Green Day

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Do you have the time
To listen to me whine

About nothing and everything all at once?
Basket Case

Green Day is a pop/punk/alternative rock band from the Bay Area (Oakland, to be precise). Around 1987, Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals/guitar) and Mike Dirnt (bass) formed the band Sweet Children; in 1988, John Kiffmeyer joined as the drummer. Before releasing their first LP, the band changed its name to Green Day, supposedly as an inside joke about marijuana. In 1990, Kiffmeyer left the band to attend college and Tre Cool joined in his place, completing the Green Day we know today. In 1999 Green Day gained backup guitarist Jason White, but he usually isn't included in the band roster.

Green Day reached its peak of popularity with the Dookie album. Although Insomniac and Nimrod also got a favorable reception, the band began losing popularity after 1997. But in 2004, Green Day made a comeback with the rock opera American Idiot. The album is very anti-establishment in tone and frequently criticizes President Bush, as the Iraq War was going on at the time. American Idiot marked a complete departure from their earlier pop/punk style and alienated a portion of their fanbase, although it also won over new fans. American Idiot also received controversy for being "Anti-American". Interestingly, the album was very popular in Europe.

Green Day cites influence from punk bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, and The Clash. However, since the release of American Idiot, many have accused Green Day of selling out and adopting a more mainstream rock image.

The band have their own Rock Band game treatment, released June 2010.

Notable Albums:

  • 39/Smooth (1990)
    • 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991), which adds the 1000 Hours and Slappy EPs to the end of 39/Smooth. The original 39/Smooth is no longer in print because its been replaced completely by this longer and more popular release
  • Kerplunk (1992)
    • "2000 Light Years Away" (Will sometimes get played on Alt Rock stations [Seattle's 107.7 The End for example] on the radio if requested)

Related Bands

  • The Boo (Billie Joe, Adrienne, Jakob)
  • Foxboro Hot Tubs (Billie Joe, Mike, Tre)
  • The Frustrators (Mike)
  • The Network (Billie Joe, Mike, Tre, and members of Devo, all under fake stage names)
  • Pinhead Gunpowder (Billie Joe, Jason White, Aaron Cometbus)
  • Dookie (1994)
    • "Basket Case"
    • "Longview"
    • "When I Come Around"
    • "She"
    • "Welcome To Paradise"
  • Insomniac (1995)
    • "Brain Stew/Jaded"
    • "Stuck with Me"
    • "Geek Stink Breath"
    • "Walking Contradiction"
  • Nimrod (1997)
    • "Hitchin' a Ride"
    • "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
    • "Redundant"
    • "Nice Guys Finish Last"
  • Warning (2000)
    • "Minority"
    • "Warning"
    • "Waiting"
    • "Macy's Day Parade"
  • American Idiot (2004)
    • "American Idiot"
    • "Jesus of Suburbia"
    • "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
    • "Wake Me Up When September Ends"
    • "Holiday"
  • Twenty First Century Breakdown (2009)
    • "Know Your Enemy"
    • "21 Guns"
    • "East Jesus Nowhere"
    • "21st Century Breakdown"
  • Uno!/Dos!/Tre! (2012)
  • Revolution Radio (2016)

Other:

  • "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)" (1995): non-album single which was a number-one hit
  • Skull Ring (2003): Collaboration with Iggy Pop
    • "Private Hell"
    • "Supermarket"
  • "I Fought the Law" (2004): Bobby Fuller Four cover
  • "The Saints Are Coming" (2006): Skids cover with U2
  • "Working Class Hero" (2008): cover of the John Lennon song
Pre-American Idiot Green Day includes examples of:

(For American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown tropes, go to their respective pages.)