " Cattle roundup") is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Contra Costa County, California, in the East Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area, on the eastern shore of San Pablo Bay, 25 miles northeast of San Franc ...
, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist
Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician and actor. He is best known for being the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is als ...
and bassist and backing vocalist
Mike Dirnt Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of Green Day. He has also played in several other ...
, with drummer
Tré Cool Frank Edwin Wright III (born December 9, 1972), better known by his stage name Tré Cool, is an American musician, best known as the long-time drummer for the rock band Green Day. He replaced the band's former drummer, John Kiffmeyer, in 1990. ...
joining in 1990. In 1994, their major-label debut ''
Dookie ''Dookie'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif ...
'', released through
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...
, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 20 million copies in the U.S. Green Day has been credited with reigniting mainstream interest in
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
. Before taking its current name in 1989, the band was named Blood Rage, then Sweet Children. They were part of the late 1980s/early 1990s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the
924 Gilman Street The Alternative Music Foundation located at 924 Gilman Street, almost exclusively referred to as "Gilman", is a non-profit, all-ages, collectively organized music club. It is located in the West Berkeley, Berkeley, California, West Berkeley ar ...
club in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
. The band's early releases were with the independent record label
Lookout! Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operatio ...
, including their first album, ''
39/Smooth ''39/Smooth'' is the debut studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Green Day, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. After finalizing their line-up, the band played frequent shows at the 924 Gilman Street venue, where they st ...
'' (1990). For most of the band's career, they have been a
power trio A power trio is a rock band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leaving out a dedicated vocalist or an additional rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...
with Cool, who replaced
John Kiffmeyer John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), also known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is the former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day, leaving in 1990 and replaced by Tré Cool. ...
in 1990 before the recording of the band's second studio album, ''
Kerplunk KerPlunk is a children's game invented by Eddy Goldfarb with Rene Soriano and first marketed by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967. The game equipment consists of a transparent plastic tube, plastic rods called ''straws'' (normally 26 to 30 in total ...
'' (1991). Though the albums ''
Insomniac Insomniac or The Insomniac may refer to: * A person who has insomnia Music * Insomniac (Green Day album), ''Insomniac'' (Green Day album), 1995 * Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias album), ''Insomniac'' (Enrique Iglesias album), 2007 * Insomniac (song ...
'' (1995), ''
Nimrod Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...
'' (1997) and '' Warning'' (2000) did not match the success of ''Dookie'', they were still successful, with ''Insomniac'' and ''Nimrod'' reaching double platinum status, while ''Warning'' achieved gold. Green Day's seventh album, a
rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
called ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'' (2004), found popularity with a younger generation, selling six million copies in the U.S. Their next album, ''
21st Century Breakdown ''21st Century Breakdown'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist ...
'', was released in 2009 and achieved the band's best chart performance. It was followed by a trilogy of albums, ''
¡Uno! ''¡Uno!'' (stylized in all caps) is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released first in Australia on September 21, 2012, and released in the US on September 25, 2012, by Reprise Records. It is the first of three album ...
'', ''
¡Dos! ''¡Dos!'' (stylized in all caps) is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day. The album was released on November 9, 2012, in Australia, November 12 in the United Kingdom and on November 13 in the United States through Repri ...
'', and ''
¡Tré! ''¡Tré!'' (stylized in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Green Day, released on December 7, 2012. It is the third and final installment in the ''¡Uno!'' ''¡Dos!'' ''¡Tré!'' trilogy, a series of s ...
'', released in September, November, and December 2012, respectively. The trilogy did not perform as well as expected commercially, in comparison to their previous albums, largely due to a lack of promotion and Armstrong entering rehab. They were followed by ''
Revolution Radio ''Revolution Radio'' is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 7, 2016 through Reprise Records. A self-produced effort, it marked their first release since 2009's '' 21st Century Breakdown'' not to be pr ...
'' (2016), which became their third to debut at No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' 200, ''
Father of All Motherfuckers ''Father of All Motherfuckers'' (also known by the censored title ''Father of All...'' or ''Father of All M***********s'') is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 7, 2020, through Reprise Records. ...
'' (2020) and '' Saviors'' (2024). In 2010, a stage adaptation of ''American Idiot'' debuted on Broadway. The musical was nominated for three
Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...
: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, winning the latter two. The band was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 2015, their first year of eligibility. Members of the band have collaborated on the side projects
Pinhead Gunpowder Pinhead Gunpowder is an American punk rock band that formed in East Bay, California, in 1991. The band currently consists of Aaron Cometbus (drums, lyrics), Bill Schneider (bass), Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Jason White (guitar, ...
,
the Network The Network is an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album '' Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album tit ...
,
Foxboro Hot Tubs Foxboro Hot Tubs is the garage rock side project of Green Day, formed in 2007.Green Day side ...
,
the Longshot ''The Longshot'' is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Paul Bartel and starring Tim Conway. Plot Four friends enjoy betting on horses at the race track. Someone tells them that he has something he can give his horse to make it run faster, ...
and
the Coverups The Coverups is an American cover band that serves as a side project for Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt. Founded in January 2018 as an outlet for performing cover songs, the band consists of guitarists Armstrong and Dirnt a ...
. They have also worked on solo careers. Green Day has sold roughly 75 million records worldwide as of 2024, making them one of the best-selling music artists. The group has been nominated for 20
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
and won five of them, with Best Alternative Album for ''Dookie'',
Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...
for ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'' and ''
21st Century Breakdown ''21st Century Breakdown'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist ...
'',
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
for " Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and Best Musical Show Album for '' American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording''.


