Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band whose own lead singer once called its name "the worst band name in the world." Billie Joe Armstrong said so in 2001. The name came from Bay Area slang for an entire day given over to smoking marijuana. Even so, Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool have sold roughly 75 million records worldwide as of 2024. That makes the trio one of the best-selling acts of all time. How did a garage group from Rodeo, California, get there? What did it cost them with the people who knew them first? And why does a band this big keep picking public fights?
In 1987, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt were both 15 and already playing guitar together. With bassist Sean Hughes and drummer Raj Punjabi, a classmate from Pinole Valley High School, they formed a band called Desecrated Youth. They rehearsed in the garage of Punjabi's house in Rodeo, California. A few months later the group renamed itself Sweet Children. One of the first songs they wrote together was "Best Thing in Town." Their first public show came on the 17th of October 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California.
By 1988 the lineup was shifting. Armstrong and Dirnt began working with John Kiffmeyer, a former drummer of Isocracy who went by "Al Sobrante." He replaced Punjabi. Around the same time Hughes left, which pushed Dirnt from guitar over to bass.
Armstrong has pointed to specific people and records that shaped his taste. He told Guitar World in August 1996 that two guys introduced him to D.O.A. and the Dead Kennedys. In seventh grade, a girl at school kept bringing in records by bands like T.S.O.L. He says he truly got into punk in 1987, through Turn It Around!, a double seven-inch compilation from the fanzine Maximumrocknroll. He called it "a pretty big record" for him. He also credits Operation Ivy with inspiring him to start a band.
In 1988, Larry Livermore, who ran Lookout! Records, caught an early gig and signed the group to his label. The debut EP, 1,000 Hours, followed in April 1989. Shortly before it came out, the band dropped the name Sweet Children. Livermore says this avoided confusion with another local band, Sweet Baby.
Lookout! released the first album, 39/Smooth, in early 1990. Later that year, after the band's first nationwide tour, Kiffmeyer left the East Bay to study at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. Tré Cool, drummer of the Lookouts, filled in for a while and then for good. Kiffmeyer "graciously accepted" the change. The second album, Kerplunk, arrived in 1991.
Touring filled most of 1992 and 1993, including shows in Europe and a long run opening for Bad Religion on the Recipe for Hate Tour. By then Kerplunk had sold 50,000 copies in the US. Over time it went on to sell more than 4.5 million copies worldwide, which makes it one of the best-selling independent albums ever.
On the 3rd of September 1993, Green Day played its last show at 924 Gilman, the Berkeley club where the Bay Area punk scene had grown up. They used the pseudonym Blair Hess. The club banned them permanently because of their major-label signing.
The underground success of Kerplunk had set off a bidding war among major labels. The band left Lookout! and chose Reprise Records, largely because of producer Rob Cavallo. His work with fellow Californians the Muffs had impressed them. They later said Cavallo "was the only person we could talk to and connect with." Armstrong explained the choice to Spin 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."
Dookie was recorded in three weeks and released in February 1994. Heavy MTV airplay for the videos of "Longview," "Basket Case" and "When I Come Around" pushed all three songs to number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album eventually shipped over 20 million copies in the US. In 1995 it won the Grammy for Best Alternative Album. The band also collected nine nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year.
On the 9th of September 1994, a show at the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston turned into a riot. The band's set was cut to seven songs. By the end, 100 people were injured and 45 were arrested. The band also joined the lineups of Lollapalooza and Woodstock '94. At Woodstock they started an infamous mud fight. A security guard mistook Dirnt for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth. Millions watched on pay-per-view. In April 2019, for Record Store Day, the performance finally came out on vinyl, with all nine songs and the audio of the mud fight.
Back in the East Bay, Armstrong felt hostility after Dookie took off. He remembered aggressive glares and furtive whispers. Jawbreaker, a local favorite of his, drew accusations of selling out at a concert he attended, as Green Day's success spilled onto other bands from the area.
John Lydon, former frontman of the Sex Pistols, scorned Green Day for taking punk without earning it, and said they did not look the part. Brett Gurewitz, the Bad Religion guitarist who founded Epitaph Records, answered that "punk is the legacy of rock and roll, and Green Day are the biggest band in the genre." Armstrong's own reply was, "You can take us out of a punk rock environment, but you can't take the punk rock out of us." In a 2021 interview with Vulture, he also rejected the label pop-punk, saying "I've always been left of center." He pointed to early shows alongside East Bay hardcore bands such as Neurosis, Engage, Spitboy, Blatz and Filth.
A single called "J.A.R.," released for the Angus soundtrack, debuted at number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995. That fall came Insomniac, a darker and heavier answer to sudden fame than the melodic Dookie. Rolling Stone gave it 4 of 5 stars, writing that "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 album sold three million copies in the US. Soon afterward, the band abruptly canceled a European tour, citing exhaustion.
For Nimrod, released in October 1997, the band and Cavallo agreed from the start that it had to sound different. The result mixed punk, pop, hardcore, folk, surf rock and ska. It also held "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," an acoustic ballad that won the MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video. The song turned up in the second clip show episode of Seinfeld and in two episodes of ER. The band also made a guest appearance on King of the Hill that year.
Warning, released in 2000, leaned toward folk punk, and reviews split. AllMusic gave it 4.5 out of 5, saying "Warning may not be an innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying." Rolling Stone gave it 3 out of 5 and asked, "Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social commentary from what used to be snot core's biggest-selling band?" The album was certified only gold, a clear step down from the band's earlier sales. In November 2000, the band played free on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall, in a show produced by Ian Brennan, to protest the eviction of artists from the city. At the 2001 California Music Awards they won all eight awards they were nominated for, including Outstanding Album and Outstanding Songwriter.
