American Idiot

I've loved this album for a long time.

A classic that defined the band. While not a Green Day fan, I can appreciate what they've done and how this music defined the late '00s

My first concert was Green Day on their America Idiot tour, this album meant a lot to me at the time. First CD I bought too, or my parents bought for me at my request..

I may have some sentimental value to this album since it was played frequently in my house growing up, but I hadn't revisited it on my own until now. Although punk rock is not my genre, it cannot be ignored how nearly every track on this album is great. The first four tracks are among the best consecutive songs I've heard on any album so far.

It's been over 20 years and these songs still hit

This was my first time fully listening through the album. No skips, all bangers

It combines the energy of the 90’s pop punk era with the grandiose theater of the 70’s rock operas in a a tidy little package. Also a perfect album for its time.

Tremendo disco, empezando con 3 temazos emblematicos, sonido nitido y potente con estilo tipo himno epico. La bateria 10/10.

Stupidly good.

The first CD I owned. Doesn’t really matter how good it actually is, instant five stars.

Classic

This came out when I was 11 and just getting into 'rock music', so... it's a 5.

Nostalgic

rock opera at its finest

An absolute classic for my generation. Full of bangers.

I was 13 years old when this album came out. My obsession with music had begun only five years prior, but it had already become one of the defining aspects of my life. Although I was already hip to many bands from the 90's and onward, my familiarity with Green Day was limited to their radio hits; I enjoyed them all well enough, but never felt compelled to look further into them. Nevertheless, my parents bought me this CD for Christmas a few months after it came out for some reason. I remember being confused, but I made sure to listen to it a few times because I didn't want to insult them. I think I thought it was fine on the first listen - maybe elements of it seemed more polished than I was used to, but it didn't scare me off or anything. I liked it a bit more on the second listen; by my third or fourth listen, I was genuinely surprised by how much I really, *really* liked it. Over 20 years later, I'm still a bit surprised by how much I like American Idiot. There are very, very few mainstream pop-punk albums from this era that I enjoy even half as much. But as my unlikely Green Day fandom and appreciation has expanded throughout the last two decades, it's still hard for me to not view this album as a major accomplishment. I think Billie Joe Armstrong can craft a melody with the best of them, and some of his finest compositions appear on American Idiot. There are certainly some more ~melodramatic~ moments, but for me, they are saved by the strength of his voice and, perhaps even more importantly, his singing style, which never devolves into the horrific oversinging as some of his other contemporaries and influences. In general, the band follows suit, succeeding in their grander ambitions while remaining a tight-knit unit. Even the more bombastic moments of “Jesus of Suburbia” and “Homecoming” - two absolutely tremendous achievements, mind you - never stray so far from their strengths that they feel unwarranted or misguided. I understand that some people got burnt out on the hits and this album's general overexposure; it's one of many criticisms that I understand (for the record, I still think they're all pretty fantastic, especially the title track, "Holiday", and "Wake Me Up When September Ends”). I also understand not being a fan of theirs in general; I understand digging their early stuff but not caring for the direction this album takes; I understand reservations about it being a “victim” of the loudness war. Not only can I respect any of these viewpoints, I acknowledge that, given where my tastes generally lie, it probably seems strange for me to love this album as much as I do. But I’m certainly not going to apologize for it, and I will forever cherish the incredible memories I have attached to it. 5/5

A brilliant encapsulation of early 2000 fun punk rock

This is a no skip album for me. Part of that may be nostalgia, but I love it regardless.

This album proves, how political but catchy, fun and entertaining and (on top) successful a punk rock album can be - without being repetitive! Masterpiece!

Maybe it's nostalgia but this is an iconic album.

OAKLAAAAAAND

A truly great album enjoyed every single song

I have to confess that I was never a Green Day fan back in the day. It seemed like everyone around me definitely was though. They were massive and inescapable. And probably because of that I felt like they were too popular to really be cool. To my mind, there were dozens of better "real" punk bands our there. The fact that they ushered in an era of pop punk bands wasn't helping either. Previously in this challenge, I listened to their early hit album "Dookie" and ate some humble pie to admit that it was actually pretty good. So much so that I was a lot more open to listening to "American Idiot". I remember the hype around this one. Green Day felt just a little past their prime at this time but came back with a punk opera for the post-9/11 crowd protesting the Bush administration and the Iraq War. Probably because I lived through that era myself, this one really does hit differently. It has the youthful punk energy but with a lot more seriousness, both in terms of composition and concept. We were angry then and more awake to what was happening in the world. There were plenty of good soundtracks to that time but I'm sorry that I slept on this one. In retrospect, those times not feel simple and peaceful compared to the world we're in in 2025. But at the time, it really did feel like we were going to change the world. Nice feeling while it lasted...

Just the best

Groser Klassiker meiner Jugend

One of my favourite albums from one of my favourite bands. It starts off with three killer tracks, maybe tails off a bit in the middle but I still like the overall song mix. If you like this album, the Bullet in a Bible album contains live versions of most of these songs and is well worth a listen.

5 for the memories

So good.

Nostálgico, animado e imprescindible

Such a great album with serious issues addressed, whilst maintaining Green Day’s humour. Not a wek track to be found

Oooh, this is going to be hard/impossible to rate objectively... I was obsessed with Green Day from the age of 14 due to being the exact correct age when Dookie came out for it to blow my mind, and that obsession carried on for about 10 years (and recently got resurrected for the release of Saviours). Which is to say, there is so much emotion and nostalgia tied up with this period that there is no objective lens to view 10 years of Green Day albums through, this included. This is not my favourite Green Day album (that title goes to Warning, an album considered a commercial failure, but that for me, was their most beautifully weird record) but the margins between my favourite Green Day albums and the Green Day albums almost universally accepted as "The Best ™️" during this period, are tiny. American Idiot (the album) is bloody ambitious for a pop punk band. American Idiot (the song) carries on being hugely relevant and makes you pine for the days when George W Bush was the idiot in question - I admire Billie for continuing to be outspoken about his politics regardless of pushback (and the many weird posts from Mike Dirnt's wife). Like most successful singles from most massively popular albums, I have heard the singles from this album too often, and in too many random shops, to judge them fairly, so I'm going to highlight my favourite non-singles. She's a Rebel is just stupidly catchy and I loved it from the moment I first heard it. Whatsername is another favourite, as is Letterbomb (mostly because it feels like they partially ripped off 86, a song I really like from Insomniac). It just feels like a very cohesive album, to the extent that while I usually get frustrated with nearly 1 hour long records, this properly whips by. It's considered a classic for a good reason. This mark was inevitable: 5/5

o em goodness graciousness. fall 2024.

It's actually really so good.

Ohhhhh yeaaaa! I remember sitting in my room with a radio when American Idiot debuted thinking it was the best song ever. This album has so many forgotten favorites if you listened a long time ago. Worth playing all the way through and no skips.

A fucking masterpiece.

Green Day’s most fully realized album. A must listen.

Favorite: Extraordinary Girl

Good stuff

"American Idiot" displays Green Day at their very best and the it was the album that proved that they are far more than the one-trick-pony known from "Dookey". Already during the 90s, some punk rock bands (including Green Day themselves) had gone far beyond the traditional 3- or 4-chord 3-minutes songs with primitive lyrics. "American Idiot" takes this to the max and with it's well-placed tonality changes between parts and ironic and even subtile lyrics, this is actually modern stadium rock with a punky production. And even 20 years later, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" are still the reference tracks of how far punk rock can go. Liked it when it came out and watched it become a legend.

Nok en af de mest nostalgiske albums hvor jeg ikke andet end kan tænke på min storebror med pakistaner halsklæde med sort tøj på og nitter i bæltet og bukser. tror jeg elsker hver en sang på albummet fordi jeg har lyttet så meget til det på cd om det så har været i bilen, på teenage værelse eller i skole. Tror ikke der er noget som slår det her som noget af det musik som har haft en indflydelse på min dannelse. Nå men jeg fandt ud af at det er en rock opera. Med fokus på historie i 9/11 og de følelser det lgiesom har medbragt. anyways, jeg bliver sgu nok nød til at give den lidt over 4 men jeg giver den bare 5.

Angst, I love it

American Idiot: Stellar opening track. No notes. Jesus of Suburbia: the 'Dearly Beloved' section has always sent chills down my spine. Simple beat, haunting 'oohs', heart-wrenching lyrics, to then explode in rage in 'Tales from another broken home' is pretty epic. Is 9 minutes too long for a song? Absolutely not this one. Holiday: not much hits like that rhythm section breakdown in the middle, it just hooks you in and does not let go and you cling to every word BJA says like it's gospel. Boulevard of Broken Dreams: encapsulates the neuroticism, numbness and nihilism of adolescence during 9/11 / Iraq war / Bush America so well. An anthem and tribute for those who feel alone in a world gone mad. Are We the Waiting: These are the chants of the lonely in the previous track. The feelings of those in that song are not experienced in isolation, they are the collective experience of all those Americans. Lost hope, they just wait for life to pass them by. St. Jimmy: pure punk energy. The fast pace sandwiched between two slow songs is meant to throw you off-- the anger and rage culminates, and our 'Jesus of Suburbia' becomes 'St Jimmy': drugs, vandalism, anything at all to help him feel something. Give Me Novocaine: Musically and lyrically, this is easily my favourite track on the album, it's extremely vulnerable and heartbreaking, both embracing the pain but self-convincing 'everything'll be alright'. This song has always gotten me through my lowest moments. She's a Rebel: Oh we're picking up the pace now... I think he's met someone! I love the transition to this track: same guitar and similar drum pattern but sped up slightly, it's so subtle but even if you don't listen to the lyrics you can tell there's some hope coming back into our Jesus of Suburbia's life after meeting Whatsername. Extraordinary Girl: an unhealthy drug-fuelled romance... man I love the psychedelic elements Green Day has borrowed here they're super impactful. Letterbomb: that scream is perfection!!! This was my favourite track on the album when I was a teenager, listening to it again now I understand why, it's a powerful af and a breakup anthem. It's definitely musically powerful enough to have been an alternative opening track, but thematically, it had to be here. The last minute is sheer perfection. Maybe it's still my favourite... Wake Me Up When September Ends: another heartbreaker. No notes. <3 Homecoming: 'NOOOOOBODY LIKES YOUU EVERYONEEE LEFT YOUUU THEY'RE ALL OUTTT WITHOUT YOUUUU HAVING FUNNNNN'. Damn these words from 'Letterbomb' really haunted our protagonist. Also, the 'We're Coming Home' part of the song is phenomenal. The drums are the same as in 'Give Me Novocaine', which along with the lyrics from 'Letterbomb' is a nice callback to the mixed feelings our protagonist must be feeling right now. Whatsername: 'I made a point to burn all of the photographs'.... Best closing track I could ask for. No notes. Final thoughts: Damn I'm so happy their masters were stolen-- shoutout to the thieves, otherwise we may never have gotten this masterpiece. Musically, lyrically, conceptually.... they truly brought punk into the 21st century with this album, but with an emo edge which I can't get enough of. Top songs: Letterbomb, Give Me Novocaine, Whatsername (s/o to Jesus of Suburbia) Easy 10/10.