History


1987–1993: Formation and Lookout! years

In 1987, friends and guitarists Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time, along with bassist Sean Hughes and drummer Raj Punjabi, a fellow student from
Pinole Valley High School Pinole Valley High School is a high school in Pinole, California, United States, in Contra Costa County. First opened in 1967, the school is part of the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Pinole Valley High serves grades 9–12, and has ap ...
, formed band "Blood Rage", the name taken from the eponymous film, and played together in Punjabi's father's house garage at
Rodeo, California Rodeo (; Spanish for " Cattle roundup") is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Contra Costa County, California, in the East Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area, on the eastern shore of San Pablo Bay, 25 miles northeast of San Franc ...
; a few months later, the band renamed to Sweet Children. One of their first songs written together was "Best Thing in Town". The group's first live performance under the name Sweet Children took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in
Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California, United States, and the second largest city in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the ci ...
. In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working with former
Isocracy An isocracy is a form of government where all citizens have equal political power. The term derives from Greek ἴσος meaning "equal" and κρατεῖν meaning "to have power", or "to rule". The first recorded use of the term was by the Re ...
drummer
John Kiffmeyer John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), also known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is the former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day, leaving in 1990 and replaced by Tré Cool. ...
, also known as "Al Sobrante", who replaced original drummer Raj Punjabi. It was around this time that bassist Sean Hughes also left the band, causing Dirnt to switch from
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
to bass. Armstrong cites the band
Operation Ivy Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after '' Tumbler-Snapper'' and before '' Upshot–Knothole''. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall I ...
(which featured
Tim Armstrong Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid (band), Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup T ...
and
Matt Freeman Roger Matthew Freeman, also known as Matt McCall, (born April 23, 1966) is an American musician best known as the bassist of punk rock band Rancid. After forming several bands with guitarist and vocalist Tim Armstrong in the late 1980s and e ...
, who would later contact Armstrong to fill in as a possible second guitarist for their band Rancid) as a major influence and a group that inspired him to form a band. In 1988,
Larry Livermore Lawrence Hayes (born October 28, 1947), better known by his stage name Larry Livermore, is an American singer, musician, record producer, and author, best known as the co-founder of Lookout Records. Biography In 1977, Hayes began to attend punk ...
, owner of
Lookout! Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operatio ...
, saw the band play an early show and signed them to his label. In April 1989, the band released its debut
extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
, ''
1,000 Hours ''1,000 Hours'' is the debut EP by American rock band Green Day, released in April 1989 through Lookout Records. Through a shared interest in music, school friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed the band Sweet Children. With the add ...
''. Shortly before the EP's release, the group dropped the name Sweet Children; according to Livermore, this was done to avoid confusion with another local band, Sweet Baby. Sweet Children adopted the name Green Day, instead, due to the members' fondness for
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
. The phrase "green day" was slang in the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...
, where the band originated, for spending a day doing nothing but smoking marijuana. Armstrong once admitted in 2001 that he considered it to be "the worst band name in the world". Lookout! released Green Day's debut studio album, ''
39/Smooth ''39/Smooth'' is the debut studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Green Day, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. After finalizing their line-up, the band played frequent shows at the 924 Gilman Street venue, where they st ...
'', in early 1990. Green Day recorded two extended plays later that year, '' Slappy'' and '' Sweet Children'', the latter of which included older songs the band had recorded for the
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
independent record label
Skene! Records Skene! Records was an American DIY punk rock record label founded in Connecticut in 1988 by Jeff Spiegel, then later based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An early album release was ''Better Yet Connecticut Hardcore'', featuring bands such as Bug Gulp, F ...
. In 1991, Lookout! Records re-released ''39/Smooth'' as ''
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours ''1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours'' is a compilation album comprising early recordings by American rock band Green Day, released October 1, 1991, on Lookout Records. Often erroneously referred to as the band's debut album, the compilation combines ...
'' and added the songs from the band's first two EPs, ''Slappy'' and ''1,000 Hours''. In late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Kiffmeyer left the East Bay area to attend
Humboldt State University California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt or Humboldt) is a public university in Arcata, California. It is one of Cal Poly (disambiguation), three polytechnic universities in the California State University (CSU) sys ...
in
Arcata, California Arcata (; ; ) is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay (United States), Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. A ...
.
The Lookouts The Lookouts were an American punk rock band that existed from 1985 to 1990 on Iron Peak, a remote rural mountain community outside Laytonville, California. The members were Larry Livermore on guitar and vocals, Kain Kong (Kain Hanschke) on ...
' drummer
Tré Cool Frank Edwin Wright III (born December 9, 1972), better known by his stage name Tré Cool, is an American musician, best known as the long-time drummer for the rock band Green Day. He replaced the band's former drummer, John Kiffmeyer, in 1990. ...
began filling in temporarily and later permanently, a situation which Kiffmeyer "graciously accepted". The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993 and played a number of shows overseas in Europe.Thompson, Dave. "Green Day". ''Alternative Rock''. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000. By then, the band's second studio album, ''
Kerplunk KerPlunk is a children's game invented by Eddy Goldfarb with Rene Soriano and first marketed by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967. The game equipment consists of a transparent plastic tube, plastic rods called ''straws'' (normally 26 to 30 in total ...
'', had sold 50,000 copies in the U.S. Green Day supported another California punk band,
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
, as an opening act for their ''
Recipe for Hate ''Recipe for Hate'' is the seventh studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on June 4, 1993. It was their last album on Epitaph Records for nine years (until 2002's '' The Process of Belief'') and the band had switched to At ...
'' Tour for most of 1993.


1993–1995: Signing with Reprise Records and breakthrough success

''Kerplunks underground success led to interest from major record labels and a
bidding war A bid price is the highest price that a buyer (i.e., bidder) is willing to pay for some goods. It is usually referred to simply as the "bid". In bid and ask, the bid price stands in contrast to the ask price or "offer", and the difference bet ...
to sign Green Day. The band eventually left Lookout! and signed with
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...
after attracting the attention of producer
Rob Cavallo Robert Siers Cavallo (born March 21, 1963) is an American record producer, musician, and record executive. He is among the biggest-selling producers in alternative music, having contributed to albums that have sold over 130 million units worldwi ...
. The group was impressed by his work with fellow Californian band
the Muffs The Muffs were an American pop punk band based in Southern California, formed in 1991. Led by singer and guitarist Kim Shattuck, the band released four full-length studio albums in the 1990s, as well as numerous singles including "Lucky Guy" and ...
and later remarked that Cavallo "was the only person we could talk to and connect with". Reflecting on this period, Armstrong told ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' magazine in 1999, "I couldn't go back to the punk scene, whether we were the biggest success in the world or the biggest failure ... The only thing I could do was get on my bike and go forward." After signing with Reprise, the band began recording its major-label debut, ''
Dookie ''Dookie'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif ...
''. On September 3, 1993, Green Day played their last show at 924 Gilman under the pseudonym Blair Hess before being banned permanently because of their major label signing. Recorded in three weeks and released in February 1994, ''Dookie'' became a commercial success, helped by extensive MTV airplay for the videos of the songs " Longview", " Basket Case", and "
When I Come Around "When I Come Around" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It is the 10th track on their third studio album, '' Dookie'' (1994), and was shipped to radio in December 1994 before being physically released as the fourth single from that album ...
", all of which reached the number one position on the
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
charts. The album went on to sell over 10 million copies in the US. At a performance on September 9, 1994, at
Hatch Memorial Shell The Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell, commonly referred to as the Hatch Shell, is an outdoor concert venue on the Charles River Esplanade in the Back Bay section of Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1939–1940, it is one of the city's prominent ...
in Boston, mayhem broke out during the band's set (cut short to seven songs), and by the end of the rampage, 100 people were injured and 45 arrested. The band also joined the lineups of both the
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
festival and
Woodstock '94 Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was r ...
, where at the latter the group started an infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist
Mike Dirnt Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of Green Day. He has also played in several other ...
for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth. Viewed by millions by
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
television, the Woodstock 1994 performance further aided Green Day's growing publicity and recognition. In 1995, ''Dookie'' won the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Best Alternative Album, and the band was nominated for nine
MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
s, including Video of the Year. In the band's homestead of the East Bay following ''Dookies success, the band felt a sense of hostility. Billie Joe Armstrong recalled aggressive glares and furtive whispers. The band's success would trickle onto other East Bay bands such as Jawbreaker, a local favorite of Armstrong's, which garnered accusations of selling out during a concert attended by Armstrong.