In the summer and fall of 2002, the band wrote and recorded an album called Cigarettes and Valentines, set for release in August 2003. Dirnt said the 16-song record took six months. The band has said repeatedly that the master recordings were stolen from the studio when the album was nearly finished. Rather than re-record the songs, they abandoned the project and started over, judging the stolen material unrepresentative of their best work. Dirnt's own telling differs a little. He said two or three extra songs seemed worth chasing, and the band chose to build a different album around them. That album was American Idiot.
In September 2003, an album called Money Money 2020 appeared from the Network, a band that wore masks and costumes. It had been signed with little fanfare to Armstrong's Adeline Records. Listeners heard Green Day in the sound, and rumors spread. The two bands seemed to feud through press releases and statements from Armstrong, while a note on the Adeline website described a dispute. Journalists openly called the Network a Green Day side project, but that was not confirmed until 2013. In 2020 the Network released its first song in 17 years, even as Green Day claimed they were not the Network. On the 20th of November 2020, Green Day put out an EP titled Trans Am.
In November 2003, Green Day played on two tracks of Iggy Pop's album Skull Ring. On the 1st of February 2004, a cover of "I Fought the Law," originally by The Crickets, debuted in an iTunes commercial during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Both were warm-ups for the album that followed.
American Idiot arrived in September 2004 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, a first for the band. It was billed as a punk rock opera that follows a fictional everyman called "Jesus of Suburbia." Its picture of modern American life shows a country under an idiot ruler, with people left misinformed by the media and a "redneck agenda." It was released two months before George W. Bush was reelected. It became protest art and sold 6 million copies in the US.
At the 2005 Grammys, American Idiot won Best Rock Album and was nominated in six other categories, including Album of the Year. At the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the band won seven of the eight awards it was up for. The video for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" took six of them. A year later, that song won the Grammy for Record of the Year.
In 2009, Kerrang! named American Idiot the best album of the decade. Rolling Stone ranked it 22nd and NME ranked it 60th on their own decade lists. Rolling Stone's 2012 list of the 500 greatest albums placed it at 225. The magazine also ranked the title track 47th and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 65th among the best songs of the 2000s.
Earlier in 2005, on the 1st of August, the band announced that it had taken back the master rights to its pre-Dookie recordings from Lookout Records. It cited a continuing breach of contract over unpaid royalties, a complaint other Lookout! bands shared. During the American Idiot World Tour, the band filmed two concerts at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in England. They became the live CD and DVD set Bullet in a Bible, released on the 15th of November 2005. The tour ended in Sydney and Melbourne on the 14th and the 17th of December.
Walmart refused to stock the album 21st Century Breakdown because of its Parental Advisory sticker, and asked for a censored edition. The band declined. "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."
The record came after a gap of nearly five years, the longest between studio albums in the band's career. Butch Vig, drummer of Garbage, would produce it, as Shirley Manson revealed in an interview with Carson Daly. By October 2007, Armstrong had 45 songs written. The work spanned three years and four recording studios and finished in April 2009. The album was released on the 15th of May 2009 and reached number one in fourteen countries. It was Green Day's best overall chart performance to date. It won the Grammy for Best Rock Album at the 52nd Grammys, on the 31st of January 2010. By December 2010 it had sold 1,005,000 copies in the US.
On the 15th of September 2009, American Idiot opened as a one-act stage musical at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Director Michael Mayer had met the band that year, along with cast and crew members of the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening. The show expanded the album's story with new characters named Will, Extraordinary Girl and Favorite Son.
On the 20th of April 2010, the musical opened on Broadway, and the band released a soundtrack with a new song, "When It's Time." The production earned three Tony nominations, for Best Musical, Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design. It won the last two. The cast recording won the Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.
Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called the show "a pulsating portrait of wasted youth." Richard Zoglin of Time praised its musical energy but said it remained "little more than an annotated rock concert." Michael Kuchiwara of the Associated Press found it visually striking but noted "the barest wisp of a story."
The documentary Broadway Idiot, directed by Doug Hamilton, followed Armstrong's journey from punk rock to Broadway, including his run as the character St. Jimmy. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on the 15th of March 2013. A film version of the musical had been confirmed in April 2011. In February 2020, Armstrong told NME the plans had been "pretty much scrapped."
In fall 2012 came a trilogy of albums: ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré!. Longtime touring guitarist Jason White joined in the studio, the first time he had played guitar on a Green Day album. Critics were generally positive, but fans were more lukewarm. Sales fell short of expectations, largely because of a lack of promotion and Armstrong entering rehab. The first of the three, ¡Uno!, came out on the 21st of September 2012, a date that would be remembered for another reason.
On the 21st of September 2012, Armstrong stopped playing "Basket Case" at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas. He believed the band's time was being shortened, possibly to extend a set by R&B artist Usher. A screen behind the crowd read "1 Minutes Left." Armstrong ranted at the festival, said he was not Justin Bieber, and smashed his guitar while Dirnt smashed his bass. He threw down his microphone, promised the band would be back, and walked off. Two days later a representative apologized, said the set was not cut short by Clear Channel, and announced that Armstrong was headed to rehab for alcohol and prescription pills. Dirnt later told Rolling Stone he agreed with what Armstrong meant. The band played an album release party for Revolution Radio there in 2016 and returned to the festival in 2019.
On the 7th of July 2017, about 20 minutes before Green Day headlined Mad Cool in Madrid, an acrobat fell about 30 meters from a cage above the stage and died. The show went ahead for about 35,000 people, and some fans were upset. Armstrong wrote on the band's website that they did not know about the accident before going on, and likely would not have played if they had.