It’s green day

Still holds up as a damn good album. No skips.

Eines der ersten Alben, welches ich mir selbst im zarten Alter von 12 Jahren, selbst gekauft habe. Viele Erinnerungen!

Really liked the overall message behind the album and how well every song flowed together.

Good but does lean on its singles

Unbelievable Monday Pull! Not only is this a generation defining album but it is one of my favorite albums of all time. It was an album that had a huge effect on my music taste as well as my development as a person. Hearing these songs again takes me right back hearing this album for the first time in middle school. My first concert was Green Day touring this album and I also got to see them play this album in full last summer. Another easy 5/5 for me.

One of my childhood favourites. The CD was stored constantly in my portable CD player. Fun to listen to again nonetheless. Easy 5 star for me. Favourite songs: Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, Are We the Waiting, Letterbomb Least favourite songs: Homecoming Rating: 9/10

Coming out right when America was being the dumbest that I've known it since I was born (Iraq and Afghanistan wars), this whole album is great. This is the kind of music that sooths my savage soul.

Ohhhh high school...

love this, except now I want to cruise the mall and act snarky to my parents.

This is an amazing album that I didn't like much at the time. I'd been a fan pretty much since the beginning and I didn't like the "punk rock opera" thing. But it grew on me and I do agree that it's one of the best records to come out of that power-pop revival of pop-punk. Definitely an album everyone should hear before they die.

I didn't love this album when it came out, as I felt it was really overplayed and overhyped. However, listening to it now I really enjoyed it!

So many of these songs are overplayed to hell, but man, as an album everything just flows together so impressively. This is probably the best sequenced album of all time. All of the singles are great but I really love Homecoming and Jesus of Suburbia. The later is such an impressive feat for a punk band. It is almost 10 minutes, but it feels like 5 and is jam packed with so many great hooks. High 5!

One of my favorite albums of all time. Listened to it in full at least a hundred times already.

In my top 10 of all-time favorite albums so cannot be objective about it. I love this record so much - loved it when it came out and listened to it for about a year straight, love it now. Easy 5 stars. Favorites: Too many to choose from Would I listen to it again: Yes

Great anthology album that strongly stood up to the Bush Jr presidency. Sunday drive comfort album.

Love. Still a classic. Millennial must have

Excellent album

Will always be one of my favourite albums. The album that got me into guitar music. Can still sing along with every single word and love every track. Cannot fault it at all. Worrying that the lyrics to American Idiot are as relevant in 2025 as they were in 2004. Favourite track: Homecoming

What is there to be said. This may be my favourite album on this whole generator. This album is just BACK to BACK to BACK pop punk bangers and as its age grows, its relevancy follows. What an album.

Green Day - the seminal California punk band - wrote a musical that has a message and kicks ass. I am here for this. Any more review by me would just feel like completely unnecessary defense. Jesus of Suburbia might be my favorite Green Day song; for sure top 5. Influence 5. Hits 5. Quality 5. Controvertial opnion: I got to see them perform Dookie and American Idiot in their entirties back-to-back in 2025. I think I like this one better than Dookie 5.

I could write a book on the brilliance of Green Day, and I could certainly write a journal article about the brilliance of this album. Instead, I will say this: most of the 00s punk and emo scene is trying to tap into the experience of being a poor white kid growing up in a podunk town with either a broken home or an emotionally stunted family. However, most of the bands aren't cerebral enough to really document this experience, so you end up having Lincoln Parks, May Day Parade's, etc. who just seem like whiny white kids because their childhood was too boring. Contrast that to American Idiot which outlines a broadway-worthy epic of a kid who grows up hearing lies that their shitty hometown is the best it gets and finally "makes it out", only to realize that he wasn't given the tools to succeed outside his cage. And I leave behind This hurricane of fucking lies I lost my faith to this This town that don't exist So I run, I run away To the light of masochists Beyond the story, this album has incredible songs. The Offspring may have punchier songs, but Letterbomb rocks as hard as any punk song imo. You change the last word of Whatsername and you have an absolute perfect album. 5/5

This is really good. I'm falling behind so I won't say too much more, but I love an album that was clearly thought through as an album first and a collection of songs second... and then still nails holiday, which is probably my (uninformed) favorite Green Day Song

Maybe it's pure nostaligia as someone who was in his mid- to late-teen years in the early 00s, but this thing slaps. The hits per track density on this album is wild and sadly, still relevant today - somehow even more than it was in the GWB administration of American politics.

Absolute modern classic!!

As a teenager when Green Day became popular I dismissed them as too silly; I just didn't want to like a band name their albums Kerplunk and Dookie and had cartoon album sleeves. Jumping forward to 2004 and I enjoyed the singles off American Idiot, and the band having something serious to say, but my longstanding prejudice meant I still didn't listen to the album until now. Now I've got to confess - this is a great, and mature, album. It's varied in sound but consistent in themes, and I think the best compliment I can pay it is those stellar singles don't stand out that far from the album tracks - they're integrated really well. There's also a vibe running through the album that sounds like a coming together or marching that's really uplifting. I can only imagine the live shows on that tour really popped off.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS IS MY ENTIRE TEENAGE THE FEELS I JUST CANT

It’s American Idiot

This is an easy 5 for me: I love so many songs on this album. "Whatsername" isn't just my favourite Green Day song, but it's one of my favourite songs ever. And I never stopped listening to "Holiday" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". From start to finish, this is a stellar album, and I think it's Green Day's best. I mean, how many albums inspired an entire Broadway musical? It's a masterpiece.

Maybe it’s the childhood nostalgia setting in, but I’m not gonna lie, this is absolute fire. It holds up pretty well imo. If I could pick one album to define the (dubya) Bush era, this would be it. Pretty incredible album tbh.

Got to see them do this album and Dookie live in its entirely last year. Still a fantastic album and unfortunately the title track is super timely right now.

Amazing, has great political and social commentary. An absolute amazing album and speaks to our times especially.

Great album

it's american idiot. I gotta 5 star it

Excellent

Very formally ambitious for a punk album and probably the best example of 2000s rock. Crazy amount of hits

awesome

Much better than Dookie in my view, with several great hits and the rest is generally nice as well. 4.5 stars

Legendary

bruh i know this

This album still bangs! I saw Green Day earlier this year, they played Dookie and American Idiot in full. Probably the greatest concert I’ve seen.

Good to see this on here. One of the last great protest albums, a rock opera and an array of tracks that stand on their own. don't need to listen to it but I will anyway.

Très bon album ! J'adore ce type de musique etc bref c'est très cool.

This album is what got me to become a music person.

This is like... One of the best Green Day albums there are. And I love every Green Day album. Everything thats been said has already been said and this is honestly one of the best punk albums of all time. It's one of those albums where if you need to show an alien what punk is, its this.

A great album with several hits to put it over the top

Great album all the way through

This album still holds up 21 years later man. It’s very nostalgic reminds me of swiping my sisters iPod when I was a kid and discovering music for the first time. Always good to listen to these records again and be transported back in time, that’s just the beauty of music.

Easy 5*. Love green day, love this album. Back to back bangers.

YAY

I wish I could say some of the messages in this album werent relevant for today but unfortunately it is. It stings to listen to lyrics about America buying into fear when it only seems to have intensified over the last 20 years.

Duh

Didn’t give this album enough credit originally. It’s actually great.

