American Idiot

#357. Jesus fuck, this is awful. This is just cheesy middle school teenage angst, as written by a weird dude in his mid 30s. Billie Joe Armstrong truly is cringe personified. Green Day should have just stopped after Dookie, that shit was a masterpiece. Or maybe after Nimrod at the absolute latest. The Warning/American Idiot/21st Century Breakdown era of Green Day was truly some of the worst music being played on the radio in the 00's [and that's saying a lot considering the Nickleback/Breaking Benjamin/Staind/Puddle of Mud butt-rock genre was topping the rock charts then]. Luckily the DJs picked up on that fact 10 years too late, and stopped really playing any of the music they made after that, but we were ear raped on a regular basis with those three shit heaps. There is really no redeeming quality to any of this album. I was fully ready to give this album 2 stars, but the more I type, the more I realize it doesn't deserve that much. Fuck em. 1/5: trash

Absolute drivel. It's like Herman's Hermits tried to make a Clash album.

Sophomoric attempts

Idiotisk highschool-punk MED allsang-tendenser. OMG.

Pop punks love politics. So edgy!

LOL WHO MADE THIS LIST, TRASH

It was such a full-circle moment when I had the opportunity to hear them play the entirety of this album live at a festival for its 20th anniversary after listening to it religiously when I was a teenager. This might actually be one of my favorite albums ever.

Great album, great entryway into punk.

Dookie and Nimrod are the better albums, yeah? But honestly, I’m looking forward to this like a kid on Christmas. Too much mid-60’s again of late. Need a good palette cleanser. Man, I forgot how epic that opening is! And Jesus of Suburbia. What a song. The whole album works. Maybe it’s just my mood today, but I think it’s masterful and fully realized. 5 Boolean: TRUE so true

Ah, loved this album :) Turns out I still do too! Not that it’s actually been all that long since I heard it last, admittedly. Did send me down a bit of a Green Day hole though - which wasn’t a bad thing.

офигенный альбом

Post-punk classic. One of the best albums of 2000s. A must listen for every (punk)rock lovers. Even the album cover rocks. Favorites: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Holiday

Nicee

Another Great Album. Followed it up with Dookie. Excellent all around.

An absolute pop punk classic. So many bangers. The first album I’m reviewing that I’m biased towards. You absolutely need to hear this before you die. If it were 20 years ago, I think I’d rate it 4, but eh - I’m rating it higher with the power of hindsight and knowing the impact it’s made, and seeing how much of a triumph it really was. I think it deserves the 5.

Classic!! Love Greenday!

My dad would crank this almost every morning he drove me to school and I still. Fucking. Love. This. Record. It’s a perfect pop punk album. It’s a perfect concept album. Listening to this record always makes me so emotional and reminds me of how much I love music.

It's American Idiot, man. This album has American Idiot, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and Wake Me Up When September Ends on it. It's a generational album. From start to finish, it's amazing. My dad still cries every time he hears American Idiot because he loved the song until he found out it was about him. He's the American Idiot the song is talking about, and now the song is "political" because of that. Worth it for this alone.

Amazing album 5 stars!

This was THE formative album for me when I was first trying to develop my own independent music taste. This was the greatest album of all time when I was 14. I'm 26 now and I've listened to a lot more since then. I don't think it's the greatest anymore but man, do I still love this album.

One of the best things to happen to me in 9th grade is listening to this album for the first time.

Maybe I’m the faggot America…

1. 3/3 2. 2.5/3 (The sections are great, but imo it runs kinda long) 3. 3/3 (This is a great double song, but the sound is starting to get repetitive) 4. 3/3 (Great switch-up in the sound when it was starting to get stale)

Listened to while running at 6:00 km pace. Great rhythm!

Muy buen disco de Green day, para mi el 4to mejor disco

I was in high school when Dookie and Kerplunk were big, but somehow I skipped past American Idiot later on. I think it was probably the fact I didn't care for that September song back then. But wow, listening to this whole album start to finish, I have a new appreciation for that song and I must say, what a freaking masterpiece! Every song is essential and I will add this entire album to my library.

Easiest rating I've given so far. Forgot how good Green Day are. If it was released today (US/Iran war going on) it would be very topical. Just a blast.

Even in 2026 Green Day has a really good sound that although not new lives on.

I have fond memories of this album and it's hard for me to listen to it without the nostalgic feelings. Regardless, it's a highly polished punk album with song variation, high earworm potential, and infectious energy. Not all songs have this floating transition between them, but many of them do feel so perfectly fitting to be listened in a sequence and "Jesus of Suburbia" itself sounds like a mini-Punk-Rock-opera already.

Youth. Green Day were everywhere — American Idiot was inescapable in a way that only happens to albums that define a moment. Revisiting it now: still holds up, and then some. Punk rock is not my daily world anymore, but this isn't quite just punk rock. "Jesus of Suburbia" is nine minutes long and moves through five distinct sections — a mini rock opera from a band supposedly built on three-chord speed. That ambition is real and it works. The album is also political in a way that hasn't aged out. 2004, peak Bush, post-9/11 paranoia, media manipulation, suburban numbness — the "redneck agenda" Billie Joe was shouting about then maps onto now almost uncomfortably well. Some albums date. This one keeps finding new relevance. 4.5/5 — filed under 5. Defined a generation. Still talking to it.

Do I think this is brilliant because I listened to it so much, making it sound so very familiar? Or did I in fact listen to it so much because it is so brilliant? Actually, I don't really care. I loved it when it came out, and I loved it every bit as much relistening now. I think that the songs and the whole album is excellently constructed, the sound is guitar-heavy, just as I like it, and I somehow have a knack for these background "ooooh"s that are employed always at the right time. There are lots of well earned hit singles on here, but I love most "deep cuts" even more, like the fast paced "Letterbomb" or the beautiful closer "Whatsername". There is not much keeping this from being a 5/5, for example the opening title track being average instead of as brilliant as the rest. 4.5/5 - near perfect

Green Day on üks nendest bändidest, keda ma diskriminatoorselt väldin. Mul on mingi vastumeelsus trendika internetimuusika osas ja jah ma tean, et see on jabur, aga ei ma ei selgita. Igatahes, see on selline muusika, mida ma naudiks ja salvestaks kui nad poleks Green Day. Näiteks see boulevard of dreams on laul, mis on hea, aga ma seostan seda sügavalt ujumisvõistlustega niiet ma ei suuda olla chill seda kuulates. Selles albumis oli ainult üks skipp, ehk tegelikult võin öelda, et tegu on hea muusikaga. Mulle meeldib, et nende lüürika, niipalju kui ma sellele tähelepanu pöörasin on päris punk ja nende sõnum ka. Annan albumile 5/5, mitte 4/5 ja võtkem seda kui vabandust (ma ei kuula toda albumit uuesti).

I had no idea this album was so good. I love Dookie and had stupidly assumed that nothing they had done since could touch that. This is amazing from the first to last track. I knew the obvious hits but there are so many more great tracks here that I didn’t know. Jesus of Suburbia might be their best song and I had never heard it. Shame on me.