1995–2002: Middle years and decline in popularity

In 1995, a single titled " J.A.R." for the ''
Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...
'' soundtrack was released and debuted at number one on the ''Billboard''
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
chart. The band's fourth studio album, ''
Insomniac Insomniac or The Insomniac may refer to: * A person who has insomnia Music * Insomniac (Green Day album), ''Insomniac'' (Green Day album), 1995 * Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias album), ''Insomniac'' (Enrique Iglesias album), 2007 * Insomniac (song ...
'', was released in Fall 1995. Compared to the more melodic ''Dookie,'' ''Insomniac'' was a much darker and heavier response to the band's newfound popularity. The album opened to warm critical reception, earning 4 of 5 stars from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', which said "In punk, the good stuff unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets." The singles released from ''Insomniac'' were " Geek Stink Breath", "
Stuck with Me "Stuck with Me" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released as the second single and third track from their fourth album, ''Insomniac''. The song is about being too weak and too much of a push-over to stand up for yourself. The so ...
", " Brain Stew/Jaded", and " Walking Contradiction". Though the album did not approach the success of ''Dookie'', it sold three million copies in the United States. The album earned the band award nominations for Favorite Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite Alternative Artist at the 1996
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
, and the video for "Walking Contradiction" earned the band nominations for Best Video, Short Form, at the Grammy's, in addition to Best Special Effects at the MTV Video Music Awards. After that, the band abruptly canceled a European tour, citing exhaustion.Di Perna, Alan.
Young, Loud, and Snotty
. ''Guitar World''. August 1996.
Following a brief hiatus in 1996, Green Day began work on its next album in 1997. From the outset, Cavallo and the band agreed the album had to be different from Green Day's previous albums. The result was ''
Nimrod Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...
'', an experimental deviation from the band's standard melodic punk rock. The album was released in October 1997 and provided a variety of music, from punk, pop,
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
,
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
,
surf rock Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...
,
ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...
, to the acoustic ballad "
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (or "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)") is a ballad by American rock band Green Day, released in December 1997 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ''Nimrod'' (1997). It is one of their most po ...
".Myers, 2006. pp. 152–153 ''Nimrod'' entered the charts at Number 10. The mainstream success of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video. The song was used in the second clip show episode of ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'' and two episodes of '' ER''. The other singles released from ''Nimrod'' were "
Nice Guys Finish Last "Nice Guys Finish Last" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It is the opening track and the fourth and final single released from their fifth studio album, ''Nimrod'' (1997). The use of the song in the movie '' Varsity Blues'' helped prope ...
", " Hitchin' a Ride", and "
Redundant Redundancy or redundant may refer to: Language * Redundancy (linguistics), information that is expressed more than once Engineering and computer science * Data redundancy, database systems which have a field that is repeated in two or more table ...
". The band made a guest appearance in an episode of ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
'' in 1997. In late 1997 and most of 1998, Green Day embarked on a tour in support of ''Nimrod''. In 1999, Jason White began supporting the band during concerts as guitarist. In 2000, Green Day released their
folk-punk Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in t ...
-inspired sixth studio album, '' Warning'', and, in support, participated in that year's
Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
. In November 2000, in a show produced by Ian Brennan, the band performed for free on the steps on San Francisco's City Hall to protest the eviction of artists from the city. The band also launched an independent tour to support the album ''Warning'' in 2001. Critics' reviews of the album were varied.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gave it 4.5/5, saying, "''Warning'' may not be an innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying." ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' was more critical, giving it 3/5 and saying, "''Warning ...'' invites the question: Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social commentary from what used to be snot core's biggest-selling band?" Though it produced the hit "
Minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...
" and smaller hit " Warning", some observers were coming to the conclusion that the band was losing relevance, and a decline in popularity followed. While all of Green Day's previous albums had reached at least triple platinum sales, ''Warning'' was only certified gold. At the 2001 California Music Awards, Green Day won all eight of the awards for which it was nominated. The group won awards for Outstanding Album (''Warning''), Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album (''Warning''), Outstanding Group, Outstanding Male Vocalist, Outstanding Bassist, Outstanding Drummer, Outstanding Songwriter, and Outstanding Artist. The release of two compilation albums, ''
International Superhits! ''International Superhits!'' is the first greatest hits compilation by American rock band Green Day, released November 13, 2001, through Reprise Records. It collects all of the band's singles released between 1994 and 2000 as well as a rerecord ...
'' and ''
Shenanigans Shenanigans are secret or dishonest activities that are typically complicated, humorous or interesting. Shenanigans may refer to: * ''Shenanigans'' (game show), a 1964–65 children's television game show * ''Shenanigans'' (EP), a 1995 EP by ...
'', followed ''Warning''. ''International Superhits!'' had a companion collection of music videos ved ''
International Supervideos! ''International Superhits!'' is the first greatest hits compilation by American rock band Green Day, released November 13, 2001, through Reprise Records. It collects all of the band's singles released between 1994 and 2000 as well as a rerecordi ...
'' ''Shenanigans'' contained collected B-sides, including "Espionage", which was featured in the 1999 film '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' and nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance was an honor presented to recording artists for quality instrumental rock performances at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958, and ended after the 2011 award, and or ...
. In Spring 2002, Green Day co-headlined the
Pop Disaster Tour The Pop Disaster Tour was a concert tour co-headlined by American rock bands Blink-182 and Green Day. It began in Bakersfield, California on April 17, 2002, and concluded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 17. Set largely at arenas and outdoor ...
with
Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
, documented on the
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
''Riding in Vans with Boys''.


2003–2006: ''American Idiot'' and renewed success

In the Summer and Fall of 2002, the band wrote and recorded material for an album tentatively titled ''
Cigarettes and Valentines ''Cigarettes and Valentines'' is an unreleased studio album by American rock band Green Day. The album would have been the follow-up to '' Warning'' (2000). The album was written and recorded in six months, and the official track list consisted ...
'', set to release in August 2003. Dirnt said the album was written and recorded in six months, and the official track list consisted of 16 songs. He also said two or three additional songs were recorded, and were something "worth chasing" after turning in the record. The band got together, and thought the additional songs were really good. Instead of releasing ''Cigarettes and Valentines'', the band decided to make an album with those additional songs, which lead to the creation of ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'': However, the band has stated multiple times that when the album was nearly finished, the
master recording Master recordings, or simply masters, are the original recordings—including post-recording mixes and production edits—of audio performances, from which all analog and digital copies of the audio are derived from. The term refers only to the r ...
s were stolen from the studio. Instead of re-recording the stolen tracks, the band decided to abandon the entire project and start over, considering the taken material to be unrepresentative of the band's best work. It was then revealed that a band called
The Network The Network is an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album '' Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album tit ...
was signed to Armstrong's record label
Adeline Records Adeline Records was an American record label that was formed in Oakland, California in late 1997 and closed in August 2017. History In 1997, Adeline Records was founded by Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, Screw 32's Doug Sangal ...
with little fanfare and information. After the band, who concealed their identities with masks and costumes, released an album called ''
Money Money 2020 ''Money Money 2020'' is the debut studio album by new wave band The Network, a side project of the band Green Day. It was released on September 30, 2003, through Adeline Records. Members of Green Day have denied being involved in the Network, ho ...
'' in September 2003, it was rumored that The Network was a Green Day side project, due to similarities in the bands' sounds. However, these rumors were never addressed by the band or Adeline Records, except for a statement on the Adeline website discussing an ongoing dispute between the two bands. The bands "feuded" via press releases and statements from Armstrong. Several journalists openly referred to the group as a Green Day side project, although it was not confirmed as such until 2013. Green Day collaborated with
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
on two tracks for his album ''
Skull Ring ''Skull Ring'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock singer Iggy Pop, released in November 2003. Every track on the album features guest performers, such as The Stooges, The Trolls, Green Day, Sum 41, and Peaches. Background The perf ...
'' in November 2003. On February 1, 2004, a cover of "
I Fought the Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' li ...
" (originally performed by
The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Top ...
) made its debut on a commercial for
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
during
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2003 Carolina Panthers season, Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2003 New England Patriots season, New E ...
. Finally, ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'' was released in September 2004 and debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Backed by the success of the album's first single "
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
", it was the band's first album to reach this pinnacle. ''American Idiot'' was labeled a '' punk rock opera'' and follows the journey of the fictitious "
Jesus of Suburbia "Jesus of Suburbia" is a song by the American rock band Green Day. It was released as the fifth and final single from the group's seventh studio album, ''American Idiot'', and the second song on the album. With the song running for 9 minutes and ...
". The album depicts modern American life under the control of an idiot ruler who lets people be misinformed by the media and a "redneck agenda". It gives different angles on an everyman, modern icons, and leaders. Released two months before U.S. President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
was reelected, the album became protest art. The album went on to sell 6 million copies in the US. ''American Idiot'' won the 2005 Grammy for
Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...
and was nominated in six other categories, including Album of the Year. The album helped Green Day win seven of the eight awards it was nominated for at the 2005
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...
; the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" video won six of those awards. A year later, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" won a
Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
. In 2009, ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' named ''American Idiot'' the best album of the decade, ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' ranked it number 60 in a similar list, and ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked it 22nd. ''Rolling Stone'' also listed "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "American Idiot" among the 100 best songs of the 2000s, at number 65 and 47, respectively. In 2005, the album was ranked number 420 in ''
Rock Hard Rock Hard may refer to: * "Rock Hard" (song), a 1984 song by the Beastie Boys * ''Rock Hard'', a 1980 album by Suzi Quatro * ''Rock Hard'' (magazine), a German music magazine ** Rock Hard Festival, a heavy metal festival sponsored by the above maga ...
'' magazine's book ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''. In 2012, the album was ranked number 225 on ''Rolling Stones list of the
500 Greatest Albums of All Time 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...
. During the
American Idiot World Tour The American Idiot World Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Green Day in support of the group's seventh studio album, ''American Idiot'', which was released in September 2004. The tour began in Los Angeles at the Grand Olympic Audit ...
, the group filmed and recorded the two concerts at the
Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
National Bowl The National Bowl (originally the Milton Keynes Bowl) is an entertainment venue located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay pit (for brick-making), filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil ...
in England. These recordings were released as a live CD and DVD set called ''
Bullet in a Bible ''Bullet in a Bible'' is a live album by American rock band Green Day, released on November 15, 2005, by Reprise Records. Recorded during their American Idiot World Tour, it was directed by Samuel Bayer, who was the director of all the videos ...
'' on November 15, 2005. The DVD featured behind-the-scenes footage of the band and showed how its members prepared to put on the show. The final shows of the 2005 world tour were in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, and
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia, on December 14 and 17, respectively. On August 1, 2005, Green Day announced it had rescinded the master rights to its pre-''Dookie'' material from
Lookout Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operatio ...
, citing a continuing
breach of contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other part ...
regarding unpaid royalties, a complaint shared with other Lookout! bands. On January 10, 2006, the band was awarded
People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the Fan (person), fans and Public, general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined us ...
for favorite musical group or band.