Meine Jugend

Green Day had passed me by until "American Idiot" was released, I was aware of them and of course "Dookie", but I hadn't really listened to them. It was my youngest song who wanted the album when we were out shopping shortly after its release. "Buy this Dad, you'll like it". I bought it and he was right! We followed that up by seeing them at Hammersmith Odeon on the UK tour - the main set was the whole album played in full. One of the best gigs I've seen. The album opens with the thunderous title track and that magnificent riff. Of course, the politics will alienate some, that can be seen in some of the reviews for this album on here, but this album is even more relevant now than it was then. I guess few were listening or taking heed. The rest of the album is equally magnificent. As an album, "American Idiot" was a statement, its vision huge, akin to a cinematic experience. A rock opera for the 21st century. The album blends political anthems with ballads. Every song serves a purpose. Five stars. It is a perfect album "Can I get another Amen (Amen)" Would I listen to this album again? - Yes, I should listen to it more often. Would I buy this album - I did. If there's a remaster, I might buy that. 1- "American Idiot" - (5/5) 2- "Jesus of Suburbia" - (5/5) I. "Jesus of Suburbia" II. "City of the Damned" III. "I Don't Care" IV. "Dearly Beloved" V. "Tales of Another Broken Home" 3- "Holiday"- (5/5) 4- "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"- (5/5) 5- "Are We the Waiting"- (5/5) 6- "St. Jimmy"- (5/5) 7- "Give Me Novacaine"- (5/5) 8- "She's a Rebel"- (5/5) 9- "Extraordinary Girl"- (5/5) 10- "Letterbomb"- (5/5) 11- "Wake Me Up When September Ends"- (5/5) 12- "Homecoming"- (5/5) I. "The Death of St. Jimmy" II. "East 12th St." III. "Nobody Likes You" IV. "Rock and Roll Girlfriend" V. "We're Coming Home Again" 13- "Whatsername" - (5/5) Total - 65 Average - 5.00 95/1001

God, I forgot how much I love this album. Not relevant to my review, but, a bit of nostalgia: I listened to this nearly every day in the summer of fourth (?) grade - CD player and corded headphones and everything, laid in bed in a cabin in Maine... what a time. Anyway, I love this album. Incredibly cohesive, perfect length of tracks without filler but also not too short. Nails the concept without being ham-fisted. Favorite: "Are We the Waiting," which was my favorite when I was young, too, and “Whatsername,” love the vocals and layering on that track (wish it was longer). I'd list my favorite tracks on this album but it's quite literally the majority of them, so instead I'll list my least favorite: "Letterbomb," "Extraordinary Girl," "She's a Rebel," "St. Jimmy," and "Jesus of Suburbia." I still like all of these songs, but the others are stronger in my opinion. God. I love this album!

Green Day's work is so inconsistent that I sometimes get tricked into thinking that American Idiot isn't as good as I think it is. But then I listen to it and remember that it's fucking great. It's an all-timer for me. The context from which it came and the musical only add to the certain "je ne sais quoi" quality of this album. I will say, the back-to-back of Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams had me a little bored. I always felt that's the weak spot. But it gets right back to business afterwards.

A favorite of mine. Loved seeing the band do it live on their recent tour. Jesus of Suburbia is fantastic.

5/5 - I needed to hear this album because it is one of my favorite artifacts of the GWB administration. At the time, I had no idea I needed a rock opera from Green Day, but I did. I love this album front to back because it's simply a blast to listen to.

Well ... Okay 5/5 , don't even need to re-listen because I just listened to it in full on our way to Illinois this past weekend lmao

Standout Songs: American Idiot Jesus of Suburbia Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams Give Me Novocaine / She’s a Rebel Wake Me up When September Ends Homecoming When you think of 2000s punk rock, this is usually the album that comes to mind. And for good reason. I absolutely adore this album, so good from start to finish. Upbeat and fun, groovy guitar, and incredible drumming. Damn near perfect to me.

A classic and impactful album for me - so good

Upon re listening, this is in fact a great album. At the time I was sick of all the radio play, but I live Green Day, they’re just doing their thing here.

9/10

Goat

4.5 She's a rebel

A protest album for the Millennial generation.

Uma bela ópera prima!

Well, this is a hard one to rate without any bias - because (like many others here, I suspect), this album has a special place in my heart. When I first listened to it at 16 I thought that this must be the best music ever! Well, relistening to it I can say: it might not be the best music ever, but it's still really good. Every track is a banger in its own right, and I love how it really is a conceptual album telling a story, the individual tracks coming together to form a greater whole. As a German I obviously can't fully relate to the experience of growing up in the American suburbs under the Bush administration, but I think I understand enough. The politics of Green Day might be "undercomplex" or "facile", even but seriously, who cares. This isn't supposed to be a doctoral dissertation about American foreign policy in the early 21st century, but a young person's outcry against the violence and injustice inherent in the world in general and the Bush administration and the Iraq War in particular. As such, it is still current in a way, since the legacy of those days continues to haunt the world over two decades later. And even beyond that, it's still damn good music that makes me feel like I'm 16 again. 5/5

First time listening to this album start to finish, and I was surprised at how strong it is. Over half the songs are hugely popular hits, and those that aren't complement the big ones entirely. Not a skip on the whole album.

Legendary.

Rely good

peak

Love it

AN ALL TIME CLASSIC

Incredible and historic record, it gained a new following and gained massive popularity when it came out. Songs are all great and by how those are, no one really minds the length of a few of then, like Jesus Of Suburbia, that became iconic from the band. Transitions between songs made it a sense of fullness and became great songs on their own merit. Always recommended and listenable any time of the year.

Topical

Classic

Some day maybe this won't seem quite so politically relevant. Today's not that day, though. 5 stars.

Generational

Green Day's peak - love his voice, the angsty emo-y energy and the anger and vindication behind it. Great album

American Idiot is an absolute slam dunk of an album. It not only reflects the post-9/11 climate of the 2000s—with its overtones of war, political frustration, and cultural ignorance—but it also captures the restless, disillusioned spirit of a generation coming of age in that era. Green Day distilled the mood of the time into something raw, loud, and unshakably relevant. Listening to it now feels the way I imagine people in the ’60s must have felt hearing Bob Dylan for the first time: the sound of rebellion, of anger, of truth put to music. That energy is established right from the opening track “American Idiot”, setting the tone for everything that follows. The second song, “Jesus of Suburbia” (really a collection of 5 songs for those that read the lyrics book) pushes even deeper. It’s more than just teenage angst; it’s a portrait of growing up in a fractured home, of self-medicating through addiction, and of searching for belonging in the margins of society. If your own parents don’t care about you, it’s hard to care about life—and that’s exactly the kind of despair the narrator wrestles with. In that emptiness, he seeks out the underbelly of society, finding community among misfits and rejecting the rules he was never given a reason to follow. In the process, he begins to question not only society and its structures, but everything around him—even his own reality. A truly heartbreaking song. Whether the children are here at home or in the Middle East, the message is the same: no one seems to care. That apathy, both personal and political, runs like a vein through the album—fueling its anger, its cynicism, and its desperate need to scream for connection. The next track, “Holiday”, is an unmistakable critique of the Bush administration and the political climate of the 2000s. But beyond its immediate references, the song wrestles with the broader, age-old reality of war—how it has shaped and scarred civilizations for centuries. Where history often defaults to conflict, Green Day is crying out for something different. Beneath the sneer and fury of their pop-punk sound lies a simple truth: this is a band that longs for peace. Spotify has “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” combined with “Holiday” but the album wasn’t like that and these were separate songs. The distinction is important. To me, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” echoes the experience of being a child of divorce. That kind of fracture disillusions you early, forcing you to see the world as a rough, unkind place. The narrator walks alone, carrying that emptiness, embodying the old saying: “you’re born alone and you die alone.” “Are We the Waiting” marks the beginning of the healing process. After leaving behind his broken home and walking the lonely path of the boulevard of broken dreams, the narrator arrives in the city—a place he once resented. But here, among the misfits and outsiders of society’s underbelly, he starts to carve out a new sense of belonging, a fragile hope that maybe life can be rebuilt. The narrator then encounters “St. Jimmy” (these are also separate songs on the original album!), a character who can be interpreted as an extension—or perhaps the evolution—of the Jesus of Suburbia. St. Jimmy is the ringleader of the outcasts: brash, volatile, and unapologetically loud. He embodies the reckless energy of a kid shaped by anger and abandonment, lashing out at the world with sarcasm and chaos. It’s left deliberately ambiguous whether St. Jimmy is a separate figure altogether or whether the narrator himself transforms into St. Jimmy after succumbing to drugs and self-destruction. “Give Me Novocaine” reveals that even as the narrator seeks healing, they turn to drugs as a way to numb the pain—a desperate, misguided attempt to quiet the disillusionment of life. “She’s a Rebel” introduces Whatsername, the enigmatic love interest of the album. She embodies rebellion, freedom, and defiance—qualities that both captivate and challenge the narrator. I’ve also always imagined that the song is referencing the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of independence and hope and chaos. In this sense, Whatsername is more than a romantic figure; she represents the possibility of liberation, the spark that awakens the narrator to a life beyond the constraints and disappointments of his past. “Extraordinary Girl” delves deeper into Whatsername’s character, revealing the roots of her pain and struggles. It’s intentionally ambiguous whether she is trying to escape a toxic, abusive relationship or attempting to heal from it alongside the narrator. This uncertainty adds depth to her character, highlighting the complexity of love, trauma, and the search for connection amid chaos. “Letterbomb” (ANOTHER SEPARATE SONG, IDK WHY THEY KEEP COMBINING ALL THESE SONGS ON SPOTIFY) is next. Narratively, this is the breaking point of the rock opera. Whatsername delivers a blistering farewell to the narrator (St. Jimmy/Jesus of Suburbia). Up until this point, he’s been posturing as a rebel, chasing chaos, drugs, and anti-establishment anger — but Letterbomb calls him out. The song is Whatsername’s voice, filled with rage, disappointment, and urgency. She essentially tells him: you’re wasting your life, stuck in self-destruction and false rebellion. The iconic line “It’s not over ’til you’re underground” is a brutal reminder that his current path only leads to death or nothingness. Musically, it’s fast, sharp, and biting — like a slap in the face. The lyrics dismantle the narrator’s self-image, exposing the emptiness of his rebellion and the hollowness of his escape. In short: “Letterbomb” is the moment of reckoning. It’s Whatsername shattering the fantasy, forcing the narrator to confront that his rebellion isn’t freedom — it’s just another cage. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” aka absolute most depressing song on the album that I do frequently skip if I can lol. The music video is also devastating. It tells the story of a soldier who dies while deployed, leaving his girlfriend to cope with the devastating aftermath (it features Rachel Evan Wood, real ones know!). Within the album, though, it’s less clear who—if anyone—has actually died. More than a literal loss, the song feels like a meditation on the passage of time, grief, and the way pain lingers long after the moment has passed. Stripped of the album’s chaos, it stands out as one of Green Day’s most powerful pop-punk ballads—aching, anthemic, and deeply melancholic. The song “Homecoming” reveals a turning point for the narrator. It mentions St. Jimmy “committing suicide,” which I used to take literally as if he had actually died. Now, I see it differently: this is the narrator metaphorically “killing” St. Jimmy—shedding the reckless, self-destructive persona and returning to some semblance of normalcy. He quits drugs, leaves behind crime and the underbelly of society, and starts afresh. He gets a job and builds a life with structure, purpose, and responsibility. It’s a symbolic death and rebirth, closing the chapter on chaos and reclaiming his identity. This song is also a collection of 5 different songs (I guess I should say verses?). “Whatsername” carries a haunting, late-night quality—like the quiet hours when you’re alone with your thoughts, hyper-aware of your own mortality yet strangely unafraid. It feels both nostalgic and unsettling, a final echo of everything the narrator has lost and everything he’s come to accept.

very happy that I got this. not my favorite GD album but definitely their best

I had forgotten what fun Green Day are to listen to. This album is longer than I expected from them, they are the master of brief punk songs that don't overstay their welcome, but I guess this album reveals a maturing of their style and I welcome that! Lots of hits to be enjoyed and the rest of the tracks work too.