Loved this album as teenager and still love it now. A no skip album for me and gets me singing along with ease

So gas

Lots of hits, great album

all day Green Day W album

Este deve ser o album que mais ouvi! Acho que faz parte da minha personalidade, uma boa validação da Catarina pre-adolescente. Ainda tenho a t-shirt bem guardadinha, mas não sei o que se passou com o poster de metro e meio do Billi Joe que saiu na revista Bravo..

Já estava a precisar dum album que desse mesmo gosto por. Nostalgia ftw

Acho que muito da nota e nostalgia. Mas acho que foi assim o primeiro álbum que comprei com qualidade.

66 albums in and finally one that I’ve listened to before. It might be boring of me, but hearing it again has maybe made me appreciate it even more. Sure, it’s a bit ‘ooh edgy’, but come on, it’s brilliant. A brilliant album, and one that’s even better listened to as a whole to really appreciate the amazing transitions between tracks.

bom não esperava, eh um rock pauleira classic

Genial...!

An album that is not only amazing, but it also really captures the feeling of America in the 2000s.

Loved this album - had just moved to Guernsey and listened to it on my 30 min walk in/ back from work. Still rocks.

Excellent album. 100% an album you have to listen to at some point in your life.

banger

Absolute banger of an album!

One of my favourite albums ever, so consistently perfect. This album has so many great songs, it’s also nostalgic for me as well as it being an objectively great album. I was very excited to see this pop up as my album of the day. They represent punk perfectly, with a unique sound that feels like it’s theirs and only theirs. Love this album

One of my favourite albums already but listening to it with "new" ears confirmed it's still an absolute classic for the genre

Instant 5 stars. Still listened to it again though.

The emotions this album triggers remembering a Cote d'Azure Road Trip alone are worth 5 stars. What a fun, melodic punk album with hits for the ages. American Idiots!

Beautiful

A nephew of mine is a big fan of Green Day. I can understand that.

🖤😮‍💨✨

============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== -------------------GREEN DAY------------------ ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -----------------AMERICAN IDIOT--------------- ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------(2004)------------------- ============================================== ============================================== -----------------CALIFICACIÓN----------------- --------------------★★★★⯨-------------------- --------------------(4,833)------------------- ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== 1. American Idiot (★★★★★) -Fav 2. Jesus of Suburbia (★★★★★) -Fav 3. Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams (★★★★★) -Fav 4. Are We the Waiting / St. Jimmy (★★★★★) 5. Give Me Novocaine / She's a Rebel (★★★★⯨) 6. Extraordinary Girl / Letterbomb (★★★★⯨) 7. Wake Me up When September Ends (★★★★★) -Fav 8. Homecoming (★★★★★) -Fav 9. Whatsername (★★★★⯨) ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== PUNTAJE TOTAL 5+5+5+5+4,5+4,5+5+5+4,5 = 43,5 ============================================== ============================================== PUNTAJE PROMEDIO 43,5 / 9 = 4,833 ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== CALIFICACIÓN FINAL ★★★★⯨ (4,833) ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== COMENTARIO -Nunca le presté tanta atención a este álbum, y ya me gustaba de antes, ahora que entiendo mejor la intención, me parece muy bueno, una genialidad, llena de buena música y letras, con una estructura pensada y excelente ejecución y resultados. ============================================== ============================================== ==============================================

Monday May 18th, 2026. I love Green Day. The lyrics are very meaningful and the guitar is awesome. 9/10. My favorite song of the album is American Idiot, the guitar on it is just *chefs kiss*.

Less punk but still fun

An socio-political album that perfectly explains the USA and their uneducated citizens. Perfect depiction of the USA current state today written 22 years ago and could have been written in 1960. Timeless masterpiece of our times. This cemented Green Day as a top band for the rest of music history

This album shouldn't get 5 stars. But how can you not make such rating when it reminds you of such good times?

Absolute pop punk HOF. Greatest album

Love this album. I was the perfect age for this when it came out and the first 4 songs are probably the best start to any album in the 2000's. 5/5 album

Legendarisch, zo veel iconische nummers en de onbekende nummers zijn ook bangers

This may be my favorite album of the nearly 400 albums I’ve listened to from the 1001 so far. I want to go back in time and kick my own ass for not listening to the full album sooner. Massive hits with staying power throughout. How did I go my entire life not knowing that Holiday went into Boulevard of Broken Dreams? How had I never listened to Jesus of Suburbia or Whatsername?

You know what, this album is sick as hell!!! Went into this already fondly familiar with the big hits, though fully expecting to be let down by the deep cuts as with many past albums. Instead, the album experience completely recontextualized the hits, and I can confidently say there is not a moment of filler on this!!! You mean to tell me Holiday led into Boulevard of Broken Dreams all this time?!?! The lone guitar note transitioning the two genuinely blew my mind! The concept album angle was also a really pleasant surprise. Even if it's not as topical today as it was back then, that cohesion elevates the album so much to me. I was on the fence about the rating until I found myself listening front to back two more times today, each listen better than the last. How can I argue against that? Banger banger banger. Standouts: American Idiot • Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams • Are We the Waiting / St. Jimmy • Give Me Novacaine / She's a Rebel • Extraordinary Girl / Letterbomb • Homecoming

Great album, already super familiar with it. Jesus of suburbia is a great 3 parter References to a mysterious woman and then closing the album with whatsername So many bangers, glad they didn’t break up just prior to this album

Definitely one of my favorite albums.

this actually sounds pretty good omg.. the first song reminds me of da johnny test intro

Maybe the high school nostalgia affects my judgment a little, but I liked this album when it came out and I still do. This isn’t really your standard pop punk album either, especially with it being a concept album. It feels bigger and more locked in than that, and as a protest album it really captures the attitude a lot of artists had at the time. The front half is definitely loaded, especially those first four tracks. That stretch does a lot of the heavy lifting and gives the album a ton of momentum right out of the gate. “Are We the Waiting” is probably the weakest song on here for me, but even with that, there’s too much good stuff on this album for me to rate it any lower. Favorite song: "Holiday"

cool cool cool teenage dirtbag kinda album 🤟🏻🖤🎸

Punk rock opera. Energy from start to finish. It tells an amazing story that was extremely relevant in 2004, and even more so in modern times. This is a 5/5 album, and always will be.

This album greets me like an old friend. Every time I hear it I feel totally justified in my love of Green Day despite their recent and gigantic missteps in the studio.

Unbelievable album

Love it !!! One of my absolute favorites!

So much melodrama, self-importance, angst - and I love it all. So many great hooks and memorable lines. Maybe my favorite Tre Cool drumming performances? Always been a huge fan of She’s A Rebel and Whatsername

Rate: 10/10. Green Day nunca fue música para tibios, recuerdenlo. En lo personal, soy muy fan de las portadas y este álbum tiene una portada sencillamente muy linda.

This is Green Day's masterpiece and finally fulfilled the promise they had shown with Dookie a decade earlier. It's slightly below the level where I see my greatest albums of all time, but close enough that I'm rounding up (rather than a seriously considered down) for this rating.