On the 20th of September 2024, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Armstrong vented his anger over the Athletics leaving Oakland. He cursed Las Vegas repeatedly in the harshest terms and criticized team owner John Fisher. In protest, two Las Vegas radio stations, KOMP 92.3 and X107.5, banned all Green Day music from their playlists.
In November 2016, at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, the band chanted "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA" during "Bang Bang." It was a comment on the recent US election of Donald Trump. That year Armstrong began altering lyrics at live shows to criticize members of the Trump Administration, and he later did the same to JD Vance and Elon Musk. Other changes voiced support for Palestine in reference to the Israel-Gaza War. On New Year's Eve 2023, on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, he swapped the line "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" for "I'm not a part of the MAGA agenda."
On the 19th of January 2025, at the Calabash Festival at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, Armstrong changed the same line to "I'm not a part of the Elon agenda." Musk had mocked the band on X in early 2024, calling their commentary "milquetoastedly raging for it." Dirnt answered in Rolling Stone: "Elon Musk actually is the machine." He added, "The song's twenty years old, and we're Green Day. What did you expect?"
Armstrong also regularly invites musicians from the crowd to take over guitar, bass or drums, and often lets them keep the instruments. He remembers seeing Van Halen at about 12, with Eddie coming out onstage. Armstrong says the habit grew from wanting to break down the barrier between the band and the audience.
Mike Dirnt has said he had never heard Buzzcocks when Green Day began. "First off, you can't sound like any of those bands," he said, adding that they were probably the last records in his collection. Armstrong answered, "Mine too. Those are all bands I got into later." Critics still compare the band to the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Dickies and Buzzcocks. Armstrong names Hüsker Dü and the Replacements as bigger influences. The character "Mr. Whirly" in the song "Misery" nods to a Replacements song.
In 2016, a study of 361 artists by the company Musixmatch found that Green Day swore more than any other rock act in the study. Red Hot Chili Peppers and Aerosmith came next.
Fuse called Dookie the most important pop-punk album of all time, and Diffuser.fm called it the greatest album of the 1990s. It also sits on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Definitive 200" list. In 2011, Rolling Stone voted Green Day the best punk rock band of all time. Artists who cite them as an influence include Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Lady Gaga, Avril Lavigne and Billie Eilish. Across their career the group has been nominated for 20 Grammys and won five.
On the 16th of April 2015, Green Day played its first concert in a year. It opened with a set as Sweet Children alongside John Kiffmeyer, followed by a set as Green Day. Two days later, on the 18th, Fall Out Boy inducted them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in their first year of eligibility. A Hollywood Walk of Fame star followed on the 1st of May 2025.
The album Saviors was produced by Rob Cavallo, their first work together since ¡Tré!. It was released on the 19th of January 2024. Three days earlier, the band had played a surprise set in the Rockefeller Center subway station in New York, with Jimmy Fallon on tambourine. They played "Look Ma, No Brains," "Basket Case" and "American Idiot" to draw attention to the record and the tour.
On the 8th of February 2026, the band played the opening ceremony of Super Bowl LX. They offered an instrumental of "Good Riddance," then "Holiday," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "American Idiot." The performance left out political references, and fans on social media reacted in mixed ways.
The comedy film New Years Rev premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on the 12th of September 2025. Lee Kirk wrote and directed it. Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman and Ryan Foust star, with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey of The Office in roles. It follows three friends who cross the United States after wrongly thinking they will open for a Green Day New Year's concert in Los Angeles. It draws on the band's own years in a tour van before 1994. "Van days rule," Armstrong said, describing nights of driving with no sleep to play for 10 kids in a basement.
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Updated
Common questions
Why is the band called Green Day?
Green Day took its name from Bay Area slang for a day spent doing nothing but smoking marijuana. Billie Joe Armstrong admitted in 2001 that he considered it "the worst band name in the world."
Where and when was Green Day formed?
Green Day was formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987. Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, both 15, started the group as Desecrated Youth, and it soon became Sweet Children before taking the name Green Day in 1989.
Why was Green Day banned from 924 Gilman Street?
The Berkeley club 924 Gilman banned Green Day permanently because the band signed with a major label. Their last show there was on the 3rd of September 1993, played under the pseudonym Blair Hess.
How successful was Green Day's album Dookie?
Dookie, released in February 1994 after three weeks of recording, eventually shipped over 20 million copies in the US. Its videos for "Longview," "Basket Case" and "When I Come Around" all reached number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
What is Green Day's American Idiot about?
American Idiot is a punk rock opera that follows a fictional everyman called Jesus of Suburbia. It depicts modern American life under an idiot ruler, with people misinformed by the media. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in September 2004 and sold 6 million copies in the US.
How many Grammy Awards has Green Day won?
Green Day has been nominated for 20 Grammy Awards and has won five. The wins are Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and Best Musical Show Album for the American Idiot cast recording.