2007–2011: ''21st Century Breakdown'' and ''American Idiot''s stage adaptation

Green Day engaged in many other smaller projects in the time following the success of ''American Idiot''. In 2008, the group released a
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
-inspired album under the name
Foxboro Hot Tubs Foxboro Hot Tubs is the garage rock side project of Green Day, formed in 2007.Green Day side ...
, titled ''
Stop Drop and Roll!!! ''Stop Drop and Roll!!!'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Foxboro Hot Tubs. The full album was first available for digital download on April 22, 2008, and was released on CD on May 20, 2008. The title track "Stop Drop a ...
''. The Foxboro Hot Tubs went on a mini tour during the same year to promote the record, hitting tiny Bay Area venues such as the Stork Club in Oakland and Toot's Tavern in
Crockett, California Crockett (formerly Crockettville) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The population w ...
. In an interview with
Carson Daly Carson Jones Daly (born June 22, 1973) is an American television host, radio personality, producer, and television personality. From 1998 to 2003, Daly was a VJ (media personality), VJ on MTV's ''Total Request Live'' (TRL), and a DJ for the Sou ...
,
Garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...
lead singer
Shirley Manson Shirley Ann Manson FRSA (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and musician who is the lead singer of the rock band Garbage. Known for her distinctive deep voice, forthright style, and rebellious attitude, her accolades include ...
revealed that the band's drummer
Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, record producer, and songwriter who is the drummer and co-producer of the rock band Garbage. Producer of the diamond selling Nirvana album ''Nevermind'' (1991), Vig also pro ...
would be producing Green Day's forthcoming album. The span of nearly five years between ''American Idiot'' and ''
21st Century Breakdown ''21st Century Breakdown'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist ...
'' was the longest gap between studio albums in Green Day's career. The band had been working on new material since January 2006. By October 2007, Armstrong had 45 songs written, but the band showed no further signs of progress until October 2008, when two videos showing the band recording with producer Butch Vig were posted on YouTube. The writing and recording process, spanning three years and four recording studios, was finally finished in April 2009. ''21st Century Breakdown'' was released on May 15, 2009. The album received a mainly positive reception from critics, getting an average rating between 3 and 4 stars. The album reached number one in fourteen countries, being certified gold or platinum in each. ''21st Century Breakdown'' achieved Green Day's best chart performance to date. The band started playing shows in California in April and early May. These were the group's first live shows in about three years. Green Day went on a 21st Century Breakdown World Tour, world tour that started in North America in July 2009 and continued around the world throughout the rest of 2009 and early 2010. The album won Grammy Award for Best Rock Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. As of December 2010, ''21st Century Breakdown'' has sold 1,005,000 copies in the US. Walmart refused to carry the album as it contains a Parental Advisory sticker and requested that Green Day release a censored edition. The band members did not wish to change any lyrics on the album and responded by stating, "There's nothing dirty about our record... They want artists to censor their records in order to be carried in there. We just said no. We've never done it before. You feel like you're in 1953 or something." In 2009, the band met with award-winning director Michael Mayer (director), Michael Mayer and many cast and crew members of the Tony Award-winning musical ''Spring Awakening (musical), Spring Awakening'' to create a stage version of the album ''American Idiot''. ''American Idiot (musical), American Idiot'' opened in the Berkeley Repertory Theatre during the end of 2009. The show features an expanded story of the original album, with new characters such as Will, Extraordinary Girl, and Favorite Son. On April 20, 2010, ''American Idiot'' opened on Broadway, and Green Day released the American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording, soundtrack to the musical, featuring a new song by Green Day titled "When It's Time". In June 2010
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
released "When It's Time" as a single. During the Spike Video Game Awards, Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009, it was announced that Green Day was set to have its own ''Rock Band'' video game titled ''Green Day: Rock Band'' (2010), as a follow-up to the last band specific ''Rock Band'' game, ''The Beatles: Rock Band'' (2009). The game features the full albums of ''Dookie (album), Dookie'', ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'', and ''
21st Century Breakdown ''21st Century Breakdown'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist ...
'' as well as select songs from the rest of Green Day's discography. During the second leg of the 21st Century Breakdown World Tour, the band members stated that they were writing new material. In an interview with ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' magazine, Armstrong spoke about the possible new album: "We did some demos in Berlin, some in Stockholm, some just outside of Glasgow, and some in Amsterdam. We wanted get [the songs] down in some early form." The band members also stated that the group was recording a live album of the tour, featuring the previously unreleased song "Cigarettes and Valentines". In October 2010, Dirnt was interviewed by Radio W, mentioning that the group had completed the writing process of the ninth studio album. In the interview, Dirnt also mentioned that a new live album would "most likely" be released. The live CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray titled ''Awesome as Fuck'' was released on March 22, 2011.


2011–2014: ''¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré!''

During the end of 2011, the band played several secret shows (under the name
Foxboro Hot Tubs Foxboro Hot Tubs is the garage rock side project of Green Day, formed in 2007.Green Day side ...
) whose setlists consisted almost entirely of previously unheard songs. Green Day entered the studio and began recording new material in February 2012, later announcing a trilogy of albums titled ''
¡Uno! ''¡Uno!'' (stylized in all caps) is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released first in Australia on September 21, 2012, and released in the US on September 25, 2012, by Reprise Records. It is the first of three album ...
'', ''
¡Dos! ''¡Dos!'' (stylized in all caps) is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day. The album was released on November 9, 2012, in Australia, November 12 in the United Kingdom and on November 13 in the United States through Repri ...
'', and ''
¡Tré! ''¡Tré!'' (stylized in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Green Day, released on December 7, 2012. It is the third and final installment in the ''¡Uno!'' ''¡Dos!'' ''¡Tré!'' trilogy, a series of s ...
'' which would be released in fall 2012. The trilogy featured longtime touring guitarist Jason White joining the band in the studio as an additional musician. This marks the first time that White had played guitar on a Green Day album. That summer, Green Day played several festivals and promotional shows, including the Rock en Seine festival in France, the Rock am See festival in Germany, and the Reading Festival in the United Kingdom. ''¡Uno!'', ''¡Dos!'', and ''¡Tré!'' were released on September 21, November 9, and December 7, 2012, respectively, and were met with generally positive reviews from critics, though fans were more lukewarm towards the albums. On January 22, 2013, the band announced that ''¡Cuatro!'', a documentary about the making of ''¡Uno!, ¡Dos!'' and ''¡Tré!'', would premiere on January 26 in Aspen, Colorado, Aspen, Colorado as part of the X Games FILM showcase, and would be released on DVD April 9, 2013. Another documentary was announced called ''Broadway Idiot'' which focuses on the creation on the American Idiot (musical), American Idiot musical and Armstrong's run as playing the character of St. Jimmy. On March 10, 2013, Green Day began its 99 Revolutions Tour to support the trilogy. In June, Green Day broke Emirates Stadium attendance record with 60,000 tickets sold. The band played ''Dookie'' from start to finish on several dates on the tour's European leg, including during the Reading Festival 2013 headline show. ''Demolicious'', a compilation album that contains alternate versions and demos of songs from ''¡Uno!'', ''¡Dos!'' and ''¡Tré!'' recorded during the studio sessions of these albums, was released on April 19, 2014, for Record Store Day. It also contains a previously unreleased song called "State of Shock" and an acoustic version of "Stay the Night", from ''¡Uno!''.