Classic childhood memories rooted in this one. Very well put together and ground breaking.

Biggest complaint being that this was so overplayed. But after stepping away for a while and coming back, I enjoy this a lot. Saw these guys play the full album at wembly in 2024 and it was greatness. Not sure there’s a band that gets as much out of power chords as these guys. 4.5 and rounding up

Super good rock album

Been a little while since i listened to this but knew it would be 5*s. Possibly forgot just how good it is though - as well as being a stunning album choca with hits it just has so many smaller moments that grab the attention in such a unique way. The 'Dearly Beloved' bridge on Jesus of Suburbia The transition from Holiday to Boulevard The whiplash switch from Are We The Waiting to St Jimmy The slide guitars on Give Me Novocaine The brief 'American Idiot' vocal callback on Homecoming Aside from all this, I have a lot of love for Billy Joe's vocals, and the band absolutely nailed the concept album. 10/10

Green Day's most graduated album. While kerplunk and dookie are their roots, they've grown up in this rock epic. Outstanding album.

I'm not going to lie, this isn't my favourite GD album and it's not their biggest (either by numbers or in rock history). However, it had a massive commercial impact and restored their relevance with its pivotal, redefining sound from pop-punk to punk-rock. The arrangements are bigger, tempos and moods are more varied and lyrics have more emotional depth. They reshaped their audience and catapulted themselves across generations whilst maintaining their identity. This is an easy 5. I just hope this isn't the only GD album on the list!

Love it

excellent

When this hit I was BIG into it, but around the time it was turned into a Broadway musical I saw a production and did not like it. Was totally soured to it, so I had not listened to it for about 10 years. Returning to it--aside from the f and r slurs--the album is a masterpiece. The only song I was like nah was Extraordinary Girl. Sometimes inspiration hits weirdly and after Green Day's previous pop album I think they were left for dead--they even did a greatest hits, lol! Something inspired Billie Joe and I was glad to listen again!

Green Day was the first band I loved. when I was 13, i listened to Dookie for the first time and my mind blew apart. I wasn't into music until then, but this album cahnged the course of my life like nothing else. I was on the green day wagon until around Nimrod, when I decided they were poser and started to listening to "serious punk". Last year I went to see my first green Day show, not expecting much since I didn't follow their career at all, and it was AMAZING. These guys never stopped. They never grew too old for this shit, too good for the band, break it up over solo career ambitions, have to prove their musicianship by making artistic or complicated music. This is much more punk than many of the "serious punks" I steered myself towards. Punk isn't what you wear or what you listen to, it's being true to yourself and your path, and giving absolutely 0 fucks what others think of it. Now to the album... Not everything is a banger but it's got enough bangers to be a bonafide 5 even without the nostalgia bit. Yes, it's not their best, but it's a proper pop punk anthem laden to speak both to punk lovers and outsiders.

One of the best punk rock albums out there

Simplemente hermosoo

Here's how my uneducated brain sees genre. Punk: Short form, high energy, anti-establishment, jagged, raw. Prog: long suite compositions, connected concept albums, high technical skill, cerebral or fantastical themes Then there's these guys here. Decades after punk establishes itself firmly as the anti-prog they're like "hey let's make a concept album with a bunch of long connected suites". I think that's hilarious. That it pisses off the punk "purists" just makes it even better. Kill your idols, y'all. Just say yes to disco covers of "Comfortably Numb" and pop-punk rock operas. Why? Because it's challenges what you hold sacred and that's how you grow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've had this album since just after it dropped and it's incredible. You want the boots-on-the-ground zeitgeist of 2004/2005? Here you go. Take this and take Mezmerize/Hypnotize and get out of my face. You don't get "educated, nuanced" feelings about the political issues of the day. Average people don't have nuanced political understanding. They have visceral, nightly-news, sound-clip understanding. They have "got to get up and go to school/work with all this dread inside me" understanding. They have '"why the f*** are we starting a war with Iraq? what the hell does Iraq have to do with anything?" while they have to choose between paying rent and their kid's medicine' understanding. They have 90s level homophobia (the 90s sucked y'all, and Friends is a shit show) as their cultural backdrop. They have newly emboldened hyper-nationalism and people attacking other people on the subway for *looking* Muslim as their daily climate. Columbine is a fresh memory and a bright new scar. 9/11 is a fresher memory and isn't even scarred over yet. Certain news outlets would run segments mocking Americans for not being able to find Iraq on a map. This was supposed to be proof that we were a bunch of uneducated, politically unaware boobs who should be ashamed of ourselves. Actually, it just proved how much we had no business starting yet another war with a country the average American didn't know or care about. Can we have healthcare? Nope, gotta' kill more brown people so Halliburton can cash in. "Another protester has crossed the line to find the money's on the other side." Hi, that's me. I was that protester. When you realize you're not appealing to any kind of humanity and your government doesn't represent *you*; that you're up against Corporate special interest with infinite resources and you don't have the means to even move the needle? Yeah. This album is the soundtrack to my disillusionment. The media literally televised us blowing up cities full of people. Live. As if it was entertainment. They called it 'Operation Shock and Awe' like some kind of WWE show. It was disgusting. It was everywhere on an endless loop. It was traumatizing and I didn't even realize that until just now. Writing it down. Being force-fed mass murder as entertainment was traumatizing. I was 20 in 2004. 20+ years later and things have not improved. But this album still slaps. So there's that.

Ongelofelijke knallers zitten er tussen en ondanks dat ik pas later met Green Day bekend werd heb ik er toch altijd wat mee gehad

I LOOHOOHOOOVE THIS ALBUM

This is the album of the 2000s kid! Amazing!

based nostalgic BANGER after BANGER

Somehow this album has only gotten more relevant over time, also ‘when September ends’ makes me go wah wah :(

album #30 LET'S FUCKING GO!!!!!!!!!!!! this is such a fantastic album, solid from start to finish! it's fun and i am a huge fan of concept albums, so the story throughout is really appealing. extraordinary girl and she's a rebel are probably the weakest of the album, mostly because it feels more in line with their kerplunk! era. it's hugely nostalgic for me. i was 6 when this album was released; i remember listening to the cd in the car with my mum and watching the music videos on kerrang. great memories! fuck facism and, whilst we can always push this message further, i think green day's sincere (and ambitious) approach to their message is commendable, especially for 2004. 100% deserves it's place on the list, whether it's your scene or not. ꩜ average track rating: 4.2/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): jesus of suburbia, holiday, letterbomb ꩜ least favourite track(s): extraordinary girl ꩜ album rating: ★★★★★ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,059 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 16 (+1 American Idiot) ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 7 (+1 American Idiot) ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 23

‘American Idiot’ came out when I was in sixth grade, probably the prime age to absolutely love it. And I did. And I still do. This album produced a few major hits and was producing minor ones like a year after it came out. After the initial singles “American Idiot” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” had slightly faded from the airwaves, “Holiday” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends” were there to maintain Green Day’s stranglehold on the radio. Hell, I even remember “St. Jimmy” had its time in the sun. Has there been a bigger rock release, in terms of radio play, since this? Was this the swan song for rock as the dominant popular music force? It’s perfect pop-punk musically, and Billie Joe kills it on the lyrics and melodies too. There are so many good lines on “Jesus of Suburbia” alone. Even the ones that aren’t hits have big hooks. The sequencing on this album is perfect, you really do get a sense of a narrative arc. The version that they have on streaming services now makes it so that a lot of the songs are combined with another one, whereas on the initial release they were separated. It’s much better the way it was, it’s kind of a baffling move. This was one of my top three favorite albums for a long, long time, along with two others that aren’t on this list: ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’ by Bright Eyes and ‘East Nashville Skyline’ by Todd Snider.