Amazing concept punk rock opera album. Love it

I don't even need to listen to this masterpiece, it's already on vinyl in the collection. Peak

The best album of Green Day, and I like the group very much, so I can't be objective even a bit regarding them :)

Coole Komposition, man merkt, dass das Album als gesamtstück aufgefasst wird, in welchem flüssige Übergange wie bei Holiday und Boulevard of Broken Dreams entstehen, sodass der Hörfluss nicht einmal gestört wird und man teils das völlige Zeitgefühl verliert. Definitiv mit weiteren "Hymnen" wie "Wake me up, when September ends" und natürlch "American Idiot" ein Album von Greenday mit mehreren ihrer größten, in meinen Augen auch besten Songs. All in all ein sehr sehr geiles Album.

All time time to 5 album

I listened to GD religiously from 1999 to 2003 but stopped after nimrod and warning which were pretty shite. This on the other hand is fucking epic. Obviously I'd listened to the big hits but the rest of the album is sublime. Especially the 9.4 minute true certified banger, homecoming. GREEN DAY - YOU ROCK!

This is one of the greatest albums ever, for me. I Love the double storylines in the album. The clasic coming-of-age story and the society criticism. Could really connect to it as a youngling: crying along to Boulevard of Broken Dreams and feeling the devastasing loss of young love in Whatsername.

A total landmark album for my teenage years, who i was at the time and who i am now.

Blueprint album. Pop-punk would never be the same.

A masterclass in punk that is not only listenable but absolutely barnstorming. A Difficult Seventh Album that defied a waning rock scene to define a genre. A lyrically delicious singalong for all times. A cultural touchstone for a generation of rock, emo and pop punk kids. A raucous political bang on the head for the Bush/Blair kids that still slaps today. A Night at the Opera for millenials. .... In case it was not obvious, I was a child in 2004. My dad would not let me put Boulevard of Broken dreams on my mix tape because it has a swear in. (sorry dad I've heard it now). Safe to say I wasn't as culturally aware as I am now. But I'd be willing to bet Billie Joe should have known better to use so many homophobic slurs. That dates it and it's a shame. Sidebar: Other than that unfortunate aspect, 2004 was the greatest year in pop culture of all time. Mean Girls! Shrek 2! Napoleon Dynamite! MySpace! Motorola Razrs! Mr Brightside! Friends finale! LOST! Usher! Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge! This album!!!! Eat up Tina you fat lard. This album rules. 🤘

Fantastic album with so many great songs x

Fantastic!

Release the files, fatass

Nico punk awesome

Fantastic album. Was my first concert and I will always love the memory and the album.

Easy 5 for me. I’ve been into Green Day since they released Dookie. I love almost every thing they’ve put out with the exception of a couple albums. American Idiot is definitely them at top of their game. Rob Cavello who had been the Green Day’s “George Martin” for most of their catalog recorded and produced the hell out of this one. Stellar performances from the band and some their best songwriting.

Ah, American Idiot. When this came out, I was staunchly politically conservative, so I had very mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I loved hearing songs like “Basket Case” and “Brain Stew” and about a dozen other Green Day songs on the radio (my parents would have never let me buy one of their CD’s), but this album definitely felt like a gut punch. “How could anyone be against the war on terror and the Iraq war? We’re protecting our country! And we’re liberating oppressed people!” Really, “Holiday” was the only single that gave my conservative brain the ick. I certainly didn’t think the title track applied to me, a learned young man who listened to Michael Save and read books by Bill “fuck it, we’ll do it live” O’Reilly. Even though I slowly abandoned my conservative ideals from 2004 until about 2016, when the MAGA movement gave them the final death blow, I still never listened to all of this album. I think Dookie is absolutely fantastic, so I have high hopes for American Idiot. I expected this album to be great (a 3.76 average as of July 2025 is pretty insane), but my expectations were surpassed. American Idiot is fantastic in every way possible. The narrative/rock opera is great (I don’t think I fully digested everything, as I was only able to listen to it once), the music is fantastic, and in my opinion, it managed to hit every emotion that it was going for. The overall narrative of Jesus of Suburbia, and his journey away from his hometown is great. I thought the additional characters served a great purpose, allowing Jesus to explore ‘rage versus love’ as he searches for how to deal with his disillusionment. The title track does such a great job of establishing the mood of this album right from the start. Not every track on this album is an all-out punk rock jam, but Green Day mixes up their sound and moods on this album with incredible expertise. I’ve always thought that Green Day were good musicians, both as instrumentalists, and in their ability to create and layer sounds, but American Idiot showcases their abilities in ways that had never really demonstrated. For an album that relies heavily guitars and drums, there’s so much diversity in the sound on this album. Back to the title track though, I love how there are glimpses of that main guitar melody sprinkled throughout the album. You never fully hear it again, but it’s familiar enough that you know what’s going on. I also loved how these songs were paired together and segued into one another. As a band who traditionally wrote songs in a typical verse-chorus-verse structure, Green Day was able to shed that, and really lean into some song structures that weren’t typical of their music. As for my favorite songs on this album, man, it’s tough to choose. “Jesus of Suburbia” was incredible. I loved the storytelling, and it was really engaging for such a behemoth of a song. The guitar playing was great (I especially loved the main melody), the drumming was tight, and the piano interspersed throughout the song was fantastic. The closing section was probably my favorite part. “Holiday” is a banger, just like the title track. Musically, it just gets me amped up, and I love that there was no sugar-coating of the anger in the lyrics. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” is great too. It’s not what I typically gravitate towards from Green Day, but the emotional pull works incredibly well. The same thing goes for “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” I love how the song builds to its crescendo. The multitrack vocals on “Homecoming” were outstanding. It really reminded me of the Beach Boys in how the sounds were layered. The “Rock and Roll Girlfriend” section was really outstanding, even though it was so short. The military-esque drumroll was particularly awesome, and I loved the guitar and saxophone together. But I think my favorite song was “Are We the Waiting.” I loved the slow, booming drums, the melodic guitar, and the vocals were the best on the album. I loved how the line “are we, we are” kept repeating. There was an echo effect on that vocal that I loved so much. The multitrack vocals towards the end were fantastic as well. Just a beautiful song. I didn’t intend to write a dissertation on this album, but I was really blown away by how awesome this was. I really need to get a copy for my home, because this warrants repeat listens.

all time great

Foundational, I remember watching the videos on MTV as a kid. This album is legendary

I already liked the hit tracks from this album, and now I know that I like it in its entirety. Thank you, project.

Dare I say this is the greatest Punk Rock album of all time. This album is more relevant in the United States Of America than it was when it was released(Green Day was always left-wing MAGA, get over it). As the USA proves that the movie "Idiocracy" was a documentary, this album still kicks ass two decades later. Favorite Track: "American Idiot".

Oh boy. Excited to listen to this in this critical way. Before listening i feel similarly as linkin park, is this not just a 5 on cultural impact alone? Even the musical is pretty good. But we’ll see, they have become significantly cringier since my dad bought this album when I was like 7. I think it holds. The last five tracks drag for me now (sans September ends), but it’s a really solid album and if I listened to it like 5 times those last tracks would be just as crucial as the 20 hits on here. Tre cool is so underrated man he really is holding this shit down. Unbelievably simple and fun songwriting with lyrics that don’t hit quite as hard as they used to (the takes are a little stale today) but the message and feeling are still there and I’m sure a little controversial at the time. For having 42 hits that are all good, influencing like 800 bands that I love, and somehow making a palatable musical out of this thing it gets a 5 even though it maybe deserves a 4. Also so sad that they can make this and dookie and also the worst album you’ve ever heard. Also also it’s so funny listening to this and pointing at all the sum 41 songs that rip off this album (they’re still good!).