2014–2018: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and ''Revolution Radio''

Green Day performed their first concert in a year on April 16, 2015. The group first played a set as Sweet Children with
John Kiffmeyer John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), also known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is the former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day, leaving in 1990 and replaced by Tré Cool. ...
, followed by a set as Green Day. On April 18, 2015, Green Day were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
by Fall Out Boy. On April 24, 2015, Rob Cavallo revealed Green Day were recording a twelfth studio album. Cavallo claimed to have heard "five new songs that Billie has written and demoed", and that the fans should be "sure that when they do return, the music will be amazing". On December 24, 2015, Green Day released a Christmas song, "Xmas Time of the Year". On August 11, 2016, Green Day released the first single, "Bang Bang (Green Day song), Bang Bang", from the group's twelfth studio album, ''
Revolution Radio ''Revolution Radio'' is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 7, 2016 through Reprise Records. A self-produced effort, it marked their first release since 2009's '' 21st Century Breakdown'' not to be pr ...
'', which was released on October 7, 2016. The band went on a Revolution Radio Tour, world tour supporting the album. In November 2016, the band performed at the
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
in Los Angeles and made a political statement about the then-recent US election of Donald Trump by chanting "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA" during their rendition of "Bang Bang". Aaron Burgess at ''Alternative Press (music magazine), Alternative Press'' observed, "It's the first time in years Green Day haven't had all the answers. But as a statement on how it feels to fight, it's the closest to the truth they've ever gotten." Gwilym Mumford of ''The Guardian'' stated "[after their last few albums] the band have decided to get back to basics: ''Revolution Radio'' is their most focused work in years. Lead single "Bang Bang" sets the tone, with a caustic consideration of the fame-hungry psychosis of a mass shooter". The band released their second greatest hits compilation, ''God's Favorite Band'', on November 17, 2017. It contains 20 of their hits, along with two new tracks: a different version of the ''Revolution Radio'' track "Ordinary World", featuring country singer Miranda Lambert, and a previously unreleased song titled "Back in the USA".


2019–2023: ''Father of All Motherfuckers''

On April 13, 2019, for Record Store Day, the band released their Woodstock 1994 (Green Day album), Woodstock 1994 performance on vinyl for the first time. It contains all 9 songs they played live, as well as audio of the ensuing mud fight. On September 10, 2019, the band announced the Hella Mega Tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer as headliners alongside themselves, with The Interrupters (band), the Interrupters as the opening act. They also released the single, "Father of All... (song), Father of All..." off their thirteenth album, ''
Father of All Motherfuckers ''Father of All Motherfuckers'' (also known by the censored title ''Father of All...'' or ''Father of All M***********s'') is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 7, 2020, through Reprise Records. ...
''. The same day, in an interview with KROQ-FM, KROQ, Armstrong announced the band would be parting ways with Reprise Records, Reprise after the album's release, as they were off their contract with Warner Records, Warner. On September 30, 2019, Green Day signed a two-year agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL). The album's second single, "Fire, Ready, Aim", was released on October 9, 2019. The album's third single, "Oh Yeah! (Green Day song), Oh Yeah!", was released on January 16, 2020. The album was released on February 7, 2020. The album's fourth single, "Meet Me on the Roof", was released on the same day as the album. On April 6, 2020, Armstrong revealed that he had written six songs intending to record new music with the band once the COVID-19 pandemic had passed. On May 21, 2020, the band released a cover of Blondie (band), Blondie's "Dreaming (Blondie song), Dreaming". On October 30, 2020, the band's secret side project,
the Network The Network is an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album '' Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album tit ...
, teased upcoming activity with a video titled "The Prophecy" and mentioned their upcoming sequel album. Then on November 2, 2020, the Network released a music video for their first song in 17 years, named "Ivankkka Is a Nazi". After a couple of weeks of small hints on social media, as well as Green Day claiming they were not the Network, the band released an EP on November 20, 2020, titled ''Trans Am (EP), Trans Am''. On December 4, 2020, the Network released their second album, ''Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!''. In February 2021, Green Day announced a single, titled "Here Comes the Shock", which was later released on February 21, 2021. The band would release a remastered version of ''
Insomniac Insomniac or The Insomniac may refer to: * A person who has insomnia Music * Insomniac (Green Day album), ''Insomniac'' (Green Day album), 1995 * Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias album), ''Insomniac'' (Enrique Iglesias album), 2007 * Insomniac (song ...
'' in March for the belated 25th anniversary of the album's release, with bonus live tracks. On May 17, 2021, Green Day released the single "Pollyanna". The reshuffled Hella Mega Tour would take place in the United States from July to September 2021, and the United Kingdom in June and July 2022. Between legs, on November 5, 2021, the band released the single "Holy Toledo!". This song was also in the soundtrack of the 2021 film ''Mark, Mary & Some Other People''. ''BBC Sessions (Green Day album), BBC Sessions'', the fourth live album by Green Day, was released on December 10, 2021. Eight days later, they put out a teaser video with the captions "RAK Studios. London, England. Green Day. 1972". In 2022, Green Day played a handful of major festivals in the United States, including
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
, and Outside Lands (festival), Outside Lands. The band also played a surprise Lollapalooza aftershow set at Metro Chicago on July 29, a set that was mostly improvised. The set included their first performances of "Church on Sunday", and " Warning" since 2001, and also included fan favorite deep tracks "Whatsername", "Letterbomb", and "Murder City". On October 26, 2022, Green Day was announced as a headliner for the fifth annual Innings Festival in Arizona.


2023–present: ''Saviors''

In November 2022, the band stated they were recording for a new studio album. The album was produced by
Rob Cavallo Robert Siers Cavallo (born March 21, 1963) is an American record producer, musician, and record executive. He is among the biggest-selling producers in alternative music, having contributed to albums that have sold over 130 million units worldwi ...
, marking his first album working with the band since ''¡Tré!'' (2012). Prior to the album's release, the band played a new song titled "1981" during their live performance at Festival d'été de Québec on July 16, 2023. On September 30, 2023, Green Day was announced as the halftime show at the 110th Grey Cup. The following day, the band launched a new website with the name "The American Dream Is Killing Me". Included on the website was a video appearing to tease new music, and a circled date of October 24, 2023, leading some news outlets to believe that it is related to their next album. Before the album's release, they played the first song, "The American Dream Is Killing Me", during a live show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 19, 2023, and announced the Saviors Tour, which first North American leg was joined by the Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and the Linda Lindas. They played another song, titled "Look Ma, No Brains!", from the upcoming album during the When We Were Young (festival), When We Were Young Festival on October 22, 2023. On October 24, 2023, the title of the new album was announced as '' Saviors'', and the album's first single, "The American Dream Is Killing Me", was released. The album was released on January 19, 2024. The second single, "Look Ma, No Brains!", was released on November 2, 2023. A third single, "Dilemma (Green Day), Dilemma", was announced on December 4, 2023, and released three days later on December 7, 2023. On New Year's Eve, Green Day performed "
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
" on the television special ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve''. Armstrong replaced the line "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" with "I'm not a part of the Make America Great Again, MAGA agenda", a reference to Donald Trump's Make America Great Again slogan, in criticism of Trump. The album's fourth single, "One Eyed Bastard", was released on January 5, 2024. On the evening of January 16, 2024, the band appeared in a surprise performance in the 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center station of the New York subway system, with late-night host Jimmy Fallon joining them on tambourine to help draw attention to the upcoming album and tour, and played several songs, including the recent single "Look Ma, No Brains", " Basket Case", and "American Idiot"; this time, Armstrong left space to let the subway crowd sing out the song's revised line "I'm not a part of the MAGA agenda." The album, and a music video for "Bobby Sox", were both released simultaneously on January 19, 2024. A music video for "Corvette Summer" was released on July 23, 2024. Green Day opened for the FireAid benefit concert on January 30, 2025; it was hosted by both Intuit Dome, and the Kia Forum. The band opened with a duet of "21st Century Breakdown, Last Night on Earth" with Billie Eilish, followed by "Still Breathing (Green Day song), Still Breathing", and "
When I Come Around "When I Come Around" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It is the 10th track on their third studio album, '' Dookie'' (1994), and was shipped to radio in December 1994 before being physically released as the fourth single from that album ...
". On April 9, 2025, Green Day announced the deluxe edition of ''Saviors'', titled in French ''Saviors (Édition De Luxe)'',