Iconic, recognizable and had a lasting impact on the 00s culture. Yeah, it fits on this list. ironic hearing it in 2026 when American idiot seems very fitting. It's easy to listen to and uses effective but predictable progressions. so it might not be a technical masterpiece. I liked Green day since I was young so I'm biased

What a banger

"It’s late at night. your parents think that you’re sleeping. you’ve listened to this one before, but can’t really remember all of it, so you decide to listen again. and every song, there is a different “holy shit this is so good” moment. lyrics that revel against the Iraq war, media polarization, and the bush administration. The band really matured with this one, too. They haven’t really gone back to their old sound. 11/10 the best album of the millennium"

10/10

Love Green Day. As a teen I binged their entire discography and when this album dropped it was thrown right into the mix. Back then we used to listen to the radio all the time and I'd love when "American Idiot" was playing. I remember walking to the mall after school to pick up the album when it came out. All that to say I really like American Idiot. Every track is unique and cool (but, but, but it's all just power chordzz hurrr durrr!!). Drums and guitar are tight as always, and BJAs vocals are iconic. I tried to pay closer attention to the drumming this listen, and it can't be overstated how good and fitting for the album Tre's drumming is. Best tracks are literally all of them. It's a front to back listen. You can't go wrong. It's all non-stop energy and spite and rock and roll. Definitely a 5. Maybe the last Green Day 5 banger. Gonna go back and listen to everything else up through this album again. Nobody likes you, everyone left you, they're all out without you having fun. Peace.

Suprise to no one pero 5/5. Un concept album lleno de bangers. Loud sound and loud lyrics cement this as nothing short of iconic

Superb. On all levels. 4.5ish stars. So rounded, 5 stars.

Just a great album

This album was popular for a reason. Loud poppy punk.

me gusta que sus letras son tan reales, me encantó la instrumental

Best of whatever it is

Why weren't you paying attention? Yes, I'm talking to you fuckwits that saw Donald Trump as a better option because he 'gets things done'. Green Day, not part of your MAGA agenda, turn up on my 1001 at just the right time and earn themselves 5 stars. This album is a bit of a blast, notwithstanding the current bout of lunacy we are witnessing. Why, just yesterday Donald Trump posted a picture of himself as Jesus (not of Suburbia) bringing someone back from the dead!! The album, a story of disillusionment from the Bush Jr presidency, has a narrative of someone wanting to go off and 'find themself' but all they do is become a bit of a caricature before they eventually realise they could be true to themself at home! Or something like that. And the songs are great. Outside of the 4 singles that were huge and received lots of airplay and chart action, Are We The Waiting, Extraordinary Girl and Whatshername also stand out, while Jesus of Suburbia hops from act to act, unsettled and constantly shifting focus like our main protagonist. It's a fascinating, entertaining album, doesnt feature in the Epstein Files and hasn't bombed Iran! 5 stars.

Fucking awesome!!!

muito bom ouviria sempre

a banger, as always

The second I saw this album pop up, I knew it was going to be a 5 star for me. I just adore the vibes on this album. Pretty much every hit from the band is on here, and it doesn't lose momentum for even a second. I really appreciate Green Day's ability to make a political statement in a way that is entertaining and meaningful. The riffs on this album are awesome, every song is memorable, and it ages incredibly well. I just adore this album.

Green Day no es de Mis bandasfavoritas Pero este álbum es un 10

I really liked it! It sounds like music from the movies and so nostalgic! Loved it!

I love this album. A fun rock opera.

First time listening to Green Day, always heard about it but never actually interested in them tell now 5/5, will listen to them again. Also thank you for Ikoxun's Corner for introducing me to this awesome website. XD

An absolute classic and part of the soundtrack of my youth. I listened to this religiously when I was in my teens and it hasn't aged a day in 22 years. I love every song on this album, but Jesus of Suburbia is special. A song I will never get tired of listening to, and an album I will always adore. The fact my least favourite song of the lot is the title track, says it all. A work of art and the easiest 5/5 so far.

Album I used to listen a lot when I was a teenager. First Green day album that I heart. Great time listening to it again

Such a nostalgic album for me, I really enjoyed listening to this one since I haven't in a while.

The epitome of pop punk. Very angsty, very fun, good album to mysteriously walk through the neighborhood to.

So much more than Millennial protest music, although it's obviously great at being that ("Holiday" and the title track). It's also perhaps our best chronicle of the experience of being alive in the mid-2000s and becoming aware that there are no grownups in charge (i.e. that the moms and Brads are away) - and that, despite how much you claim you don't care, you really do ("Wake Me Up When September Ends"). The closer "Whatsername" is a genuinely moving emo tune from a band that was never even emo. All in all, this is punk's answer to *The Wall* and a statement of purpose for anyone, from Anaheim to the Middle East, who intends to survive the Anthropocene with their heart intact. America: fuck, yeah.

No notes.

Absolutely top tier. No doubt it's one of my best 20 of all time. You just don't see a lot of cohesive, full album narratives, let alone ones this well done, with songs that are also capable of standing on their own.

I was a massive fan of this album when it was released. It’s a no skip album for me.

what a classic album filled with BANGERS i didnt realize how much ive actually heard from green day until i sat down and listened to a full album lol

Phenomenal album. Strong, versatile and with so many outstanding songs that are still relevant today. American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Holiday and so on. Love it.

Banger!

Wow. Now i understand why this one is generational.

Green Day provides timeless enjoyment and relevance to today's events. More likely my children's prime entertainment when it was released. I just get the benefit of sharing with them.

Excellent 👌 this album will always be a great social commentary :)

Billy Joe Armstrong has such a good voice. I think the best part about these songs is that I can sing along

Great Rock Opera

Great Album. After learning about their precious master tapes being stolen, listening to this album from stary to finish took on a whole new meaning. Great story telling and anthem feel.

Zajebista płyta, niektóre kawałki już znałem głównie z radia. Czuć, że jest to jedna z lepszych i ważniejszych rockowych płyt.

Perfect

2026.03.09.

Listening this album entirely for the first time and realizing that I missed great songs in the past. And some songs that I already listened before, listening now feels like I am 15y old again. Really nice!

Pop punk rock opera, loved it when it came out still do. 5 Star

I can't believe how well this holds up. Especially American Idiot. It's almost prophetic. 20 some odd year old album still the same problems. I wish I had listened to it back then but I didn't care & was in a different place musically. Still a great rock opera. 5

Another childhood classic. Lots of nostalgia and yet no notes.