All sources
346 references cited across the entry
- 1Dookie 30th Anniversary Color Vinyl Box SetGreen Day — Reprise Records — 2023
- 2Green Day - Kerplunk!Epitaph Records
- 3Magazine21 Northern Californian artists who have influenced AFI's Hunter BurganScott Waldman — March 8, 2021
- 4MagazineGreen Day's 'Broadway Idiot' Documentary to Get Theatrical ReleaseErik Hayden — August 22, 2013
- 5BookGreen Day: The Ultimate Unauthorized HistoryAlan di Perna — Voyageur Press — December 16, 2012
- 6Watch Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong play with punk band at 16 years oldRhian Daly — March 25, 2019
- 8Green Day – History, Songs, Albums & FactsMelissa Albert — February 8, 2020
- 9Green Day – Official PageGreen Day — February 8, 2020
- 10MagazineSPIN: Young, Loud, and SnottyEric Weisbard — September 1994
- 11Green Day MTV Raw 1995January 23, 2017
- 12MagazineTime of Their Lives: Green Day's 22 Biggest DaysRichard Bienstock — April 17, 2015
- 13BookOmnibus Presents the Story of Green DayDoug Small — Omnibus Press — 2005
- 14VideoPunk's Not DeadVision Films — July 27, 2007
- 15BookNobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green DayMarc Spitz — Hachette Books — November 7, 2006
- 16MagazinePunk Mogul Larry Livermore Recalls Meeting a Teen Billie Joe Armstrong in New MemoirMarch 5, 2013
- 17Myers, 2006. p. 51
- 18MagazineSweet Children – 25 Worst Original Names of Famous BandsJuly 22, 2015
- 19Music and Concerts: Green DayArchive.metropolis.co.jp
- 20Bill Maher and Green Day's Billy Joe Talk About MarijuanaBill Maher — April 9, 2010
- 22The story behind Green Day's nameRadio X
- 25BookGreen Day: A Musical BiographyKjersti Egerdahl — ABC-CLIO — 2010
- 26Rock Rewind: How Green Day Made Punk Rock MainstreamMarie Gagne — CFJB-FM — September 29, 2022
- 27Thompson, Dave. "Green Day". Alternative Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000.
- 28NewsPunk Band Green Day Taking a 'Bookish' TurnFrank Jr. Pearn — March 18, 1994
- 29The McGill Tribune Vol. 13 Issue 6 by The McGill TribuneOctober 13, 1993
- 30Green Day: Behind the Music2001
- 31Smith, RJ. "Top 90 Albums of the 90s". Spin. August 1999.
- 32BookSellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)Dan Ozzi — HarperCollins Publishers — 2021
- 33Green DayBiography Channel — September 11, 2009
- 34Idiot Rules!The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
- 35Fricke, David (December 16, 1999), "Our Back Pages". Rolling Stone (828/829):85
- 36Woodstock 1994 concert reviewRam Samudrala — August 1994
- 37Green DayNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences — November 23, 2020
- 382005 MTV Video Music AwardsRock on the Net
- 39BookSellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)Dan Ozzi — HarperCollins Publishers — 2021
- 41Green Day announce 25th anniversary 'Insomniac' reissueWill Lavin — October 10, 2020
- 42Coleman, Mark. "Insomniac". Rolling Stone. November 1995.
- 43MagazineGreen Day: Album Guide
- 45BookNobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green DayMarc Spitz — Hachette Books — November 7, 2006
- 46Nimrod showcased Green Day at their most authentically eclecticEd Brown — October 13, 2022
- 47NewsGreen Day stretches out on 'Nimrod'Jim Sullivan — October 10, 1997
- 48Myers, 2006. pp. 152–153
- 50MagazineWhy Nimrod is Green Day's unsung masterpieceEric Renner Brown — October 13, 2017
- 51The Best Green Day Album? Duh, It's NimrodNick Ruskell — October 14, 2020
- 5220 things you probably didn't know about Billie Joe ArmstrongIan Winwood — February 17, 2021
- 53Spitz, 2006, p. 133
- 54Spitz, 2006, p. 134
- 55Green Day Guitarist Jason White Battling Tonsil CancerSpencer Kaufman — December 6, 2014
- 56Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Warning. AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- 57NewsGreen Day To Play Free San Francisco ShowMTV News
- 58Green Day: Warning (2000): ReviewsMetacritic — October 3, 2000
- 59WarningAllMusic
- 60MagazineWarning reviewGreg Kot — October 12, 2000
- 61Green Day TimelineRock on the Net
- 62Green Day Dominates California Music Awardsidobi Radio — April 29, 2001
- 63Green Day – International Superhits: The Best OfJames Westfox — November 12, 2001
- 64MagazineShenanigans | Album ReviewsMark Kemp — July 30, 2002
- 65International Supervideos!AllMusic
- 66NewsThe Nominees for the Grammy AwardsJanuary 5, 2000
- 68Spitz, p. 152.