Yeah this album rules. Even though it's easy to dump on Green Day now, this album was monstrous for the scene. Album consisted of mostly hit singles with the rest still being great songs. I can't believe this album came out 21 years ago. Nothing bad about this album. Only great things. Easy 5

21 year old Green Day record does not sound like a winning formula…. But it is! Holds up and everything except watername(?) is great. That last song is really bad and sounds like one headlight in the worst way. Still going 5/5 for great pop-punk and lyrics that are as good a Mr Armstrong could ever do. Soft 5/5

Super fun record. When American Idiot came out, I remember being not too fussed about Green Day. Dookie was a classic, and I loved Nimrod, but Insomniac was largely terrible and they hadn’t really impressed me with Warning or Shenanigans. At that point, I’d figured their best years were long behind them. And when this record was released, they had become MTV darlings (which has never been an indicator of quality for me), and besides that, I never get too jazzed about overtly political commentary from entertainers whose opinion on political and world issues doesn’t need to concern me; for instance, just because Taylor Swift can write a record that sells a billion copies does not mean that she’s qualified to weigh in on things of social or political importance, or that anyone should take her opinions seriously, even when they’re said from a stage or put to music. Of course it’s her prerogative to wax intelligent about things outside of her area of expertise—or in this case, Green Day’s—but I don’t need to support that artist by buying the record or paying any attention. So American Idiot, released sometime around the Bush election, seemed like it was going to lean in that direction, which I find obnoxious. Im glad I circled back to American Idiot a few years later, because this record turned out to be fucking awesome. From a pop punk perspective, it’s pretty much a landmark achievement to write a punkrock “opera” concept record that works on a storytelling perspective and remains listenable…and really, not just listenable, but super enjoyable. I don’t even care much about their “message” here, and I’m not even super sure there are more than a couple songs that are overtly political. American Idiot bleeds feelings of disenfranchisement and cynicism and confusion, but it doesn’t seem like it harps on one particular political pet peeve, thankfully. More importantly, the songwriting is a big step forward for the band; the arrangements are interesting and the songs all flow together, but they’ve obviously borrowed some conventions from showtunes as well, which really work. It feels like everyone in the band was likely stretched here, but they still sound like Green Day. As a whole, this record is a front-to-back, no-skips record. 5/5 It’s funny, this is not my favorite Green Day record, but probably the one I’d rate the highest. I didn’t actually intend to give this one a 5-star rating when it got assigned. I loved it years ago, but thought of it as a 4-star, or even a 4.5-star listen at a push. But, after this listen, I do think it’s their best work, even if I would still probably revisit Dookie and Nimrod first. This record is a damn treasure, and probably their best effort front-to-back.

No nie da się oszukać gimnazjalnej nostalgii - uwielbiam tę płytę. Nawet jeśli te dwadzieścia lat temu nią gardziłam. Nawet jeśli byłam ponad to - i tak znam praktycznie każdy utwór. I jestem już na tyle “duża” aby się do tego przed sobą przyznać. Dodatkowo plus za bycie sobą i mówienie o trudnych tematach. 8.5/10 naciągane w górę.

This came out of nowhere in the early 2000s and became one of my favorite albums ever. I wasn't a big Green Day fan. I'd never even owned one of their albums. I just knew them from videos on MTV. But this one spoke to me. It felt like it actually had something to say. In the following 20 years I haven't gotten tired of it.

Loved a lot of these songs when they first came out and they all still have so much truth to them. One of the great albums of the period.

♫ Listening to "Holiday" by Green Day (American Idiot, 2004) ♫

The Who and Ramones must've been proud to listen to this album. Its Green Day as a musical/concept album in the vein of Tommy with aggressive muscular punk-inspired rock and roll. This is all killer no filler with lyrics that are still a propos for today's political, environmental and economic climate. Personally, "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming" tell an entire story within them and could work as standalone pieces. But instead, they're paired with the opener and closer that help sandwich the amazing tuneful and forceful lyrics of Billie Joe Armstrong. This album is a Green Day high that they're still trying to fully capture again.

One of my favorite albums from my youth. Still holds up and is sadly more relevant now than ever, 21 years later

American Idiot is a very enjoyable album. I figured that i would really enjoy it since i do love me some punk music but this one definitely took it up to a whole new level. Songs like the title track, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me up When September Ends are all great tracks but that is to be expected when they are the most popular songs of this album but the other songs are no slouches either. The punk sound throughout the album always sounded great but i always liked the emo influences too in songs like Wake Me up When September ends. I don't think i can find a lot of things to dislike about this album so it gets full marks from me. Best Song: Boulevard of Broken Dreams Worst Song: Are We the Waiting

One of the best Rock albums

what else to say? It's excellent.

Yeah. Just like Funeral, I have also heard this a million times and I still think it’s great. I still owned the edited version of the CD because at the time of my peak Green Day obsession, I was 12. I should get an explicit copy now. In terms of its place in today’s society, it makes a lot more sense now. You thought Bush was bad? Oh boy. Anyways, if you hate this record: I think you’re forcing it. It’s great. (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

This album forever reminds me of my older brother.

Such a cool album. Bonus points for nostalgia factor

Heard a ton of times and love it.

American Idiot tiene mas fuerza ahora que hace 20 años. Jesus of seburbia es un total banger durante 9 minutos de la cancion, bolevaurd of broken dreams y holiday aunque quemados sigue siendo un placer escucharlos, ni que decir de wake me up when september ends y las demas canciones aunque no tan hits son muy buenas y no las tengo tan escuchadas lo qual se hace menos pesado.

There are some albums that are a collection of songs, the order of which is unimportant and thematically they don't necessarily match. This is not one of those. American Idiot is an album meant to be consumed as such. In a way, the album could be seen as one long song, which, given the popularity of many of the individual songs on the album, is a testament to Green Day's songwriting and craftsmanship. This is very much a time capsule of post-9/11 America. It is a protest album in the most literal sense. It's easy to forget now but Green Day's cultural relevance had faded almost entirely before American Idiot came out and brought them roaring back to the fore. While it isn't a perfect album in a vacuum, it was the perfect album for this band at that time, and its musical snapshot of the time and place it represents is profound.

Love this album. As a lot of cultural critics are saying lately, where are the countercultural, radical, white male figureheads in the music industry? Where did punk rock go? Feels like the world would be better off with these guys back in the zeitgeist, contributing to the coalition building sorely needed from their demographic.

This is probably objectively a 4 but since I’ve been listening to this album since my childhood it’s definitely a 5. The initial track run at the start of the album is so crazy it’s hard to imagine it’s just hit after hit after hit. Was so happy to get this album after a week of 2s.

Love it now more than ever.

5/5

Love punk

Fuck yeah!

This album was played everywhere when it first came out. It was also the first album that my eldest child ever really got into, and we had to play it constantly in the car on journeys. It still sounds great today. There are some albums that define an era, and this is one of them. I'm more into jazz, funk, soul etc, but this is one of my favourite albums. An easy 5 stars for me.

Repeat listen

It's a classic. Middle school memories

The album reads as one long intertwined fever dream, taking the listener through the dystopian land of American suburbia. No song stands alone as a 5, but the journey they create together is infinitely repeatable. I stand by this one

Still relevant, and quality music that shows their full abilities. A slight rounding up.

First half better than second outside of wake me up, but amazing album

A masterpiece that captures the turn of the century post 9/11 discontent.

This is literally like one of the best albums of all time! This was such a good fucking album when it came out 20 years ago and I was so lucky to see the 20th anniversary concert for it and omg was it amazing! Every song is great and iconic! They reinvented themselves and made the best album of their career while also reviving it! God tier album!

Honestly absolutely no notes. This album is just perfect. Stunning. Socially cohesive. Socially relevant and self-aware. Fascinating to listen to in 2025 and realise the same discontent and dissaffection literally still exists today (and is actally maybe even worse. Goosebumps. Probably my favourite album so far.

I like the there's a story running through the album even tho they are all individual songs.

Easy 5 stars

I will get hate from some people that like to gate-keep, but I don't care. I love this album. I have played it countless times, will play it countless more. The whole albums works as a concept and story, and it's a great blend of some of the punk aesthetic that Green Day started out with, blended with an absolute banger of pop sensibilities. Green Day have several great albums, but this one has to be near the top.

A wonderful deep dive into American youth culture in the early 2000s. Multiple genres are interlaced with the Greenday sound to spin the story of St Jimmy and the disaffection felt in George W Bush’s America. From surfer sound to Stadium Anthem it’s perfect.

This was the album that kind of changed my mind on Green day. Not that I dislike them, I actually like them quite a bit in the 90s, but I never took them seriously. They were a fun jokey pop punk band that sang songs about masturbating while bored. Up until this album I just kind of thought that if I had *Dookie* and their greatest hits I'd be fine. This album though really showed some depth that I never thought I'd actually ever see from Green Day. It's not just the sprawling epic of the concept, but also in the musicality which crosses the line between pop punk and classic rock. In fact I hear in a couple of songs some pretty heavy homages to The Who. The singles really hit hard even today. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends", which were well needed moments for me 20 years ago. The title track still bangs even if it it truly of the political landscape of the time. I probably would call "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming", though, the real anchor tracks of this album, the songs that really shift the concept into high gear. Quite honestly the first half of the album is pure perfection "American Idiot" to "St. Jimmy" (basically the first two sides though I do not consider this a double album). (10) ★★★★★

So many power punk classics on one album. It may feel dated now, but what a bomb when it came out. Such nostalgia.

One of their best. Lyrics and emotion well outside the normal punk pop range. Holiday - My fave.

Absolute banging, like the 2-song-idea as well

Another great album that is just perfectly cohesive. All the songs flow smoothly and the lyrics are great. The album doesn’t age like some that you can tell when they were made. I know there is a loose story to the album making it a concept album of sorts. The songs are punk, poppy, rocking, and introspective. You get a bit of it all here. I haven’t listened to the whole album in more than a decade and I forgot about some of these songs. I like every song but if I narrow it down, favorites include “She’s A Rebel”, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, “American Idiot”, and “Wake Me Up When September Ends”

I have had a lot to say about this album, when it came out, telling everyone about it, and the aftermath when it became what I call the last great Green Day album. I would call myself a Green Day fan from when I discovered them in 1994 with Dookie, seeing them in 1995 on the Insomniac tour, love Nimrod and Warning, celebrate the back catalog with Kerplunk and of course American Idiot. It was a good 10 years, and as I may not revisit the band as much, I could revisit any album in that span, anytime. My issue with Green Day is after American Idiot, when their followup album sounded exactly the same, and everything after that was a carbon copy, I stopped listening. So this will be the first time listening to American Idiot in a long time. (The last time I owned this album was on cassette). American Idiot starts it off as the signature Green Day sound of the time, but a great track nonetheless, quite the statement and opening track. Jesus of Suburbia is where the album becomes interesting, the first of two album capping suites. I have said I love concepts, suites, stories, and I love this part of the album. The album really plays out like a movie or a musical from this point on. "This is the dawning of the rest of our lives!" Holiday is a good track, but this feels like a foreshadowing now of the sound Green Day will continue to use for the next 20 years. The transitions are wonderful on this album as we blend right into Boulevard of Broken Dreams, "my shadow's only one who walks beside me" is still one of my favorite GD lyrics. The rythym and flow of this album is pretty perfect, as Are We the Waiting brings it down, before breaking into another favorite with St. Jimmy. The album at this point goes into that classic Green Day form I loved, Give Me Novacaine, She's A Rebel, Extraordinary Girl, and Letterbomb are all GD bangers in my book, and a great centerpiece to the album! Wake Me Up brings the album back down perfectly before we break into the second suite Homecoming, another favorite part of the album. And what has to be one of my favorite tracks on the album, Whatshername. If the album as a whole is a movie, Whatshername is the song playing as the credits roll. This album still sounds great to me as much as it did 20 years ago, and I think I will once again add it to my collection.