Loved the album! Maybe the best Green Day album with how every song was a hit for me. A very fun and unskippable album!

The pros: Iconic, genuine, defines an era, unbelievably catchy singles, some hidden gems thrown in like "Novocaine," ambitious, and great use of chords and themes to tie the overarching concepts together. Cons: Billie Joe's voice can grate on your ears a bit, it can come across as privileged whining, the Bush era critiques feel dated in the 2020s, has been milked for every cent, and sometimes the message feels a bit devoid of substance. Despite the warts, American Idiot ultimately holds a well-deserved spot in the American consciousness. This is probably the best that pop punk has had to offer, culturally. As for my rating: I've gone back and forth as to whether American Idiot is a strong 4 stars or a weak 5 stars. For now, I'm going to be generous and give it the 5. In light of the impact American Idiot had (and the fact that some of my critiques are less to do with the musical quality itself), I feel a 5 is appropriate. I will revisit this one and edit if necessary.

Just an exceptional record.

I don't like Green Day at all, I think they are a cringe factory. But unfortunately, this album is perfect. There's literally no skips, the songwriting is phenomenal, and it's just a damn pleasantry to listen to. There's SO many classics on this thing it's unbelievable. I find it hard to believe people like Dookie over this.. Dookie sucks. It is literally named after a shit.

Much better than I expected. Lots of humour, and punk energy in commercial form.

Great

This album has held a special place in my heart for a long time now. It was one of the first albums to get me into music in general. This high energy punk rock opera is well paced for a double album. So many great and iconic songs on one album. Favorite Track - Jesus of Suburbia Least Favorite Track - Whatsername

I often forget that this is Green Day’s SEVENTH studio album but god is it a good one. I’m partial to a concept album but a concept album done WELL is something else. I know this album is steeped in deep nostalgia for me but I’m pretty sure it’s not clouding my judgement here. This is a 5-star-er, if only because it taught me that I can be loud and defiant and angry. I really enjoyed returning to American Idiot and will be glad to do so again.

LOVE. This entire LP is awesome.

Obvious 5star for me. Love the concept album

what a fucking good album, iconic in all its right and wrongs, from the iconic album cover to the hit after hit after hit tracks. you have to love it from the punky guitars and political opinions, and SLURS. its a good fucking album. birthed in the middle of the advancement and the more corrupt the world grows, the harder the album goes. unlike dookie which was closer to punk, they went undoubtedly closer to pop in this track. but the lyrics remain relevant and angrier than ever. this album birthed every single track that everybody knows, punk or not ur gonna sing to either american idiot or holiday/boulevard or wake me up. the album js throws u into it, its so amazing. they strayed away from the the offspring, descendants stuff and took more of an explosion to pop-ification. amazing still.

Just incredible

A classic! Still holds up to this day. Big fan of the "rock opera" style songs/arrangements. Pair with a cold American IPA, obviously.

This album is pop punk rebellion. The instrumentals are great and Billie Joe Armstrongs vocals and writing are in incredible. This album is filled with bangers from the title track to the much more melancholy wake me up when September ends. There are a couple of songs that are in protest of war and commentary of post 9-11 culture. But then there are songs that tackle issues with mental health, loneliness and loss of loved ones. This album has range and it bangs.

Love!!

A real modern rock opera going far beyond the boundaries of their earlier punk rock stuff. Masterfully composed and played with lots of sixties pop influences it is also great fun to listen to. Their Magnum Opus in my opinion.

An all time classic album for a reason

I'm probably being a little generous here, and I'm definitely giving in to a certain amount of nostalgia. Getting a couple critiques out of the way: The band's shift to a more arena rock sound is mostly a lateral move. I really miss the active bass lines and rawer sound from their earlier work The lyrics and the whole Saint Jimmy story are a little on the cheesy side That said, I love this album from start to finish. Most concept albums have a really hard time finding good singles that still fit the surrounding storyline, but this one does a great job of balancing those needs. The writing, the execution, and the vibes are all excellent.

I had such a tough time picking a favorite song from this album. It helped define the 00's, and it was everywhere then for a reason: every song here is still incredible now.

takes me back to the good old days. so many memories associated with this album. one reviewer said 'green day makes music that encapsulates how it feels to be a teenager' and i think those are wise words

Absolute fire... Love this entire album! It grows on me more and more all the time.

Awesome, just awesome. Remember buying this when it came out and listening to t on my walk to work. American idiot - what a salute to the president!

Awesome album

10/10 album

So much better than I expected (memories of the title track meant I was anticipating a 3.5 or 4 for this). I understand why the title track exists and it really did pull me in as a youngster, but I'm so glad the rest of the album is so much more nuanced and whole, and so less grating. I of course remembered how much I have loved Boulevard and Wake Me Up for decades now, and Jesus of Suburbia and Are We The Waiting are as good as I remember. But the other album songs I haven't heard before (never actually listened to the whole album before?!) are so much better than I anticipated. Brilliant album. 4.5 rounded up!

It’s always been a great album.

I love Green Day so much !! This album is a classic I don't care what y'all think

Ja lekkere rock

hf

Preeeeetty sick, unexpected that this hits so deeply

Eternal banger.

Loved it

Green Day – American Idiot (2004) On Day 55, American Idiot delivered a high-level experience that justified every bit of its massive reputation. It took a long sitting to fully digest, but the project is a definitive masterclass in how to execute a rock opera in the modern era. What stands out most is the production capability. Rob Cavallo and the band created a sound that is incredibly crisp and punchy; the drums are massive, and the guitar layers have a "tuff" clarity that hits the brain just fine. This isn't just raw punk—it’s a sophisticated, "immaculate" recording that shows off peak technical chemistry. By tackling heavy political themes and social frustration, they managed to avoid the shallow pitfalls that many of their peers fell into. The "conscious" narrative following the Jesus of Suburbia adds a layer of substance that makes the whole body of work feel vital. Jesus of Suburbia is a nine-minute triumph of songwriting, and the transition through Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams feels like a cinematic journey. Other highlights like Give Me Novacaine, Letterbomb, and the emotional weight of Wake Me Up When September Ends prove that this is a dense, rewarding project. Rich history backed by high-level execution makes this an undeniable 5/5.

makes much more sense when im older

The epitome of what I think when I hear Green Day. Classic punk rock album. Tells a story through the songs, which is not something I see much now. Thought adapting this to a Broadway musical was odd before, but after listening completely understand why! 5/5

"All I've got is a red guitar, three chords, and the truth" -Bono "And look what we can do with those three chords, bitches!" -Billie Joe Armstrong

It’s a huge day to be a white boy

This is probably the best album Green Day did after Dookie, and is certainly the last truly great album they did (though I have to admit Revolution Radio does have its moments). Spawning some of the band's best-known tracks, this is the one even non-fans have heard of. So yeah, just for playability alone I'm gonna give it five stars.

Anybody who learnt guitar in the early 00s knew this album back to front (so this review is dripping in Nostalgia)! It's excellent! Blended well and full of great songs!