- 69Mike Dirnt: The Lost Interview with Steve Rosen (2004)Steve Rosen — 2004
- 70Watch: Green Day debut "Cigarettes and Valentines" and "Olivia"Chris Coplan — August 31, 2010
- 71Green Day Unmasked?E! — October 16, 2003
- 73Are Green Day Their Own Worst Enemy? Only Time—Or Concerts—Will TellJames Montgomery — MTV News — October 5, 2005
- 7411 of Green Day's most unforgettable moments – Alternative PressSeptember 26, 2016
- 76NewsWhere does a successful Green Day go from here?May 4, 2011
- 78The Many Sides Of Billie Joe Armstrong — Kerrang!April 20, 2018
- 79Money Money 2020Jesse Lord — December 23, 2003
- 80MagazineQ&A: Green Day's Mike Dirnt on Billie Joe Armstrong's RecoveryDavid Fricke — March 1, 2013
- 81Punk Rock OperaDavid Downs — September 2, 2009
- 82BookGREEN DAY american idiots & the new punk explosionBen Myers — The Disinformation Company Ltd. — 2006
- 83Green Day's 'American Idiot'Lorraine Ali — December 22, 2008
- 842004 Grammy Award WinnersNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
- 85Green Day's American Idiot Nominated for Seven Grammy AwardsDecember 13, 2004
- 862005 Video Music AwardsMTV News — September 2, 2005
- 872005 Grammy Award WinnersNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
- 88JournalKerrang! Top 50 albums of the 21st CenturyAugust 5, 2009
- 90Magazine100 Best Albums of the Decade: #22-#21December 9, 2009
- 91Magazine100 Best Songs of the Decade: #68–65December 9, 2009
- 92Magazine100 Best Songs of the Decade: #48–45December 9, 2009
- 93BookBest of Rock & Metal – Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller ZeitenMichael Rensen — Rock Hard — 2005
- 95Bullet in a BibleStephen Thomas Erlewine — AllMusic
- 96Green Day – Bullet In A BibleNovember 22, 2005
- 97Green Day down underDecember 14, 2005
- 98Lookout! downsizes, scales back plans for the futurePunknews.org — August 2005
- 99People's Choice Awards 2006People's Choice Awards
- 100MagazineGreenday 2.0July 2008
- 101NewsGreen Day Are in the Studio With Butch Vig For New Album, Online Video ConfirmsJames Montgomery — MTV News — October 14, 2008
- 102NewsGreen Day in studio with Nirvana producerJonathan Cohen — October 14, 2008
- 103NewsGreen Day Reflects On '21st Century Breakdown'All Headline News — April 27, 2009
- 104Green Day Announce New Album TitleRocklouder — February 9, 2009
- 105Green Day unveil new album release dateidiomag — March 27, 2009
- 106Green Day, '21st Century Breakdown' (Reprise)May 17, 2009
- 107Magazine21st Century BreakdownMay 6, 2009
- 108Magazine21st Century Breakdown Chart History
- 109NewsGreen Day taps big names as tour openersTjames Madison — LiveDaily — May 26, 2009
- 110NewsWeek Ending Dec. 19, 2010: Michael Wouldn't Have Liked ThisPaul Grein — Yahoo! Music — December 22, 2010
- 111Green Day lashes out at Wal-Mart policyNewsvine — May 21, 2009
- 112You Won't Find Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown At Wal-MartMTV News — May 21, 2009
- 113Shakespeare, Singing and Solo Shows GaloreSteven McElroy — September 10, 2009
- 114Berkeley Rep announces cast for Green Day's 'American Idiot'David Ng — August 3, 2009
- 115When It's Time – Single by Green DayiTunes Store — June 11, 2010
- 116Green Day: Rock Band – Release date, pricing, export and preorder info!HMXHenry — Rock Band Forums — March 11, 2010
- 117Green Day Rock Band PreviewAbbie Heppe — G4TV — April 1, 2010
- 119Kerrang! Green Day new album exclusive!.kerrang.com
- 121MagazineGreen Day Confirms Awesome as F**k Live Album in New TrailerKevin Rutherford — January 10, 2011
- 124Green Day Start Recording New AlbumJames Montgomery — MTV News. MTV Networks — February 15, 2012
- 125MagazineGreen Day make the biggest move of their careerAlan Di Perna — November 12, 2012
- 126NewsROCK EN SEINE 2012 FRANCEGreen Day
- 127NewsGreen Day to Headline Music Festival in GermanyGreen Day
- 128Green Day's ¡Cuatro!ESPN
- 132Green Day ReadingAugust 23, 2013
- 133MagazineGreen Day's DemoliciousFebruary 24, 2014
- 135MagazineRead Fall Out Boy's Green Day Rock Hall of Fame InductionApril 19, 2015
- 136NewsGreen Day have written 'five fantastic new songs', says their producerLuke Morgan Britton — April 24, 2015
- 137Green Day Release New Song, Xmas Time of the YearEmily Carter — Kerrang — December 24, 2015
- 138NewsGreen Day announce new song, "Bang Bang"Caitlyn Ralph — August 1, 2016
- 139Revolution Radio | New Album 10/7Green Day — June 30, 2016
- 140MagazineGreen Day AnnounceElias Leight — September 6, 2016
- 141NewsGreen Day protest at AMAs: 'No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA' – videoNovember 21, 2016
- 142'Revolution Radio' is the most intensely personal Green Day album in yearsSeptember 30, 2016
- 143Green Day: Revolution Radio review – pop-punks go back to basicsGwilym Mumford — October 6, 2016
- 144Green Day Announce Greatest Hits: God's Favorite BandJazz Monroe — October 12, 2017
- 146MagazineGreen Day, Weezer, Fall Out Boy Announce 2020 'Hella Mega' Stadium TourAndy Greene — September 10, 2019
- 147Green Day Talks New Music, Announces Hella Mega Tour With Fall Out Boy And WeezerKROQ — September 10, 2019
- 148NHL, Green Day announce two-year partnershipNational Hockey League — September 30, 2019
- 149Hear Green Day's Clap-Along New Song 'Fire, Ready, Aim'Joe DiVita — October 10, 2019
- 150Listen to Green Day's New Single, Fire, Ready, AimOctober 10, 2019
- 151Green Day Have Dropped A Brand-New Song, Oh Yeah!January 16, 2020
- 152Green Day Announce New Single and Confirm Father of All... TracklistJanuary 8, 2020
- 154Billie Joe Armstrong says he's written six new Green Day songs during lockdownSam Moore — April 6, 2020
- 155Listen to Green Day Cover Blondie's "Dreaming"Allison Hussey — May 22, 2020
- 156Green Day side project The Network tease 'Money Money 2020 Part II'October 30, 2020
- 157Is this Green Day, in disguise, gleefully singing 'Ivankkka Is a Nazi'?November 5, 2020
- 158Green Day Revive New Wave Side Project The Network For New EPJames Rettig — November 20, 2020
- 159Green Day tease new song 'Here Comes The Shock'Damian Jones — February 17, 2021