Musical style and influences

Green Day's sound is described as "often hard-driving and aggressive", and is often compared to first wave American and British punk rock bands such as the Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Dickies, and Buzzcocks. The band is primarily known for its heavy use of power chords combined with "strong pop melodic sensibility". Several publications have characterized the band as
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
, skate punk, melodic punk, alternative rock, and more controversially, power pop. The band has casually explored other musical styles, including post-punk and pop-rock with ''21st Century Breakdown'', and
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
on ''¡Dos!'' and ''Father of All..''. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described Green Day as "punk revivalists who recharged the energy of speedy, catchy three-chord punk-pop songs." Among the labels of the band by critics, members Billie Joe Armstrong and Tré Cool have stated in interviews with ''Livewire (magazine), Livewire'' and ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' self-describing Green Day as just a punk rock band. While Armstrong is the band's primary songwriter, he looks to the other band members for organizational help. Billie Joe Armstrong has mentioned that some of his biggest influences are seminal hardcore punk bands Hüsker Dü and The Replacements (band), the Replacements, and that their influence is particularly noted in the band's chord changes in songs. Green Day has covered Hüsker Dü's "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" as a B-side to the "Warning" single, and the character "Mr. Whirly" in the group's song "Misery" is a reference to the Replacements song of the same name. Southern California-based hardcore bands Social Distortion and
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
have also been cited as influences. Green Day would cover the former's song "Another State of Mind (song), Another State of Mind" from their 1983 debut release, ''Mommy's Little Monster (album), Mommy's Little Monster'' as a bonus track for ''21st Century Breakdown''. Outside of their punk influences, Green Day have also cited hard rock bands the Kinks, the Who, and Cheap Trick." In August 1996, Billie Joe Armstrong told ''Guitar World'' he "can remember a few different instances" of when he first discovered punk rock: "There were these two guys who introduced me to things like D.O.A. (band), D.O.A. and the Dead Kennedys. Then, in the seventh grade, there was a girl at school who would bring in records like T.S.O.L. and say, 'Here, listen to this.'" Armstrong said he thinks he "really started getting into" punk rock "in 1987 with ''Turn It Around!'', a double seven-inch compilation record put out by [punk fanzine] ''Maximumrocknroll''." Armstrong cited ''Turn It Around!'' as an influence, calling it "a pretty big record" for him. Armstrong would also cite fellow East Bay punk bands Operation Ivy, Jawbreaker, and Crimpshrine as influences. Tré Cool has stated that the band is influenced by music that they did not like, naming artists like Hall & Oates, Cyndi Lauper and other 1980s music. Although Green Day has been compared to Buzzcocks, the Ramones and the Clash, Mike Dirnt said he had never heard Buzzcocks when Green Day began. Dirnt said: "First off, you can't sound like any of those bands. And secondly, those are probably the last ones in my record collection." Armstrong responded to Dirnt, saying: "Mine too. Those are all bands I got into later." The Dickies is another band Green Day has been compared to. Dirnt said he "never owned a Dickies album, although" he "did see" the Dickies live "around the time of" ''Kerplunk!''. Dirnt said "by that time, we'd played so many shows it had no bearing." Armstrong referred to the Dickies as "just another Ramones rip-off". Although in August 1996, Armstrong said bands like the Ramones are bands he listened to later, in June 2010, Armstrong cited the Ramones as an influence. He also said his "range of favorite songwriters goes anywhere from the Sex Pistols to Lennon–McCartney." During the ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'' and ''
21st Century Breakdown ''21st Century Breakdown'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist ...
'' era of Green Day, the band was influenced by the Who, U2, Motown albums, and musicals such as ''Grease (musical), Grease''. Billie Joe Armstrong regularly invites musicians at Green Day concerts onstage to substitute for the band members on guitar, bass and drums, often letting the guest musicians keep the instruments they used during their guest spots. Armstrong explains, "I remember being a kid and seeing Van Halen play. I was, like, 12, and Eddie would come out, and I'd go, 'God, it would be so cool to be up there and do what he's doing. So I was always keeping that in mind, subconsciously that's basically what ended up happening, breaking down the barrier between the band and the audience."


Legacy

The band's 1991 album ''Kerplunk'' is one of the bestselling independent albums of all time, selling over 4.5 million copies worldwide. It was also listed in a 2007 ranking of the 100 greatest indie albums by Blender. Green Day is credited (alongside
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
, the Offspring, NOFX, Social Distortion, and Rancid) with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States, particularly with the album ''Dookie (album), Dookie'', which was cited by Fuse (TV channel), Fuse as the most important pop-punk album of all time, the best alternative album of 1994 by ''Rolling Stone'', and as one of the best punk rock albums of all time by ''Rolling Stone'', ''Kerrang!'', ''Revolver'', and ''LA Weekly''. It was also placed on the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
's "Definitive 200" list of 200 classic albums. Both ''Dookie'' and ''American Idiot'' appeared on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the
500 Greatest Albums of All Time 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...
. In 2011, they were voted best punk rock band of all time by ''Rolling Stone''. Diffuser.fm listed ''Dookie'' as the greatest album of the 90s. Green Day has sold roughly 75 million records worldwide as of 2024, making them one of the highest-selling artists of all time. The group has been nominated for 20 Grammy awards and has won five of them with Best Alternative Album for ''Dookie (album), Dookie'',
Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...
for ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'' and ''
21st Century Breakdown ''21st Century Breakdown'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist ...
'',
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
for " Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and Best Musical Show Album for '' American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording''. In 2010, a stage adaptation of ''American Idiot'' debuted on Broadway. The musical was nominated for three
Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...
. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2015, their first year of eligibility. The band has been cited as an influence by a variety of artists, including Alkaline Trio, Avril Lavigne, AFI (band), AFI, Fall Out Boy,
Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
, Joyce Manor, Lady Gaga, Wavves, Fidlar, Tegan and Sara, the Menzingers, New Found Glory, Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Bowling for Soup, Billie Eilish, and Sum 41.