Eins der prägendsten Alben für mich.

Überragendes Album. Es gibt wenige Alben, die für mich vergleichbar wichtig waren in der musikalischen Sozialisierung. Zudem ein Konzeptalbum, was sehr gut gealtert und auch heute noch relevant ist.

Wusste lange gar nicht, dass hier eine Story erzählt wird und hab mich nur gewundert wieso abseits von den jeweiligen Songs ständig von "St. Jimmy" und dem "Jesus of Suburbia" die Rede ist. Album ist ein unbestreitbarer Klassiker, hab ich damals rauf und runter gehört, bevor ich überhaupt wusste, dass Green Day schon uralt sind und bereits Klassiker in den 90ern veröffentlicht haben. Im Gegensatz zu "The Wall" funktioniert das hier auch ausgezeichnet ohne die Story dahinter. Auch die beiden Longtracks sind großartig umgesetzt. Wäre gerne bei der Album-In-full-Tour dabei gewesen.

Müsste mein erstes Nicht-Linkin Park Album gewesen sein, dass ich mir gekauft hatte. Deswegen war der Rock am Ring Auftritt 2024 auch einfach absolut fantastisch (für mich), das Album in voller Länge war einfach nur umwerfend. Ein absolutes Meisterwerk vom Anfang bis zum Ende. Leider immer noch relevanter denn je.

Hit-Album durch und durch. Obwohl ich das glaube ich noch nie in Gänze gehört habe - bis jetzt. Sind eigentlich alle Konzeptalben erfolgreich oder gibt es so viele Konzeptalben?

Da muss man nicht mal großartig Punk-Fan sein, um die Bedeutung dieses Albums anzuerkennen. Wirklich eine Ansammlung zeitloser großartiger Songs.

a classic, i love this album

Excellent album, great anthemic songs. Green Day is best when they realize they're not really a punk band and play towards there melodic strengths.

I like Green Day - great album with the songs I know!

Офигенный альбом, то что не надоест

Amazing

All totally objective evidence shows that this is a great album. There is no reasonable argument against it. Gonna take away a half-star for the legal actions taken on behalf of Green Day against Dean Gray and their incredible mash-up tribute album, "American Edit." Lawyers? Not very Punk Rock. * "American Edit" is not available through any streaming platforms, but third parties do keep it alive on YouTube. Trust me, it's worth your time.

I’m not really a big Green Day fan. They had some catchy stuff early on that nicely blended punk and pop. But this album, this album I feel is pretty special. Brilliantly done.

Greenday American idiot- I was never into Green Day when they had their biggest albums. But looking back I totally appreciate how good and influential they are. Probably the best punk band I can think of. Cool how songs are paired on here with some nice transitions.

Man i havent listened to this whole album in probably over 20 years. Such a great concept album from a great band.

nostalgic wishing for better days and hazy sunny days. My memories of this album are strong.. discovering bad words and slurs with friends and giggling about it, or screaming bolevard of broken dreams with my mom on the way to school. Hell wven the one sided beef I developed with When September Ends... this is quintessentially my childhood and early adolescense.

I mean...

Gosh, I’ve always liked it but actually really love it. What a glow-up from post-punk vibe of Dookie to enduring anthems like Holiday and Wake Me Up.

Maybe it's the nostalgia, maybe it's the frustration with the current state of fascist America governance, but I'm this is a five-star album. And by the time this was released, I was pretty firmly into local DIY punk and hardcore scenes, so this wouldn't have been big on my radar, outside of the obvious hits.

First stuff. Punk for the masses.

It couldn't be anything else

One of my favorite punk rock albums of the 2000s, and there are a handful of them.

Man. Spoken through and to a generation that connected Gen X through Grunge and Hip-hop and into the new century. Few albums are more of a watermark and even fewer are still adored and respected thirty years later.

I mean this album is perfect

I'd forgotten how much I love this album!

Released in 2001 to mark the accession of one, erm, non-intellectual President, this still hits hard today, if not harder, thanks to the presence of an, erm, actually not erm, let's be brutally honest here, utter fuckhead in the White House. Five stars all the way.

Five star album, maybe it’s the nostalgia. But this was always one of my faves growing up, I think it still holds up really well.

I don’t wanna be an American idiot!

I mean, 5/5

This is one of my favourite albums of all time. It was the first album I bought with my own money, and I listened to it tremendously as a teenager. I love almost everything about it and will gladly listen to it over and over again. This is an automatic 5/5

I'm surprised how many songs from this album I've heard before. Never really paid much attention to Green Day but this album so far is pretty fun. Surprisingly great album, did not expect to enjoy it this much. I think their sound has always been a bit repetitive to me but it works in this album. Surprised that an album that came out 10 years after their big hit would be this good, especially for pop punk.

I already love Green Day and this album, so this is a biased rating.

One of the all time bests.

I was never one to lean into left-leaning politics in my late 20s, but political themes aside, I was completely blown away the first time I listened to 'American Idiot' from start to finish. I’d already been a Green Day fan for nearly a decade when it was released in 2004, and it made me realize just how much Billie Joe Armstrong had matured—both as a lyricist and as a musician. While many people point to Dookie as their unsung masterpiece, this is the album I’ll always come back to first. Twenty years later, there’s still something haunting about “Whatsername,” the album’s closing track. I get hung up on it every time I listen, usually replaying it more than once. At 29, I struggled to put into words how that song made me feel. It forced me to confront the reality that I was barreling toward my 30s without ever having truly found love. The woman I’d been infatuated with before moving across the country—and the five years that followed—had convinced me I never would. That, thankfully, wasn’t the case. Still, this song perfectly encapsulated that sense of longing and melancholy of the girl who got away, somehow making me feel comforted at the same time. The purpose of art is to evoke an emotional response, and this album does exactly that every single time I hit play.

10/10 - now this is how you mix rock and political lyrics

i saw this album live! love the whole album and the meaning behind the songs. love u billie 🫶🏻

4.5 stars A lot of music from freshman year of high school for me this last week. I was coming off of being a punk snob when this came out and pinched my nose at Green Day. But eventually I gave in and bought it and liked it, although I didn’t make a big deal about it. Nowadays I ca finally say that it’s really good and an achievement without worrying about my punk rock cred.

american idiot, nada mas que disir

The album that inspired basically all modern pop punk. His voice and songwriting/storytelling is fantastic, but those drums really take it to the next level. Perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being young and depressed

Dookie is better but this is still fantastic

Classic punk album. In Green Day's breakout album their assertive criticism of America and its people became the rallying cry for anti establishment groups. Green Day set the standard for what a true punk album is supposed to stand for and sound like. Loved it.

A classic. Been listening since Tony Hawk American Wasteland

Jesus show tunes. Really awful.

I liked a lot

Don't wanna be an American right now even more then back then.