- 160Green Day to Release 25th Anniversary of Insomniac With Bonus Live VinylKatherine Turman — March 17, 2021
- 161Green Day share uplifting new song 'Pollyanna'Charlotte Kroll — May 17, 2021
- 162Green Day announce new single 'Holy Toledo!', coming this weekDamian Jones — November 4, 2021
- 163Green Day tease new music recorded in London – and fans think it could be next albumCharlotte Krol — December 19, 2021
- 165MagazineGreen Day & Eddie Vedder Set to Headline Arizona Innings FestivalGlenn Rowley — October 26, 2022
- 166Green Day confirm work on new albumTom Skinner — November 15, 2022
- 168Watch Green Day Debut New Song "1981"Anagricel Duran — July 20, 2023
- 169NewsGreen Day to perform halftime show at 110th Grey Cup in HamiltonTSN — September 30, 2023
- 170Green Day appear to be teasing new music in cryptic social media postElizabeth Aubrey — October 1, 2023
- 172Green Day debut new song 'The American Dream Is Killing Me' at Las Vegas club showTom Skinner — October 20, 2023
- 174MagazineGreen Day Announce 2024 Tour and Blast Through 'Dookie' During 'Secret' Las Vegas ShowOctober 20, 2023
- 175Watch Green Day debut new song 'Look Ma, No Brains' at When We Were Young 2023Liberty Dunworth — October 23, 2023
- 176Green Day announce album 'Saviors' and share new singleLiberty Dunworth — October 24, 2023
- 178Green Day Share Video for New Song "Dilemma": WatchMatthew Strauss — December 7, 2023
- 179Green Day changes lyric to hit out at Trump in New Year's Eve performanceCoral Murphy Marcos — January 1, 2024
- 180Does Green Day's New Song "One Eyed Bastard" Rip Off P!NK?Eddie Fu — January 5, 2024
- 181Green Day Shares New Song 'One Eyed Bastard'January 5, 2024
- 182NewsGreen Day surprises fans with impromptu show, this time in a New York subway with Jimmy FallonJonah Valdez — January 18, 2024
- 183Green Day Performed on an NYC Subway Platform with Jimmy FallonSamantha Vincenty — January 17, 2024
- 184Green Day Performs in Packed New York Subway Station With Jimmy Fallon: WatchTaylor Henderson — January 17, 2024
- 185Watch Green Day kick off a punk party in new video for 'Bobby Sox': "It's the '90s song we never wrote"Will Richards — January 19, 2024
- 186MagazineGreen Day Throws a '90s House Party in New Video for Queer-Affirming Song 'Bobby Sox'Stephen Daw — January 19, 2024
- 188FireAid benefit concert will include Lady Gaga, Stevie Nicks, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and moreAlli Rosenbloom — CNN — January 16, 2025
- 189VideoGreen Day feat. Billie Eilish FireAid Benefit Concert 2025 Full SetJanuary 30, 2025
- 191Green Day share surprise new single 'Smash It Like Belushi' and announce deluxe reissue of 'Saviors'Elizabeth Audrey — April 9, 2025
- 192Green Day Open Coachella With "American Idiot" Performance: "Not a Part of MAGA Agenda"Pablo Ragusa — April 13, 2025
- 193Green Day releases 'Saviors Édition de Luxe'Buddy Iahn — May 23, 2025
- 195MagazineGreen Day to Play Super Bowl Opening Ceremony Celebrating 60th Anniversary of NFL's Big GameDaniel Kreps — January 18, 2026
- 196MagazineGreen Day Drops F-Bombs in Super Bowl Pre-Show With 'American Idiot,' 'Holiday' and 'Good Riddance'Arushi Jacob — February 8, 2026
- 197Green Day pulls its political punches in Super Bowl performanceKyle Feldscher et al. — February 8, 2026
- 198Fans react to Green Day avoiding politics during Super Bowl opening ceremony: "So disappointed"Max Pilley — February 8, 2026
- 199NewsGreen Day Condemns ICE as Part of Super Bowl FestivitiesDerrick Bryson Taylor — February 8, 2026
- 200Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong tells ICE agents to "quit their shitty ass job" ahead of Super Bowl opening ceremonyMax Pilley — February 7, 2026
- 201BookWhat's That Sound?: An Introduction to Rock and Its HistoryJohn Covach et al. — W. W. Norton & Company — July 1, 2022
- 202Why Green Day Are The Greatest Living Punk BandLeonie Cooper — August 12, 2016
- 204Green Day: The Kids Are AlrightAlex Foege — September 22, 1994
- 205NewsGreen Day Family ValuesZac Crain — October 23, 1997
- 206MagazineGreen Day's Top 20 SongsOctober 2, 2016
- 207Green Day Realize They Are Not Really the 99 PercentDan Maloney — June 20, 2012
- 208Turning Green Day's 'American Idiot' into a rock operaSeptember 13, 2009
- 209Green Day – BiographyStephen Erlewine — AllMusic
- 210Green Day: Father of All... Album ReviewEvan Rytlewski — February 6, 2020
- 211Green Day: Best New BandChris Mundy — January 26, 1995
- 212Green Day : ShenanigansLouis Pattison — September 12, 2005
- 213Green Day Confirm New Album in the WorksAlli Patton — November 15, 2022
- 215Green Day: Rock's saddest jokeStephen Deusner — July 17, 2012
- 216Heaven Is A Half-Pipe: The Joys Of Skate-PunkTim Peacock — September 16, 2020
- 217BookGreen Day: The Ultimate Unauthorized HistoryAlan di Perna — Voyageur Press — December 16, 2012
- 218BookGreen Day – American Idiots & The New Punk ExplosionBen Myers — John Blake — May 26, 2005
- 220Facing Gentrification, 924 Gilman's Stability Boosted by Green Day TributeEmma Silvers — February 17, 2016
- 221Insomniac by Green DayApple
- 222Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer at Whisky a Go Go: ReviewMikael Wood — September 11, 2019
- 223Green Day Destroys San AntonioChris Conde — Sacurrent — September 11, 2017
- 224BookBiography Today Vol. 11 No. 3Omnigraphics, Inc. — September 2002
- 225Let's Argue About Power Pop!S.W. Lauden — March 6, 2021
- 226Green Day – DemoliciousMay 6, 2014
- 227Cool Tunes, for a Bunch of Punks : GREEN DAY "Nimrod" Reprise * * *October 12, 1997
- 228BookThe History of Alternative RockStuart A Kallen — Greenhaven Publishing LLC — May 9, 2019
- 229Green Day's 'Father Of All...' Set The Rules, You Just Move To Them ReviewJason Pettigrew — February 7, 2020
- 230Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong – "Punk Bands Don't Make Music for Fame."Lauryn Schaffner — May 25, 2022
- 231JournalBlink-182 vs. Green DayIan Winwood — February 1, 2006
- 232Green Day: Every album ranked from worst to bestEmily Carter — July 22, 2020
- 233Di Perna, Alan. "Far From The Maddening Crowd". Guitar World. December 2000.