Fuccccckkkk yeeeaaahhhh muthafuckaaaaaaaa

I mean, I know it's not the greatest album ever made, but I was a secret fan growing up and listened to it so many times over the years... Brought up many feelings...

Love this album. Solid from start to finish.

one of my favs of all time, and not just bc it came out when I was a teenager. I'm a sucker for a concept album with tons of harmonies and melodic callbacks.

probably the last album from this band that i would call great since their quality has been wehhhh ever since lolol

What an incredible album, some big hitters with all the other songs being atleast good. Can't complain

Oh, hello again 12 year old me. Skating and listening to this type of music was definitly my eartly teenage years, though if I recall correctly Green Day was never my most listened-to band in the skate punk genre. With the amount of traction and air time this record got, I think it felt a bit too commercial. It really was played everywhere, and this rock genre really was extremely popular and common to hear around the early 2000's. At least that's how I remember it. Anyway, fun album to hear! Since Green Day was formed in 1987, and without any commercial success close to this album, I wonder if it was intentional to try to cater to a wider audience or just a happy accident. Say what you will about the commercial side, when listening through it it's still a really solid record, and understandable that it was received the way it was. The album is just front-loaded with hits after hits, like 'American Idiot', 'Holiday', 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', 'Jesus Of Suburbia'. Then it's quiet for a while, but saved in the end by 'Wake Me Up When September Ends', which admittedly is a bit cheesy perhaps. Considering how big fan I am (was) of skate punk, it's very strange that I have such a hard time with "regular" punk. Sadly you don't hear music like this anymore being played on the radio, but I still think it sounds very good to this day. Maybe we'll see a resurgence of this soon, who knows. Considering more than half the record are hit bangers, and the ones between are decent as well, I can't give this anything else than 5 stars. If I had to pick the greatest skate punk album, it wouldn't be this. But can't deny that it's still rock solid.

I was 13 when this was released, and I hadn’t really heard of Green Day before. American Idiot was everywhere, though, so I got the album, listened to the hits, and then moved on to other types of music. To prove a point: around 2009, my father wanted to see Green Day live, but none of his friends were interested. I got to tag along out of pity, and I remember thinking that going to a Green Day concert was pretty uncool. To make it even worse, one of my dad’s friends told me how nice it was of him to take me—assuming I was the one who wanted to go (the audacity!). Anyway, I ended up really enjoying the concert. They were great live, and that experience helped me rekindle an appreciation for the band. Being a few years older, I could better appreciate the album as the rock opera it is. It’s a very solid piece of work. Behind the anthems like “American Idiot,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” and “Holiday,” there’s a much more somber coming-of-age story. While the political angle of the album is perhaps a bit too simplistic to truly resonate, the themes of first love, drug abuse, and growing up are surprisingly poignant. And it’s not just the story, the songs themselves are strong. “Jesus of Suburbia” used to bore 13-year-old me, but now it’s one of my favorite tracks. It’s an epic journey told through early-2000s pop-punk. Of course, the big anthems are still great (although I do think “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is one of the weaker tracks). I think this album is both legitimately good and a great reflection of the political and cultural landscape of its time. Just look at the cover art, that visual style dominated pop-punk and 2000s aesthetics for quite a while. A true 5-star album.

Definitiv eines der besten Rock-Alben aller Zeite. Highlights "Boulevard of broken dreams", "American Idiot", "Wake me up when September ends". 5/5

This is #day289 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... oh well, it's hard to be objective with this one, as it's easily one of the top 10 albums of my teenage years. I bought the CD in 9th grade back in 2004, and I still have it. So yeah, listening to it on Spotify feels a bit wrong. But since I don't have a CD player at the moment (I've grown to be more of a vinyl/tape kind of guy), it'll do. Anyway, the moment those first chords of the title track kick in, the memories come flooding back. But let's try to look at this through a broader lens than just nostalgia. It's safe to say American Idiot is kind of The Wall of modern rock. It's big, it speaks to its time. It's a massive fuck-you record, and, honestly, twenty years later, I can't think of anything else quite like it. The '90s gave us Nevermind. And then what came after? This, maybe. I'm not even saying how it completely revived the band. Okay, I just did. Some of my absolute favorites: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Give Me Novacaine," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Whatsername"... honestly, the whole album. It's been a while since I listened to it in full, but hearing it now still feels the same as it did 21 years ago. Except... I'm fucking older now. "And in the darkest night, if my memory serves me right, I'll never turn back time. Forgetting you, but not the time." This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day290.

I love green day

Gets extra points for having a few hits, including one of my favourite loneliness songs, as well as for being a concept album. I like the weird bits. However, it also drags on for too long, and it's not my favourite type of rock. Wish there was a moment to breathe. Low 5.

Handgemacht! Mitreißend! Genial!

When this album came out I was about 12-13, just old enough to start understanding the fucked upedness of the world and get angry about it. So when this came out it just hit. My whole family loved it. I remember blasting it on road-trips singing Holiday and American Idiot. I remember seeing them in Wembley, my first big arena concert. I will defend and love this till my dying breath. It's sensational.

It is now a classic punk record. Nuff said.

This was a defining album for me, it's release in 2004 happened to coincide with me entering a coed school for the first time at 13, and crushing on the alt girl in my class who introduced me to Green Day, and while that crush was just puppy love, my adoration for Green Day continues to this day. Doesn't matter what it is, hearing Billy Joel brings me right back to the heady days of teenage angst. 5/5

That was awesome! Brings back memories.

Amazing. One of my daughter’s favorite albums, and it’s easy to understand why.

This was the first CD I ever bought, it has a special place in my heart. I was lucky enough to see it performed in its entirety live. I can't give it less than five for my personal score.

I'm surprised that I found this album to be really good!. Catchy melodies, enough pop, good rock. Not much to complain about, except, that the album is compressed as fck (I saw the waveforms and they look like fcking tubes!!). It gave me a headache. But I think musically is really nice. I've never payed attention to Green Day because I'm not really into punk pop.

An unavoidable classic for someone who grew up in the 2000s. It is surprising how many double tracks there are in the album, I am curious to figure out why they felt having 9 songs on the track list with 4 being 2 songs in 1 was important for the discography. Ultimately great pop punk

Listened to this album more than 40/50 times growing up, unmatched for its time and its purpose

This album contributed to the influence of so much music I adore and for that I can’t help but love it.

This is album 501 for me. Over halfway now but the exact halfway occurred 28 mins 36 secs into this album during track 7 Give Me Novacaine. I did the maths whilst listening to this album as I know it well and didn’t have to listen too closely. American Idiot is a one off album as I didn’t like what Green Day did before or since. I wouldn’t have normally been attracted to this album at all if it wasn’t for the fact it was been played everywhere in 2004 and 2005. I was firstly attracted to Jesus of Suburbia and this caused me to download a MP3 copy of the album from some pirate site. This went straight onto a 1st gen iPod shuffle which was ideal to use whilst running. The shuffle had a clip which went onto my shorts elastic. I was running 50 miles + at the time so this set up really got me acquainted with this album and others. Just about every track had a good beat fast enough to run and train at a good pace. Now having a bad back I can no longer run so this album really does remind me of those great days running not only on summer evenings across Yorkshire moorland but also cold winter nights on slippery pavements. Just writing that makes me feel very nostalgic of those days so a good reason to mark this album highly. So significant for that as well as a great one to mark my halfway point in this process. My average star rating at halfway point is 2.58 which seems low but will be interested to know if second half gets better. At least my score shows I like at least more than half what I have been so far served up. 5/5 17/5/25

Singalong snapshot.

9/10 Really liked it Huge green day fan Generally love punk/rock Favs: Holiday, St Jimmy, Jesus of suburbia

Reliving my teen years listening to this

Accidentally listened to the deluxe instead of the regular Bangers all around though

Such a fantastic album. So many famous bangers on this one. I love Green Day 🔥

All timer. Damn near perfect

I fuggin love this album. I remember having my mind kinda blown in the early-2000's W era by this one, when we were dumping Trillion$ into a desert because "they hate our Freedumb" and here was the pitch perfect retort delivered by a band that, up until then, hadn't really moved my needle (hey, in my defense, youth is wasted on the young). I knew their music, of course, but hadn't expected a concept album from them, and one with as much musicianship and just flat out face melting sound. I can loop this one over and over, doesn't get old. Love the journey on Jesus of Suburbia.

The idea that they created a theme album when no one else was doing it was impressive, especially for a band like them. This album is well done from start to finish.

Banger of an album by a banger of a band

Easiest 5 I’ve given out so far. I absolutely love this album, one of my all time favorites. There is not a bad song on this album. Every single one tells a story, has really solid lyrics. The songs are really well written, the sound is incredible. Love the anger and the way a lot of the songs have bite to them. Normally I think long songs are stupid but “Jesus of Suburbia” and “Homecoming” are incredible, especially since they’re so underplayed compared to the singles off this album. Literally nothing bad to say about this album, it is fantastic.

Great album, listened many times

Bedre enn jeg husket det som

Legendary album. Grew up on these songs. Love all of them.

Great Album.