Buena fama ganada la de Green Day con este “American Idiot” (¿se estaban anticipando a la era Trump?). Este es un álbum pulcro en su producción, más rock que punk (ya quedó atrás la etapa de “Basket Case”), un verdadero producto para contentar a las masas y llegar a un público más amplio. En mi opinión, un poco pretencioso (¿un disco conceptual de punk-rock en los 2000?), pero lo cierto es que coló. Contiene una curiosidad que a mí me evoca un poco a swinging sixties meets The Kinks (“Homecoming”), no sé a vosotros. Muy notable.

Don’t wanna be an American idiot

Full transparency that this rating is fully colored by weapons-grade nostalgia of this being one of the first things I really got into a full album as opposed to individual songs I bought on iTunes. I cried one time when I wasn't included to sing "Wake Me Up When September Ends" at Nature's Classroom. Haven't listened to it in a while but this album still fucks.

This album is so nostalgic to me; countless hours spent listening to this after school while playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. Knew it end to end. Two years ago I got to see their 20th anniversary tour of this album, and being at the barricade, was one of the best concert experiences of my life. This many years later, the Bush era criticisms are maybe dated but still valid. What a banger of a concept album. The singles from this got tired from all the air time for me, but the whole album is so good. Highlights: letterbomb, homecoming, jesus of suburbia (those transitions go so hard), st jimmy (the energy!)

Memories, memories <3

All the songs work well together, could get a five for Jesus of Suburbia alone for me

Our Super Bowl national anthem singers 🙌

Awesome and up there with Tommy. Great music that tears down the suburbia myth. It is a classic for all times.

Jak byłem nastolatkiem to moja przyjaciółka zakazała mi być emo i nosić buty z czaszkami. Zakazała, bo sama była emo i nie chciała konkurencji. Cieszę się, że teraz mogę mieć czachę zamiast serca i w każdy wrzesień wrzucać "Wake ma up".

Bitch please ofc, że 5 ★ Słuchałem tego w gimnazjum. Słucham tego teraz. Zdecydowanie mniej niż w gimnazjum, ale lubię sobie wrócić. Po pierwszej nutce American Idiot, mam flashbacki z okresu bycia nastolatkiem XD Do słuchania w pracy bardzo przyjemne. Szybkie i pobudzające. Chciało mi się mniej spać niż zazwyczaj w pracy.

I heard Boulevard of Broken Dreams out in public yesterday and thought "This is a great song. I gotta listen to this album again." I even texted my brother about it. And then the next album generated for me is this album. Amazing timing. This is as classic an album as there is from the 2000s. The title track is snappy and the kind of radio release you'd expect from a punk band, but Green Day is no normal punk band. Two nine minute sagas in multiple parts on an album that is still so clearly punk rock... A punk rock opera, in every way. A huge achievement for a band 15 years in. And Green Day's best album.

Did I know prior: Yes Favorite Song: Boulevard of Broken Dreams I still remember the first time I heard Green Day on the radio and watched their music videos for American Idiot and Wake Me Up When September Ends on MTV. My rating is a little skewed because of the millennial nostalgia of it all, but I'm also a sucker for a concept album with a consistent narrative and I think this one is highly successful.

A classic. Album is great top to bottom

Who had "toy piano" on their Green Day bingo card when Dookie came out?

masterpiece

Iconic as always

Best Pop Punk album. It keeps within its sound, but also takes chances venturing into theatrical moments and other genres. I would call it Green Day's Tommy but focusing more on catchy hit songs than a entire story! First side is stacked, falls off a bit at the end, but ending side has strong cuts with "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "HomeComing 4.5/5

Exceptional album, hit after hit

A classic. Love this album

It so amazing what they pulled off on this album. Great songs. Turned themselves into a classic band with this.

Great songs, very energetic album with a beautiful emotional touch by Wake me up when September ends. I especially liked that some songs reference to previous songs and the album cover. It's a bit too long for my taste for this genre, but really liked how transformative the longer songs are. A great piece all in all!

I cannot overstate how important this album was to my musical development 🤠

This is one of the albums of all time. Obviously. I feel this album embodies what all punk wants to be. Regardless of my political opinions, this album has a very rebellious spirit. Whether that means rebelling against the government, parents, societal norms, or literally anything else, you can really feel it here. Armstrong's vocal delivery is incredible, as is the entire band. Cool's percussion is perfect and he knows exactly when to come in and when to let others shine. Musically, I have no critiques. Even the piano in the background is an interesting choice on tracks like Jesus of Suburbia, but it adds a lot with just a few notes. And I couldn't talk about this album without mentioning how Jesus of Suburbia is as close to a modernized punk version of Bohemian Rhapsody that we have. The song is a lot more than an incredible music performance for when you have just enough quarters for 1 last song on the jukebox. It's a punk anthem that keeps you on your toes your first time listening and is as incredible as the first listen with every subsequent listen.

Back in the day I thought Green Day was a sold bald. I was soo wrong.

I knew the main singles, but hadn't listened to it all the way through. Consistently great songs, grand in scope but keeping to a theme throughout, Green Day have done themselves proud. Hard to believe this is the same guys who sang about masturbation losing its thrill..........

0 skips

my childhood introduction to california and american poprock

It's wall-to-wall pop-punk bangers. A hell of a lot of fun and just a really enjoyable listen.

there is a reason some of the best known Green Day songs are on this album

I’m a sucker for boulevard of broken dreams

Love Green Day, always have, probably always will. A modern masterpiece... urban decay... physical and mental set to a snotty, scorching punk rock beat.

One of my sons had this album, it contains catchy singles. Great musicality and very fond memories.

Loved it!!

Iconic

🥳🥳🥳🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥

The sounds of this album are imprinted in the gyri of my brain.

All killer no filler.

Amazing albumthat got me into greenday. it reminds me of a time when i was younger with no stress.

This album hit like a runaway train. A departure from their usual sound, they bring a full on protest album that had a shit ton of hits. Just in-your-face "fuck you government" to the Bush admin.This is sorely lacking today. Does it hold up? mostly, I conflate it with a lot of nostalgic memories due to high school, and then years later pointing out odd things about it with friends, like one of the guys being named Mike Dirnt because "dirnt" is the sound his bass makes.

*sung to the guitar riff from American Idiot* “I’m a grown man and my name is Tre Cool”. This album was MASSIVE when it came out. Modern protest music that the radio loved. It’s quaint to listen to it now given the current state of things in America. It was a crap hole back in 2004 and now it’s a full on shit hole. Things are especially grim because there is so little good art coming out about the Trump presidency. At least GWB lead to albums like this. Also Billie Elliot yelling “I DID THIS FOR US” from the Wake Me Up… video has lived rent free in my head ever since it came out and it still makes me laugh. What a goof

10/10 ofc – live gesehen und hat einfach so krass gehitted

Nostalgic

Green Day swung hard at politics in this album. It was punchy, with a ton of rage built in it.

Basal. Formativo en mi vida. Habrá mejores. Pero no me importa. Clásico "moderno" 9/10

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Green Day in the early 2000s...fading a bit. Certainly weren't generating the same buzz anymore. A punk opera??? OK, whatever. Turns out the songs were great and the hooks numerous. Still holds up today.

Cold nostalgia plunge! In 21 years my attention has shifted from the radio singles to the long-form ballads. My love is the same but different.