- 235NewsSocial Distortion Tunes Out the StaticAnthony Violanti — February 3, 1997
- 237BookGreen Day: Rebels With a CauseGillian G. Gaar — Music Sales Limited — October 28, 2009
- 2388 Massive Musicians Who Were Influenced By The WhoKate Drozynski — April 17, 2015
- 239Green Day: "We Love the Who and Cheap Trick"William Goodman
- 240Magazine10 Questions for Billie Joe ArmstrongBillie Joe Armstrong — June 28, 2010
- 241MagazineGreen Day and the Palace of WisdomFebruary 24, 2005
- 242Green Day's 11 Most Meaningful LyricsN. M. E. Blog — October 4, 2016
- 243NewsYou think I'm funny?Darryl Sterdan — July 3, 2009
- 247Green Day Slams Donald Trump With New "Holiday" Lyrics at New Jersey ConcertMichele Amabile Angermiller Billboard — September 30, 2016
- 248MagazineGreen Day Alter 'Jesus of Suburbia' Lyrics in Australia to Blast Vice President J.D. VanceAndy Greene — March 4, 2025
- 249Green Day Changed a Lyric in "American Idiot" to Call Out Elon MuskJames Factora — January 22, 2025
- 250Green Day Alters Lyrics to Reference Israel-Palestine War During Epic Coachella Set: 'Runnin' Away From Pain Like the Kids From Palestine'Steven J. Horowitz — April 13, 2025
- 251DeRogatis, Jim. Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. p. 357,
- 252How Green Day's Dookie Fertilize d A Punk-Rock RevivalD'Angelo, Joe — MTV — 2004
- 253BookPunk Rock: An Oral HistoryJohn Robb — PM Press, Ebury Press — 2006
- 254NewsSublime to perform with new singerLuciano, Phil — July 14, 2011
- 255How Green Day's Dookie Fertilized A Punk-Rock RevivalJoe D'angelo — MTV — September 15, 2004
- 256The Offspring's 'Smash' Turns 20Melissa Bobbitt — About.com — April 8, 2014
- 257NewsGreen Day Family Values – Page 1 – Music – MiamiZac Crain — October 23, 1997
- 259Magazine1994– The 40 Best Records From Mainstream Alternative's Greatest Year – Rolling StoneApril 17, 2014
- 260The 40 best punk albums since Never Mind The Bollocks...David McLaughlin — January 10, 2021
- 26150 Greatest Punk Albums of All TimeStaff — May 24, 2018
- 26250 Greatest Punk Albums of All TimeZach Bourque — July 10, 2013
- 26320 Reasons Why Green Day's 'Dookie' Is the Greatest Album of the '90sFebruary 22, 2014
- 264The Definitive 200Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 265MagazineThe 500 Greatest Albums of All TimeDecember 10, 2003
- 267Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums EverNovember 14, 2007
- 268MagazineReaders Poll: The Best Punk Rock Bands of All TimeAugust 2, 2011
- 269Alkaline Trio: 'We're Not Trying To Sound Like Green Day'May 24, 2007
- 270Nine Songs: Avril LavigneTyler Kelly
- 271MagazineRead Fall Out Boy's Green Day Rock Hall of Fame InductionApril 19, 2015
- 272MagazineBlink-182's Mark Hoppus Reveals the Green Day Song That Inspired 'What's My Age Again?'Rania Aniftos — October 20, 2020
- 273NewsFall Music Preview: Car Seat Headrest's Will Toledo breaks down the influences behind his new record - NOW MagazineCam Lindsay — September 14, 2016
- 274Album Of The Week: Joyce Manor – 40 Oz. To FresnoChris DeVille — June 7, 2022
- 27610 albums that wouldn't exist without Green Day's 'Dookie'Al Horner — October 31, 2019
- 277Interview: Tom May (The Menzingers)Richard Verducci — September 9, 2010
- 278New Found Glory – New Found Glory InterviewTara Couper — Room Thirteen — August 26, 2006
- 279Prince Daddy & the Hyena BiographyJames Christopher Monger
- 280Jaret Reddick – Bowling For Soup InterviewFrankie Genchi — Flecking Records — March 10, 2012
- 281Denton Rock Exclusive: Bowling for Soup celebrates anniversaryPablo Arauz — June 1, 2011
- 283Billie Joe Armstrong Breaks Down Green Day's Biggest Hits — and Reveals Which One They Almost Gave Away (Exclusive)Jeff Nelson — January 17, 2024
- 28426 Years Ago: Green Day Take a Step Toward Success With 'Kerplunk'Chad Childers — January 17, 2018
- 285NewsGreen Day Join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2015Derrick Rossignol — April 18, 2015
- 286VH1 100 Greatest Artists Of All TimeBrandon Stosuy — September 3, 2010
- 287Green Day takes its rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of FameTroy Smith — April 18, 2015
- 288MagazineGreen Day to Receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk of FamePaul Grein — April 23, 2025
- 290'Green Day Confirm They Are Foxboro Hot Tubs', MTV NewsMTV — April 10, 2008