Related projects

Since 1991, members of the band have branched out past Green Day, starting other projects with various musicians. Notable projects related to Green Day include Billie Joe Armstrong's
Pinhead Gunpowder Pinhead Gunpowder is an American punk rock band that formed in East Bay, California, in 1991. The band currently consists of Aaron Cometbus (drums, lyrics), Bill Schneider (bass), Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Jason White (guitar, ...
with Jason White and
the Longshot ''The Longshot'' is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Paul Bartel and starring Tim Conway. Plot Four friends enjoy betting on horses at the race track. Someone tells them that he has something he can give his horse to make it run faster, ...
with Jeff Matika, the Frustrators with Mike Dirnt, and
the Network The Network is an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album '' Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album tit ...
, a collaboration between Green Day and friends in which all members play under fake stage names. Green Day has also released an album titled ''
Stop Drop and Roll!!! ''Stop Drop and Roll!!!'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Foxboro Hot Tubs. The full album was first available for digital download on April 22, 2008, and was released on CD on May 20, 2008. The title track "Stop Drop a ...
'' on May 20, 2008, under the name
Foxboro Hot Tubs Foxboro Hot Tubs is the garage rock side project of Green Day, formed in 2007.Green Day side ...
, which the band uses to book secret shows. In late December 2011, Armstrong formed a family band called the Boo which recorded a one-off Christmas record for their friends and family making a few copies available in a local store. Since January 2018, Armstrong, Dirnt and White have played in the band
the Coverups The Coverups is an American cover band that serves as a side project for Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt. Founded in January 2018 as an outlet for performing cover songs, the band consists of guitarists Armstrong and Dirnt a ...
along with Green Day audio engineer Chris Dugan and tour manager Bill Schneider (musician), Bill Schneider. The band sporadically performs one-off shows, usually in small clubs, and cover the songs of classic rock and alternative rock bands such as Cheap Trick, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Clash, and Nirvana (band), Nirvana. In September 2006, Green Day collaborated with U2 and producer Rick Rubin to record a cover of the song "The Saints Are Coming", originally recorded by the Skids (band), Skids, with an accompanying video. The song was recorded to benefit Music Rising, an organization to help raise money for musicians' instruments lost during Hurricane Katrina, and to bring awareness on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the disaster. In December 2006, Green Day and Natural Resources Defense Council, NRDC opened a web site in partnership to raise awareness on America's dependency on oil. Green Day released a cover of the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero", which was featured on the album ''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur''. The band performed the song on the season finale of ''American Idol''. The song was nominated for a 50th Grammy Awards, Grammy Award in 2008 but lost to the White Stripes' "Icky Thump". That summer, the band appeared in a cameo role in ''The Simpsons Movie'', where the band performed a rock version of the The Simpsons Theme, show's theme song. Their version of it was released as a single on July 23, 2007. In 2009, the band collaborated with theater director Michael Mayer (director), Michael Mayer to adapt the group's
rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
''American Idiot'' into a one-act stage American Idiot (musical), musical that premiered at the Berkeley Rep on September 15, 2009. The show then moved to Broadway on April 20, 2010. The reviews of ''American Idiot: The Musical'' have been positive to mixed. Charles Isherwood of ''The New York Times'' wrote an enthusiastic review for the Broadway production. He called the show "a pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions ... only to transcend them through the power of its music and the artistry of its execution, the show is as invigorating and ultimately as moving as anything I've seen on Broadway this season. Or maybe for a few seasons past." Jed Gottlieb of the ''Boston Herald'' enjoyed the premise of the show but found that "the music and message suffer in a setting where the audience is politely, soberly seated". Michael Kuchiwara of the Associated Press found the show to be "visually striking [and] musically adventurous", but noted that "the show has the barest wisp of a story and minimal character development". Paul Kolnik in ''USA Today'' enjoyed the contradiction that Green Day's "massively popular, starkly disenchanted album ... would be the feel-good musical of the season". ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine's Richard Zoglin opined that the score "is as pure a specimen of contemporary punk rock as Broadway has yet encountered, [yet] there's enough variety. ... Where the show falls short is as a fully developed narrative." He concluded that "''American Idiot'', despite its earnest huffing and puffing, remains little more than an annotated rock concert. ... Still, [it] deserves at least two cheers—for its irresistible musical energy and for opening fresh vistas for that odd couple, rock and Broadway." Peter Travers from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', in his review of ''American Idiot'', wrote "Though ''American Idiot'' carries echoes of such rock musicals as ''Tommy (The Who album), Tommy'', ''Hair (musical), Hair'', ''Rent (musical), Rent'' and ''Spring Awakening (musical), Spring Awakening'', it cuts its own path to the heart. You won't know what hit you. ''American Idiot'' knows no limits—it's a global knockout." The musical has been nominated for three
Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...
, including Best Musical and Best Scenic Design. It was also nominated for several Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle Awards. In October 2009, a Green Day art project was exhibited at StolenSpace Gallery in London. The exhibition showed artworks created for each of the songs on ''21st Century Breakdown'', was supported by the band, and led by the group's manager Pat Magnarella. He explained in an interview that "[Artists are] basically like rock bands. Most are creating their art, but don't know how to promote it." For Billie Joe Armstrong, "Many of the artists... show their work on the street, and we feel a strong connection to that type of creative expression." On April 13, 2011, a film version of ''American Idiot (musical), American Idiot'' was confirmed. Michael Mayer, director of the Broadway musical, would have directed the film. It will be produced by Green Day, Pat Magnarella (Green Day's manager who also produced ''
Bullet in a Bible ''Bullet in a Bible'' is a live album by American rock band Green Day, released on November 15, 2005, by Reprise Records. Recorded during their American Idiot World Tour, it was directed by Samuel Bayer, who was the director of all the videos ...
'', ''Awesome as Fuck'', and ''Heart Like a Hand Grenade''), Playtone (Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman) and Tom Hulce. However, in February 2020, Billie Joe Armstrong revealed to ''NME'' that plans for a film adaptation of the stage musical had been "pretty much scrapped", without providing anymore details as to the reason. On January 23, 2013, it was announced that a documentary showing Armstrong's journey from punk rock to Broadway was to be released. Called ''Broadway Idiot'' and showing a lot of behind-the-scenes of the ''American Idiot'' musical production, the movie was directed by Doug Hamilton, veteran television journalist for CBS News' ''60 Minutes'' and PBS documentaries such as ''Nova (American TV series), Nova'', ''Frontline (U.S. TV series), Frontline'' and ''American Masters''. A trailer was released on January 30, 2013. The documentary premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 15, 2013. Green Day served as executive producers of ''Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk'' (2017), an extensive documentary film about the San Francisco Bay area punk scene from the late 1970s to the 1990s.


''New Years Rev''

On February 10, 2024, Live Nation Productions announced a comedy film titled ''New Years Rev'', which was described as a "coming-of-age tale", inspired by the true exploits of the band prior to their mainstream breakthrough in 1994. Production of the film was said to be underway in the US state of Oklahoma. Lee Kirk was announced as the film's writer and director. As of February 11, a release date had not been announced. Live Nation Productions, the film and TV arm of Live Nation Entertainment, was said to be producing the film. Green Day guitarist and vocalist
Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician and actor. He is best known for being the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is als ...
, bassist
Mike Dirnt Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of Green Day. He has also played in several other ...
, and drummer
Tré Cool Frank Edwin Wright III (born December 9, 1972), better known by his stage name Tré Cool, is an American musician, best known as the long-time drummer for the rock band Green Day. He replaced the band's former drummer, John Kiffmeyer, in 1990. ...
were announced as the film's producers, in collaboration with Tim Perell. The band members were also confirmed to be making an appearance in the film themselves. Ryan Kroft, Michael Rapino, Jonathan Daniel were announced as the film's executive producers. Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman and Ryan Foust were announced as the film's stars. Jenna Fischer, who portrayed the character Pam Beesley in the American sitcom ''The Office (US), The Office'', was confirmed to have a role in the film. Angela Kinsey, who acted in the same series, was also confirmed to have a role in the film. The film's logline read, “Their roadtrip is a rowdy and mischievous jaunt across the country filled with adventures, based on the exploits of Green Day and their years of living in a tour van.” According to Ryan Kroft of Live Nation Productions, the film "[tells] the story of three friends as they travel across the United States after mistakenly thinking they’ll be opening for a Green Day New Years concert in Los Angeles." Billie Joe Armstrong said, "Van days rule. You will drive all night on no sleep then play a show for 10 kids in a basement of a friend of a friend’s house 50 miles east of anywhere you’ve ever heard of. But you’ll do it again the next day, and the one after that. Because you’re doing it with your bandmates who become your family and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever known. It’s electric. Let the music and mischief ensue." Lee Kirk had previously worked with Billie Joe Armstrong on the 2016 ''Ordinary World (film), Ordinary World'', which the latter had made an appearance in. Kirk had also previously directed an episode of ''The Office'', and is also the spouse of Jenna Fischer.


Controversies


Music style

Green Day has generated controversy over whether their musical style and Selling out, major-label status constitutes "true Punk rock, punk". In reaction to both the style of music and the background of the band, John Lydon, former frontman of the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols commented, "So there we are fending off all that and it pisses me off that years later a wank outfit like Green Day hop in and nick all that and attach it to themselves. They didn't earn their wings to do that and if they were true punk they wouldn't look anything like they do." However, others in the punk rock scene would come to the defense of the band on their punk status.
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
lead guitarist Brett Gurewitz and founder of the independent punk label Epitaph Records would state, "They [Green Day] are a punk band, but you know, punk is the legacy of rock and roll, and Green Day are the biggest band in the genre." Armstrong has discussed the group's status of being a punk band on a major record label, saying, "Sometimes I think we've become redundant because we're this big band now; we've made a lot of money—we're not punk rock anymore. But then I think about it and just say, 'You can take us out of a punk rock environment, but you can't take the punk rock out of us. In 2021, Armstrong condemned the band's labeling as "pop-punk" by critics in a New York (magazine), Vulture magazine interview, stating, "I never really liked that term (pop punk), it turned into sort of a genre. I never thought of myself as a pop artist. I've always been left of center. To say you're a pop-punker ... it never sat well with me." Armstrong acknowledged the band's more melodic punk style compared to other bands from the Bay Area scene it emerged from, but also brought up the band's performance alongside East Bay hardcore bands like Neurosis (band), Neurosis, Engage, Spitboy, Blatz (band), Blatz, and Filth (band), Filth. In 2006, English rock musician Noel Gallagher of the Britpop band Oasis (band), Oasis complained about the band semi-jokingly, claiming that the band had ripped off his song "Wonderwall (song), Wonderwall" with " Boulevard of Broken Dreams".