Great album.

oh hello 6th grade

certified hood classic

One of the first CDs I ever bought. I know a lot of Green Day fans say this the beginning of the end, that may be true, but this album has legs. Whatshername may be a perfect song. American Idiot seems more relevant than ever. Easy 5.

amazing album i love green day favs: american idiot, give me novacaine, whatsername

A classic album for a specific generation.

Nostalgic

Drums GO HARD!!!!!

Another big rock album from the aughts that I never heard until today, although of course familiar with a number of the songs. Well I was missing out. Great songwriting, and these guys do about as much as you can do with distorted guitar, bass, and drums as a trio can possibly do. I also often think of 2004 as the year time both kind of stopped and sped up for me, and how it feels like not that long ago. Yet it is. E.g. when I was a kid to go back 21 years was to go back to early Beatles and folk music, but somehow this happened over 21 years ago. If I had been in middle/high school at the time this came out there is a very high chance I would have rocked an American Idiot hoodie.

In my opinion, one of the best albums in the history of rock music. I love Green Day very much, but here is music that seems to have been kindly written for them by God along with all the arrangements.

I'm going to do something I don't usually do here and start with the negative. The album is, entirely in my own opinion, one song too long. A lot of songs on this album and presented in duos and if they weren't I'd be more critical but ultimately a lot of them are paired well. But the final song on the album feels totally unnecessary and a little generic of the genre on what is ultimately a very creative album. Had it ended on the song Homecoming I'd have thoroughly enjoyed it as a song ender and appreciated that this album was a very swift and comfortable 49 minutes or so. So, why did I start with the negative? Because that is my ONE negative. Outside of that I think this album is phenomenal. I had a friend in highschool that loved this album, knew every word and every time we would all make a collective party playlist or have a jam a few songs in this album always fell into the melting pot... and yet never got tiresome. While maybe not musically as fresh, topically this album continues to be incredibly relevant to this very day and probably many days going forward. But even if I scrape back the cultural and social commentary of this punk album, it still sounds great. American Idiot is an incredible opener, Jesus of Suburbia is a long song that justifies every second by constantly changing speed and tone but in a totally fluent presentation so it is never boring nor messy. I don't even need to say a word about Boulevard of Broken Dreams or Wake Me Up When September Ends, song that remained in the cultural zeitgeist for years upon years. You could have never looked for this album specifically and sat down to listen to it this very second and you are without a doubt knowing at least 3 to 5 songs on the album, which certainly speaks to the popularity of this album and again, I have heard many of these songs here and there for the entirety of my life and never once thought "eh not today". I very rarely actively seek out Green Day, but I absolutely do sometimes and they scratch a very special itch. I have a friend that LOVES Green Day so I am sure I will be listening to random bits here and there forever but I know I'll enjoy every listen. An incredibly powerful three piece that really are something special and created plenty to show for it, but I would consider this their best. Best songs: Jesus of Suburbia Worst song: Whatsername Rank compared to everything else so far: 3/17 (Below Dummy, above Superfly)

Greenday mention

Never really listened to this album as I’d not been as keen on GD post Dookie as that album was so good it was kind of hard for them to live up to that I guess. I’d always believed that no other GD album could possibly be as good as Dookie. How wrong I was! I was aware of the singles on this one but hadn’t realised how well constructed the whole album was as an overall entity. A lot of the album tracks are excellent and the more I listened the better they got. Put all the songs together and it creates an excellent album. Dookie is still my favourite GD album but this is now a very, very close second. Loved it.

Brilliant

Classic

Nostalgic of a different kind of America from the early 2000s. This was the era where we didn't baby much about every minute detail no matter what household you were in. Am I biased on the fact I grew up while this was on the radio often? Yes. Should I ignore the nostalgia? Hard no. I'm going to relive my childhood now.

Man this is a good album. Oh look, they have another album with a similar cover style released in 2020. I bet that one is like a follow up and it probably is just as good!! Let me listen... Oh god... Oh no... It's fucking terrible!!!!

Brought back memories of a simpler time - when a rich president, born on third, and his cronies, used the power of the office to enrich themselves further at the cost of the American taxpayer. But seriously - A punk album was needed to move the people against the Bush presidency and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some artists (Dixie Chicks) had spoken out and been ridiculed and pulled from radio. Unexpectedly, the guys that made "Dookie" were the ones with the balls to face this shit and out it the quintessential pink resistance album when the works needed it most.

Oh yes!!! Been waiting for this moment!!! Wake me up when September ends has always been “Chinese national anthem” for us. (Independence day is Oct 1). Love holiday too. Ah so good!

i mean... what an album. just out the gates, it comes out angry, disillusioned, and spiteful at the entire identity of America. Thats punk AF. its probably my millennial showing, but this album just straight up rocks. American Idiot, Holiday, Give Me Novacaine, Wake Me Up when Sept Ends... just all absolute bangers. the callbacks to earlier songs in Homecoming, the fading off of Whatsername, this album just has it all. its a pretty drastic jump from where Green Day had been before, but still just part of a stepping stone as they really focused on the rock opera piece in their next album, 21st Century Breakdown. here's to the soundtrack of a generation. cheers Green Day

So many absolute hits on this album. Some of it might be nostalgia, but even the songs I’d never heard before had cool ideas in them. I loved the “double-songs”. Solid all the way through

I can directly pinpoint this album as being my first introduction to alt/punk rock after Mr sandman was playing this album at 6th grade dances. And it’s not necessarily like I was a huge Green Day fan but the hits from this album truly opened me up to what music could be and not what is just on the radio. This is just a great album. Incredible banger to open with and keeps you jamming all the way through

Amazing. Up there with the top albums on this list. I remember a couple kids in our middle school playing this on stage. I didn’t understand it at all but it was such a bop (that means cool song, for the young whipper snappers reading this).

I have zero notes or complaints on this album. I can't count the amount of times that this album was played front to back on my Walkman in middle school. As an eighth grader I probably wasn't keen to the message of the lyrics, but as an adult they are clear and apparent, especially American Idiot (also, the line "twenty years has gone so fast" hit me like a ton of bricks on this most recent playthrough, considering its been 21 years since release). So many bangers and too much nostalgia to rate this anything less than a 5.

So good. Biased as I was there to watch the 911 hangover hit and listen to this album express the feelings we had as teenagers back then. But the songs on their own are great and the album as a whole flows so well. Proof not everything in the early 2000's was awful.

I didn't think I liked Green Day, but this record is undeniable. Phenomenal top to bottom. Song writing, production, performance, all 10 out of 10.

Pure nostalgia! Reckon I’ve not listened to this for about 15 years, at least! I’ve problem not even really listened to the big hits for years. Would I think it was a fiver if I heard it for the first time today. Maybe not. But 10 year old me definitely did. Simpsons: Yes (the movie)

Probably didn't need to listen to this to give it 5. Remember hearing it for the first time in Rozza's dad's car, driving to the cinema for his birthday.

Best Song: Jesus of Suburbia Best album of 2004. Best album of the 2000s?