An absolute favourite of mine, and has been for the past 21 years. This album influenced my life in a sense, and it has shaped who I am today. Got me through those tough late-teens. The messags feels more relevant than ever in 2025. The highlight for me is Homecoming: clearly inspired by The Who's A Quick One.

Know it. Love it

Great album. Not as good as when Eli sings it though

Duh. An all time fave even before watching them play it live front to back with Jane and then performing it live essentially front to back. Whatsername is one of my favorite songs ever and it’s not even the best song on the album (although it is probably the best complete song).

fucking love this, no notes, one of my favourite albums of all time

Great punk rock album from the 2000s

ufe und abe und ufe glost als chind. papi het gliebt ich lieb uff american idiot isch suuuper pop punk mit politik und JO FIGG BUSH. THIS IS HOW IM SUPPOSED TO BEEE jesus of suburbia isch en 9 minütige punksong wer macht das. de song het sooo viel teil und ich kenn no alli vo vor 20 johr. fr fr. i do t care if you dont haha jaaa und denn de flat 6 abe und denn de megafon JAAA. holiday au riese banger es het mega chords für en "punk" song. schluss vom refrain isch e sekundärdominante? s riff ide bridge slappt extrem? "the representstive from california has the floor" isch i mis hirn tätowiert kei ahnig wiso. boulevard of broken dreams overplayed und so aber guete song. übergang vo holiday i de super. overplayed. MY SHAAADOOOW. ich wird schwach bi dem album hobla. green day gsehnd halt us wie idiote und gebed sich au chli so. s machts denn nochli erstunlicher dass vo ihne öpis chli "hochstehenders" chunt als nume 3 akkörd. are we the waiting isch biiitz seicht. chamer sege. und ha de titel noniiie checkt. st. jimmy stone cold banger geile pop punk. ah wie de mike dirnt mitschreit. und de schluuuusss sie hend riiiffss. wie hets no en tempowechsel mit backgroundchörli i dem song?? so packed. give me novacaine cuute. stimmt nocher mega aggro wieder. ich lieb wie er fiin singt über mega luuti gitarre. haha nocher pedal steel giti jöö. de kickdrum sound isch sooo geil. huere luftig. shes a rebel macht afoch wiiter. BANGER. extraordinary girl macht tabla stuff? isch das en orientalism? edward said seg du. de song nocher selber isch suuuper. da git e herts füfi i calls etz scho. fuck de chindergsang am afang vo letterbombed hetmi gad zruggworfe. rieeeeeeese song FICK. wake me up when september ends au komplett overplayed aber er funktioniert soo guet d bridge isch saauguet. homecoming au afoch wieder 9 minute. aber null langwilig s passiert huuere viel mann und s isch immer catchy. das album het kei schlechti songs? boulevard isch fast de schwächst und de isch halt de popsong. es isch alles poppig aber jo. hammer hammer hammer. rieeeese füfi ha so spass. aaaah stimmt de glöggli teil wow.

So many bangers!

What. An. Album....A concept album that actually successfully tells a story. I am not sure if I would agree with rock "opera" but it is fantastic. I have never seen the musical, but I'm sure it is also fantastic. Super political and just overall so entertaining. A story about growing up, maturity, and "coming of age." From "Jesus of Suburbia" to "American Idiot" , to "Holiday" and "St. Jimmy" , this album is FILLED with hits and great tracks. I think "Letterbomb" is the climax as they make references to every song and it is SO fun. HOWEVER, "Whatshername" is probably my most underrated track on the album. Finally, every bonus track is SOOOO good (although "Governator" is kinda weak. "Too Much Too Soon" is a top tier song.) The solos are fun, the message is great, riffs are basic (it's punk) but solid, and if you don't like Billie Joe Armstrong's vocals...I don't get it. The ballads ("Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams") are probably my least favorites on the album, but still so good! Liked Songs: The whole album

Timeless. Love it!

I mean its a classic. One of the most formative albums of my generation. Fantastic hooks, dynamic performance. Green Day just knows how to make fun music that explores something deep and important

So much better than I remembered! :) Nice, really creative musically, catchy and exactly what it says on the tin. :) I know it's not "real punk" or whatever, but I don't remember them saying it was :) I like it, and 14 year old me is pleased by this development. :)

Already heard.

I love that there's finally an album named after me

I don't know what I was listening to in 2004, but it wasn't this album and that makes me an idiot, American or not. Awestruck by Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

very fun very silly

Probably my favorite of all time. So...5

Unexpected: - I'm giving a written review even though I don't do that anymore - Everyone describes Green Day as punk but they are actually very derivative and polished - I hate most modern "rock opera" / "concept albums" but I like the structure of this one - The two worst songs on this album are the most popular - I hate Green Day but I'm giving this album 5 stars.

I thought I had already rated this (playing catch up ugh!!) cuz I'm sure I listened to it recently but I don't mind listening again

this album is awesome. every damn song was a boom from my books. who doesn’t like some green day. 💪💪💪💪💪

Easy 5 stars. One of the few mainstream albums that I think absolutely deserves the sales. It's unreal how many radio staples are on this one album. They could've trimmed maybe a couple on the backside while still having 45 to 50 mins of a flawless album. American Idiot is THE song for me for the George Bush/War on Terror era. Rating: 4.9

Simply incredible. I've listened to this album probably more than any other from start to finish. First album on the 1001 Album listing that I was able to listen to on Vinyl as well Best Song: Jesus of Suburbia Rating: 10/10 (Perfect) Stars: 5/5

I am a huge fan of this album!

Pog

Album art:4

Хайп бульвар Брокен Дримс здесь же

One of my all time favorite albums. Green Day does an excellent job portraying the story of the Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmy, and Whatshername, along with all of the emotions that go with it.

This album came out when I was in Iraq. My memories of this will always be when I got back listening to it with my friends. I don't know if multi platinum records released by major companies can be political but this tries to be and it is catchy as hell.

This album is truly great. I was a big fan of Green Day when Dookie and Insomniac were current, but I was mostly uninterested in the band by the time American Idiot had come out. This album captivated me when it first came out. It was almost like a new band at that point. The songs on this album are very catchy and satisfying, but the social commentary puts this album over the top. It is timeless at this point.

Formative album for me and still holds up 20 years later. This is Green Day's magnum opus in my eyes. Lots of great commentary but also amazing songwriting. I love the suites in particular.

solid. no skips

All killer, no filler as they say. Great start for my project

This album is an OG!

5/5 always!

I was discussing this album with a friend, and what it's like to revisit it over 20 years later, and they said "It was very important to me as a young, newly political person" and I agree. I remember listening to some of my peers arguing over whether Green Day were truly a punk band or posers. I hadn't been exposed to any punk music at that point in my life - just conservative politics and Christian music at home. So American Idiot (the song) was truly my first exposure to this type of music, however you choose to define it. It made me start to ask questions I hadn't asked before. And today I'd be able to join the conversation with my peers and say the members of Green Day know better than anyone how the music they set out to make both takes from and breaks from the mold of punk's origins. This is a punk rock opera concept album. And also a pop album. They made something different and true to themselves. Not very poser-like behaviour if you ask me. I'm not even a massive Green Day fan, but this is my second 5 star rating for them, and not just because of the personal significance or because I love a concept album in general. Every song is good if not great, it was a big moment culturally, and the transition from Holiday into Boulevard of Broken Dreams deserves 5 stars on its own.

Instant 5 star!! 🔥 This is one of the albums that define my teenage years, and I still listen to it. I remember watching the American Idiot music video on MTV and thinking Billie Joe was so cool. What a time to be alive This album was huge. For years I couldn't walk into a HMV without seeing this album plastered all over. Green Day still use American Idiot to make political statements. Wake Me Up When September ends is still a meme. They still play the majority of this album live. You wouldn't think it was over 20 years old This is THE Green Day album. Banger after banger! Hearing those guitar riffs just hit the right part of my brain🤘🏻 Sick album cover. They're also one of the best bands I have ever seen live. Hella Mega tour was insane. They nailed it with this one. Points all round honestly 5 ⭐️

For fucks sake - just give it a 5!

I listened to A LOT of Green Day in my highschool years, but by the time this album came out in my 2nd year of uni, Green Day's sound had become more pop/mainstream and less raw/gritty, and I had become more musically snobby - maybe like many know-it-all artschool kids, or maybe its just me?! This album fell in a gap where I was listening much less mainstream music (even mainstream alt) and thought of myself as very punk/folk so I missed the boat on this album at the time. Its a great album, one I will give a bit more time to now I'm older (but honestly probably not much wiser)! I've always had a real soft spot for protest music - I appreciate bands that can capture the feeling of a moment and tell the government or injustice to fuck right off. Recently watching Green Day play this full album (plus my fave Dookie) on their Survivors tour was a life highlight! It was an incredible concert (wild to get this album and Pearl Jam back to back - both bands I've seen in concert back to back in that order!?!). Bille Joe is an amazing front man and the crowd was heaving, the show was an absolute feast for the senses - I sang and danced my heart out. Loved that they are still political and speak their minds - even changing the words of 'Jesus of Suburbia' and asking if the crowd wanted Elon and Trump to 'shut the fuck up' - nothing quite like hearing 60,000 people roar in agreement! For me this album is about a 4, but the band has been very important to me over the years and I think this album will grown more on me as I give it some more listens, so its bumped to a 5. I ended up getting a bit distracted today with a different album - because at the time this album came out (2004ish) I was listening to another political punk album - also angry at the George W Bush government of the time but I think it holds up pretty well right now given the state of US politics! NOFX doesn't feature on the list, so I want to do a quick shout out because The War on Errorsism is an amazing album well worth a listen. It's ok, allow yourself a little hate Hatred is not so bad when directed at injustice You can turn the other cheek, just don't turn the other way Enemy of the planet we finally have a common hate A reason to forget about our differences And stand as a united front

4.5 I am biased because this was a big deal to 10 year old me. But I think it holds up. Probably the definitive anti-Bush era album. Jesus of Suburbia is still a top tier medly

I’ve recently gotten really into Green Day so a couple of months ago I listened to this in its entirety for the first time. I didn’t get the hype, the mega hits from it were good but the rest of the album felt kinda meh. I felt Dookie and (perhaps controversially, idk) 21st Century Breakdown were better. Flash forward to Saturday, March 1 2025. I saw Green Day live for the first time ever for their Saviours tour. The set list for this show had both Dookie and American Idiot being played in their entirety for the 30th and 20th anniversaries of each album respectively. I was blown away and suddenly, I got it. Hearing this album, live and in full, changed my perspective. This album fucking rocks and I suddenly found myself enjoying some of the lesser known tracks (I still think Jesus of Suburbia is a bit overrated and too long). Suddenly Whatsername was part of my regular rotation, Homecoming hit different. This album was a 3/5 when I listened to it for the first time a few months ago. Now? It’s a solid 5/5, I fucking love this album. I still think Dookie is better but I view this album much more favourably than I did before!