2012 iHeartRadio Festival incident

On September 21, 2012, while Green Day was performing at the iHeartRadio music festival, Armstrong stopped while performing " Basket Case", because he believed the group's time was being shortened, possibly to extend R&B artist Usher (entertainer), Usher's performance. Angered, Armstrong began ranting while a screen in the rear of the audience was labeled "1 Minutes [Left]", saying "You're gonna give me one fucking minute? You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" He also told the crowd he "was not Justin Bieber" and labeled the festival as a "joke". When the screen went blank, Armstrong smashed his guitar, while bassist
Mike Dirnt Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of Green Day. He has also played in several other ...
smashed his bass. Armstrong then gave the finger, and declared that Green Day would be back before throwing his microphone down and walking off the stage. Two days later, the band's representative apologized for the incident on the group's behalf stating that "Green Day would like everyone to know that their set was not cut short by Clear Channel and to apologize to those they offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas", also adding that Armstrong would be headed to Drug rehabilitation, rehab, for abuse of alcohol and prescription pills. However, Dirnt would later say in an interview with ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' that he agreed with what Armstrong meant by his rant. The band later made amends with the company and played an album release party for their 2016 release, ''Revolution Radio''. They also returned to the festival in 2019 supporting the album ''Father of All Motherfuckers''.


Mad Cool incident

On July 7, 2017, about 20 minutes before Green Day headlined Mad Cool, a festival in Madrid, an acrobat fell about from a cage above the stage and died. Some fans were upset at the band and festival organizers for continuing the show, which was attended by about 35,000 people. On their website, Armstrong said the band did not know about the accident before their set, and likely would not have played if they had.


Oracle Park incident

On September 20, 2024, Green Day performed a The Saviors Tour, show in San Francisco at Oracle Park. During the concert, Billie Joe Armstrong expressed his anger over the Athletics (baseball), Athletics leaving Oakland, repeatedly cursing Las Vegas and called it "the worst shithole in America". He also criticized A's owner John Fisher (businessman), John Fisher, saying "We don't take shit from people like fucking John Fisher… I hate Las Vegas." In protest of Armstrong's comments, two Las Vegas radio stations (KOMP 92.3 and X107.5) banned all Green Day music from their playlists.


Members

Current members *
Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician and actor. He is best known for being the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is als ...
 – lead vocals, guitar (1987–present); harmonica (1997–present); piano (2008–2016) *
Mike Dirnt Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of Green Day. He has also played in several other ...
 – bass (1988–present); backing and occasional lead vocals (1987–present); guitar (1987–1988) *
Tré Cool Frank Edwin Wright III (born December 9, 1972), better known by his stage name Tré Cool, is an American musician, best known as the long-time drummer for the rock band Green Day. He replaced the band's former drummer, John Kiffmeyer, in 1990. ...
 – drums, percussion, occasional backing and lead vocals and guitar (1990–present) Current touring musicians * Jason White – guitar, backing vocals (1999–present; ''session member in 2012'') * Jason Freese – keyboards, accordion, saxophone, trombone, backing vocals, occasional acoustic guitar (2004–present; hiatus in 2024; ''session member from 2003–2004, 2008–2009'') * Kevin Preston – guitar, backing vocals (2019–present) Former members * Raj Punjabi – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1987–1988) * Sean Hughes – bass (1987–1988) *
John Kiffmeyer John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), also known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is the former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day, leaving in 1990 and replaced by Tré Cool. ...
 – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1988–1990; one-off guest appearance in 2015) Former touring musicians * Dave "E.C." Henwood – drums, backing vocals (1990) * Garth Schultz – trombone, trumpet (1997–1999) * Gabrial McNair – trombone, saxophone (1999–2001; ''session member in 1997'') * Kurt Lohmiller – trumpet, backing vocals, percussion (1999–2005) * Mike Pelino – guitar, backing vocals (2004, 2005) * Ronnie Blake – trumpet, backing vocals, percussion (2005; ''session member from 2015–2016'') * Bobby Schneck – guitar, backing vocals (2004–2005) * Jeff Matika – guitar, backing vocals (2009–2019) * Coley O'Toole – keyboards, backing vocals (2024; substitute for Jason Freese)


Timeline


Touring musicians timeline


Awards and nominations

Green Day has earned 214 award nominations and 92 wins.


Discography

Studio albums * ''
39/Smooth ''39/Smooth'' is the debut studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Green Day, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. After finalizing their line-up, the band played frequent shows at the 924 Gilman Street venue, where they st ...
'' (1990) * ''
Kerplunk KerPlunk is a children's game invented by Eddy Goldfarb with Rene Soriano and first marketed by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967. The game equipment consists of a transparent plastic tube, plastic rods called ''straws'' (normally 26 to 30 in total ...
'' (1991) * ''
Dookie ''Dookie'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif ...
'' (1994) * ''
Insomniac Insomniac or The Insomniac may refer to: * A person who has insomnia Music * Insomniac (Green Day album), ''Insomniac'' (Green Day album), 1995 * Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias album), ''Insomniac'' (Enrique Iglesias album), 2007 * Insomniac (song ...
'' (1995) * ''
Nimrod Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...
'' (1997) * '' Warning'' (2000) * ''
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
'' (2004) * ''
21st Century Breakdown ''21st Century Breakdown'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist ...
'' (2009) * ''
¡Uno! ''¡Uno!'' (stylized in all caps) is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released first in Australia on September 21, 2012, and released in the US on September 25, 2012, by Reprise Records. It is the first of three album ...
'' (2012) * ''
¡Dos! ''¡Dos!'' (stylized in all caps) is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day. The album was released on November 9, 2012, in Australia, November 12 in the United Kingdom and on November 13 in the United States through Repri ...
'' (2012) * ''
¡Tré! ''¡Tré!'' (stylized in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Green Day, released on December 7, 2012. It is the third and final installment in the ''¡Uno!'' ''¡Dos!'' ''¡Tré!'' trilogy, a series of s ...
'' (2012) * ''
Revolution Radio ''Revolution Radio'' is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 7, 2016 through Reprise Records. A self-produced effort, it marked their first release since 2009's '' 21st Century Breakdown'' not to be pr ...
'' (2016) * ''
Father of All Motherfuckers ''Father of All Motherfuckers'' (also known by the censored title ''Father of All...'' or ''Father of All M***********s'') is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 7, 2020, through Reprise Records. ...
'' (2020) * '' Saviors'' (2024)


Tours

* 39/Smooth Tour (1990–1991) * European Tour '91 (1991) * Kerplunk Tour (1991–1993) * Dookie Tour (1994) * Insomniac Tour (1995–1996) * Nimrod Tour (1997–1998) * Life Without Warning Tour (1999–2000) *
Pop Disaster Tour The Pop Disaster Tour was a concert tour co-headlined by American rock bands Blink-182 and Green Day. It began in Bakersfield, California on April 17, 2002, and concluded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 17. Set largely at arenas and outdoor ...
(with
Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
)
(2002) *
American Idiot World Tour The American Idiot World Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Green Day in support of the group's seventh studio album, ''American Idiot'', which was released in September 2004. The tour began in Los Angeles at the Grand Olympic Audit ...
(2004–2005) * 21st Century Breakdown World Tour (2009–2010) * 99 Revolutions Tour (2013) * Revolution Radio Tour (2016–2017) * Hella Mega Tour (with Fall Out Boy and Weezer) (2021–2022) * The Saviors Tour (2024–2025)


See also

* ''Green Day: Rock Band'' * List of best-selling albums in the United States


References


Further reading

* * * Spitz, Marc. ''Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day''. New York: Hyperion, 2006.
The Green Day Story
(Broadcast on BBC Radio 1, Radio 1 Mon June 20, 2005) (Alternat
Link
(rpm. file))


External links

* * * {{Authority control Green Day, 1987 establishments in California Adeline Records artists Alternative rock groups from California American political music groups American power pop groups American punk rock groups Bands associated with 924 Gilman Brit Award winners Grammy Award winners Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Kerrang! Awards winners MTV Video Music Award winners Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups from Berkeley, California Musical trios from California Musical quartets from California Pop punk groups from California Punk rock groups from California Reprise Records artists Skate punk groups Warner Music Group artists