- 292Green Day teams up with green group in campaign to 'move America beyond oil'Daniel Hinerfeld — Natural Resources Defense Council — November 17, 2006
- 294Journal9 Great Cameos from Musicians on 'The Simpsons': Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Weird Al and MoreRyan Book — August 22, 2014
- 295'Simpsons Movie' Cast Discusses Green Day's Appearance In FilmJames Montgomery — MTV — May 9, 2007
- 296The Simpsons Theme (From "the Simpsons Movie") – SingleiTunes Store — July 23, 2007
- 297Mmmmm, soundtrack: 'Simpsons' team effortTamara Conniff — May 24, 2007
- 298Tale told by 'Idiot' lacks sound, furyJay Gottlieb — April 19, 2010
- 299Zoglin, Richard. "Punks Take Broadway", Time magazine, May 3, 2010, pp. 62–63
- 300MagazineGreen Day Blast Broadway with American IdiotPeter Travis — April 23, 2010
- 301Green Day inspired art goes on displayAlex Waez — BBC 6 Music News — October 23, 2006
- 302Pat Magnarella, Green Day manager: Why not a rock 'n' roll art world?R.J. Preece — Art Design Publicity — October 12, 2006
- 303Green Day Turns Punk Rock Into Fine ArtSajid Farooq — NBC Bay Area — October 23, 2006
- 305NewsAmerican Idiot movie lands at UniversalBorys Kit — April 13, 2011
- 306Green Day's 'American Idiot' movie has been "pretty much scrapped"February 10, 2020
- 307Broadway Idiot is a feature length documentary. We're currently fine tuning the edit.Broadway Idiot official Facebook — January 23, 2013
- 308PUNK ROCK MEETS BROADWAY – BROADWAY IDIOT TRAILERGreen Day official site — January 31, 2013
- 309WORLD PREMIERE!Broadway Idiot — January 31, 2013
- 310Film Review: 'Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk'Harvey, Dennis — June 2, 2017
- 311A Green Day-inspired comedy film is in the worksSurej Singh — February 11, 2025
- 312Green Day-Inspired Comedy Movie in the Works From Live Nation Productions (EXCLUSIVE)Ethan Shanfeld — February 10, 2025
- 314What Green Day's New Comedy Movie Is AboutChad Childers — February 11, 2025
- 315It's a Punk Revival! A Green Day Movie Is on the WaySafeeyah Kazi — February 11, 2025
- 316MagazineGreen Day Teases Trailer for Coming-of-Age Road Trip Comedy 'New Years Rev': WatchMitchell Peters — September 6, 2025
- 318Green Day Release Swinging New Track 'I'm Never Gonna R.I.P.'Jack Rogers — 7 July 2026
- 319Green Day Still A Punk BandMihaela Stroia — Softpedia — October 5, 2005
- 320John Lydon Calls Green Day "Plonk" Not "Punk"Daniel Melia
- 321Green Day – The Early YearsSpotify — 2017
- 322The Best and Most Misunderstood of Green Day, According to Billie Joe ArmstrongCraig Jenkins — April 22, 2021
- 324NewsBillie Joe Armstrong on pill-popping: Backpack sounded like 'giant baby's rattle'February 28, 2013
- 325Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong heads to rehabSeptember 23, 2012
- 328Green Day to Perform at 2019 iHeartRadio Music FestivalJem Aswad — September 12, 2019
- 329Green Day to Return to iHeartRadio Music Festival Stage, Joins 2019 LineupSeptember 17, 2019
- 330Acrobat plunges 100ft to death in front of 35,000 people at festivalSteve Robson — July 7, 2017
- 331News'We are not heartless people': Green Day defends set after acrobat's deathCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
- 332NewsGreen Day banned from select Las Vegas radio stations after frontman calls city 'worst s–thole in America'Page Six — October 1, 2024
- 333Trump Supporters and Elon Musk Had a Tantrum Because Green Day Made Fun of MAGAJames Factora — January 2, 2024
- 334Legendary band swap lyrics of hit song to mock Elon MuskJanuary 23, 2025
- 335Green Day swap lyrics of hit song to mock Elon Musk in his home countryJanuary 23, 2025
- 337Nimrod liner notes. Retrieved August 31, 2023
- 339BookGreen Day: A Musical BiographyKjersti Egerdahl — ABC-CLIO — 2010
- 340VideoThis is how I met Tré CoolGreen Day Play! — November 4, 2025
- 341BookHow they made it: true stories of how music's biggest stars went from start to stardom!Dan Kimpel — Hal Leonard Corporation — May 1, 2006
- 342Garth SchultzMusic Adviser
- 343Kurt LohmillerAllMusic
- 344Gabrial McNairAllMusic
- 345Mike PelinoAllMusic
- 346MagazineGreen Day's 'Idiot' Fueling Banner YearCohen, Johnathan — 2004
- 347MagazineGreen Day not ready to rest 'Idiot'Cohen, Johnathan — 2005