Great album! Starts off with the banger American Idiot. Holiday is a ton of fun. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams is awesome. Give Me Novacaine is also nice. And then the incredible Wake Me Up When September Ends, which I've always loved. Only duds are Jesus Of Suburbia and Homecoming, both of which start off nicely, then kinda drag on. Overall, love this album, rock on! Best song: Wake Me Up When September Ends

I'm really interested in what everyone thinks of this album. I listened to it a LOT when it came out and I was interested to see how it holds up. I have to say, I think the answer is "pretty well", I genuinely like the songs and am enjoying listening to the album. Also, remember when the biggest thing we had to worry about was Bush the Younger? How quaint.

07/03/25 I didn't ever think I would give this album 5 star, but most of the songs hit differently. I guess it helps having a bad run of albums too.

If this is the last punk album to break through into the cultural mainstream, at least it goes out on an unbelievable high.

Iconic, one of the defining albums of the 00s for sure. Easy 5 for me, just a great listen, Billy and crew are in top form here. Also helps that it was produced by the great Rob Cavallo.

I remember when this album came out. It had such a massive impact being one of the first anti-war albums of the early 2000s and speaking out against George W. It’s weird to think it’s been over 20 years at this point. I remember it was also controversial because so many people in the punk world said that Green Day had sold out. But by contrast, they made punk accessible and resurrected it from a burn-hot-&-die-out genre that it had become. Was it more commercial? Yep! But in doing so Green Day allowed bands like Blink-182, Against Me, My Chemical Romance, Sparta and others to find success in the 2000s. This album is truly a classic for so many reasons I think this listen my favorite songs were the one that I didn’t hear is frequently such as Are We the Waiting and Extraordinary Girl every once in a while, it’s fun to pull this one off the shelf and give it a listen.

This came out in my freshman year of high school and greatly shaped my music taste after. Always a no-skip album for me.

This album is a punk/rock/pop tour de force. Bristling with killer punk rock licks and insightful social commentary, yet still somehow manages to be a mostly upbeat, foot-tapping sing along. Something about pop punk scratches an itch for my OCD tendencies where everything in the songs just fits together perfectly. I often rail on albums in this project for unneeded instrumental noodling, and well-written pop punk like this is the absolute antithesis of that type of music. The title track is somehow more relevant today than it was in 2004 and is a straight up banger. The thing that gives the songwriting such depth is that Billy Dee and the boys are writing about the hole that had formed at the center of American life. The party of the late 1980s and 1990s was over, and it was pretty clear even in 2004 that the American Dream had morphed into a race to the bottom to see who could accumulate the most money before the music stopped. And all of this was BEFORE the social media era. American Idiot is a kick ass album from a band at the absolute top of its game. 5 stars.

Amazing rock masterpiece. One of the greatest records ever made.

Somehow this is another one of those albums I have never listened to in full. I was in a different place in terms of what I was listening to and personal ongoings. So it was cool to remedy this and finally give it a listen. The album is great start to finish, but I think I’ll keep Dookie at the top of my personal Green Day faves.

Awesome!!

Worst album, i`ve ever heard. Loved it - 10/10

Simple, great songwriting. The last real concept album?

I’ve dropped this ‘dote many a time, but my after school routine for a full year was to get home & sit my ass down infront of the TV to play dynasty warriors and listen to this full album on a loop. For real though this is like time travel to me, instantly I’m at the back of the class with my head in my hands stressed about why Lauren won’t talk to me. It’s the high school waster album. It’s not exactly musically complex, but I do love that since it was written as a rock opera experiment before actually becoming one so much of it is musical theatre coded. songs like extraordinary girl and letterbomb as well as the more long form songs feel like there should be a company with them.

One of the first albums I loved. In spite of corny Bush-era lyrics - which I can quote like a priest from a bible - it still sounds great now. Everything from American Idiot to halfway through Homecoming could be a lead single (and most of them *were* singles). The final 1.5 songs are good, but lack the singable choruses and catchy riffs. American Idiot was my introduction to Green Day, and while I love some of the earlier stuff, every subsequent album never struck a chord with me (¡Tré! anyone?) It's fine though, I found my religion: I'll forever be kneeling at the altar of St Jimmy in the Church of the Jesus of Suburbia. Final note: noticed the songs are doubled up in Spotify, Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams for example. I hope Green Day are getting all the pennies that should be coming their way.

Good

This whole album is a huge nostalgia hit for me. This is truly the first album I ever remember being introduced to and certainly the first time I heard the f-word in a song

Iconic, I’m biased but really great full album and even more relevant than when it was released

Great album that I haven't listened to all the way through before, will listen again

I remember in 2003 listening to this on a Normandy history trip, I stared out the window at war graves with boulevard playing thinking it was the deepest point of my life. Was a sad act but what a way to reminisce. Mostly belters, easy 5/5

One of my FAVORITE albums as a teenager, and revisiting it today was a blast.

Great back to basic punk.

Whatever I say, is not enough. Teenage years banger. - 10/10 music - 53098347190/10 feels

The energy is amazing, already liked boulevard of broken dreams, when September ends. Homecoming is my pick of the album, great song!

Before I discovered music of my own, my conduit to music was, like many, my parents. I learned, mostly through my musician of a father, to love The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. Especially Led Zeppelin. I grew such a fondness for the certain songs that I knew of those bands, and would later grow to love their greater discographies. But that only came after I found music of my own. Music my dad didn't know and didn't introduce me to. Music that I made my own and that I learned everything there was to know about. In 2004, that happened. But even still I needed some help. I was 11 in September that year, having just started sixth grade. My older sister, who was 14 at the time, was much more hip to modern music than I was (in that she was at all) and one day brought home this album from a band I'd only vaguely heard of - Green Day. She told me it was big, and that it was causing some kind of controversy. I think I saw the music video for the title track soon after. I had no idea that there were still rock bands out there, doing rock band things. Everything I'd heard to that point was old stuff. But here was something new. Something that felt like it was for me. I took off from there. Green Day was, as they were for many, my gateway band. My musical taste quickly expanded beyond the bounds of my parents' generation, and became this sprawling landscape of various genres and artists. It's still expanding today (helped in the last year or so by this project, thank you very much). I give you my life story because I feel it important to give you context. I hold this album in such high regard that it's impossible for me to be objective. I have heard this album hundreds of times. I have seen Green Day in concert five times (most recently on the anniversary tour of this album, where they played it in full). This album is as familiar to me as an old leather jacket is. It fits like a glove. It is so familiar that I can start it, zone out, and then zone back in and I haven't really missed anything because I know it front to back. I can't hear anything new in it anymore. I love the band and this album with all my musical heart and this was never going to be anything but a five star review. I tried to write one, but I don't think I can really, properly do it. That requires some objectivity, Which, like I said, I don't and simply could never have. And I'm ok with that. This being the first album I truly loved that was my own, it has always been the way it is. To analyze it or criticize it is so difficult for me, and honestly doing so would probably dampen my feelings toward it. So I'll stop trying and just tell you that I fucking love this album. I tried to write one before giving up, and that's below if you have any interest. Standout Tracks: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, Are We the Waiting, St. Jimmy, Give Me Novacaine, Letterbomb, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Homecoming Green Day has never done anything better than this, before or since. They've produced great music, don't get me wrong. But this is the pinnacle for them. And what a high it is. Let's start with what is, for me, the two highlights of the album "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming." The two 9+ minute songs. I have criticized bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer for having these crazy long songs that feel like the stringing together of ideas for the sake of salvaging a few half-baked concepts. The 9+ minute tracks on this album do not strike me that. Each tells different parts of a story (pretty key parts, honestly), and the different sections help to differentiate those parts. I love them and think they're the band's best work, period. The rest is just such a diverse set of tracks that tell a story. What that story is up to interpretation and honestly, I'm not sure the band quite knew what it was when they finished it. But it's secondary to the music, in my opinion. The music takes precedence here. Except of course for the anti-war, anti-government messages of the title track and "Holiday."

One of the few examples of a "concept album" in my lifetime that doesn't come off as forced. Green Say reinvented themselves with social commentary that is still relevant today. The way the songs tie together was really well done, and I respect that even on the streaming version, they lumped songs together to avoid the interruption of a track change.

One of the more formative albums of my lifetime. A perfect blend of punk with a more mature sound that makes for an incredibly satisfying listen. Lyrically somehow even more relevant than when it was released 20 years ago. Quality songs throughout, and a pretty decent story as well; the songs work perfectly together and as standalone tracks. Such a joy to kick back and listen to, and no real low points or skippable songs.

A classic. Glad to finally listen to more than just the singles. The rest of the album is just as good or better. Love the final track

Masterpiece. Nothing more to be said.

The timing of this could not be a coincidence (Trump - Week 1)

Ahahahaha I don’t need to listen to this again. This album altered my brain chemistry when I was 13 years old. It can have the 5 stars. 😂