Reviews (page 8 of 16)
Gawd 4 years after my graduation. #old balls. Hahaha great band, great album. Awesome 90’s, 00’s band that had there own unique sound/style.
A early 2000's classic. Growing up this was a popular album for my age group. I knew many friends who owned it. Full of classics like American Idiot and Wake Me Up When September Ends. Green Day has some strong themes and it comes off well. I was a fan of the double tracks that blend into each other. Great album
all time great
Pf, me ha gustado muchísimo y no me lo esperaba.
I never listened to this album in full before. I kind of liked it. It seems to move away from pop-punk toward something more straightforwardly rock and roll. And there's some very good songs on there.
Bursting with power chords, simmering with rage and filled with hooks, American Idiot is an impressive leap forward in ambition from a band that made its name from an album titled Dookie. I can easily hear how they turned this into a Broadway production. It’s a solid document of the political discontent of its era and a sobering reminder of what a shit show the first quarter of the 21st century has turned out to be.
I missed that one because I was too cool and too punk to listen to "sellout" green day..... this thing could have been written yesterday from a topical standpoint. That in and if itself is depressing, but things have devolved so far its making me nostalgic for the Bush era. ..God help us
Good.
050925 21:41 4
They've matured a bit but still have an edge.
8.5/10
Absolute classic, Holiday is the banger for me. Not the biggest Green Day fan but this album is iconic
Ok
Really strong throughout. It was kind of a comeback album, right? But it may be their best. They mastered that place where punk and pop meet.
Super Album , love it
Brings back memories, 4/5
80/100. Some of these tracks were on the radio 24/7 when I was younger. To be honest, I think nostalgia is giving this record a higher rating than I’d normally give it. Standouts are "Holiday," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and "Wake Me Up When September Ends." A good 2000s rock record.
Politically-charged, melancholic, defiant. Some absolute classic tracks on here.
An iconic album, with some of the classic Green Day bangers. I do think the “two songs on one track” tends to make the replay-ability a little frustrating. I’m not always in the mood for Holiday, but can get down to Boulevard of Broken Dreams - and I hate having to skip halfway through the song to listen to the one I wanted. 3.8/5
> The Beatles
classic album, i knew some song that are obviously really famous.
feels relevant to the times more than ever
Fantastisches Album mit tollen Songs. Hat die Zeit damals geprägt und war sowohl in der Szene als auch Mainstream beliebt. Auch heute noch ein gutes Album was man sich anhören kann. Ich fühl trotzdem nicht 5 Sterne zu geben.
Staying true to their style, American Idiot is a mature Green Day with a well-conceived album for the time.
Finally, I've got a great album. The title song remains as relevant today as it was 20 years ago. I just love "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". A few album tracks could have done better, though. This album is Green Day's best. 4 stars for "American Idiot".
This is like you asked Green Day to do Green Day but do it epic. There’s a lot to it, but it’s still a bunch of punks at heart.
Really solid first album pick. Lots of songs I know, not sure why I dont own it. 9/10
I never really liked Green Day back around the time of this album or before that, but on this listen I really enjoyed it for some reason. Maybe I just heard it enough back then that it's pulling in some nostalgia I didn't even know was there. Whatever the reason, I dug it this time.
Fun, entertaining, and sounds great
Iconic and timely. Kind of simple musically but relatable
Here for this. I loved Dookie, but I think this might be a better album, at least from a conceptual standpoint. Love the ABSOLUTE CINEMA of this thing. Just hits you in the face with a whole concept and goes for an hour of really big and boisterous highs, and depressing lows. It's a whole thing.
Nada que decir, la mayoría son temazos y estoy redescubriéndolos a través de las letras y la mirada de adulto. Nota: 4.0
I hadn’t listened to American Idiot in nearly two decades, and I’d honestly forgotten just how good it is. Coming back to it now, what really stands out is how bold and theatrical it feels—less like a typical punk album and more like a punk rock opera with flashes of prog rock ambition. Tracks like “Jesus of Suburbia” and “Homecoming” are sprawling, multi-part epics that wouldn’t feel out of place on a classic prog record. There’s a clear narrative arc, recurring motifs, and a sense of conceptual unity that elevates it beyond Green Day’s earlier work. It’s not prog in the traditional sense—there are no odd time signatures or extended instrumental solos—but it’s definitely progressive in spirit. Politically charged, emotionally raw, and musically adventurous, American Idiot still hits hard and feels surprisingly timeless.
Highlight Song/s: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Are We the Waiting I am not a big Green Day fan, I like some songs here and there, but not all of them. I listened to 'Dookie' and wasn't a fan. I've been planning to listen to 'American Idiot' for a while and then I just FORGOT about it for some reason; but by the grace of god, 1001 reminded me that it existed. And it wasn't half bad. The song that shines the most is 'Jesus of Suburbia.' Literally perfect, 9 minute, 5 part song and which has a very progressive feel to it; not a second is wasted with this one. The only part that is just a smidge bad is his incorrect use of the phrase 'I could care less' (in Part II), where he uses it the same way you would use 'I couldn't care less.' Though I just dismiss it as an Americanism, so it fits with the rest of the album. Another song/s that stand out to me is 'Holiday' and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' which are often paired together. I especially like the digital version where both of them are combined into one song. My favourite parts of each song is: "The Senator has the floor" and the guitar solo part (with the other instruments, as well) from Boulevard.
Great album nice and nostalgic
Its a classibmc imo
it was corny but fun, the singer has a great voice
flatout 2 ahh music
It has a few nice songs! Gives me MCR vibes. Some of the songs are quite aptly hyped.
Well, the title track has rang true every day since they wrote it. I kind of feel that the title is redundant. I like the double songs. This is a pleasant, well produced album. I'm still a bigger fan of their first few albums, but this one is solid. Some catchy tunes on here. 4
Not the best album but an enjoyable listen
Pretty flawed but very formative
deffinitely a classic at this point, with 2 or 3 bangers. Not as good as dookie though
4.5 i mean, there's a reason this is considered an iconic, ground-breaking album.
not bad
Prior to today, I’d never listened to American Idiot the entire way through. I know more than a few of the songs of course, but taken as a whole it’s an astounding piece of work.
A rousing if not very exceptional alt rock album. I did enjoy it...
Very well produced album and highly political considering where the USA was at that time, an album more known for the hits I do go back to it every now again but Jesus of suburbia I need to be in a mood to listen through all of it and the album feels a bit long
💥
Amazing album, so many memories. 4.5/5
A 3.5 star album for me but nostalgia made me bump it up. Captures the era very well.
https://clickhole.com/enough-time-has-passed-to-reveal-george-w-bush-was-the-1825124201/
I forgot what an interesting album this was. A punk rock, opera, in the midst of one of what was believed the worst presidents of our time.
Thought I had outgrown Green Day but American Idiot is their ‘masterpiece’ (if you can say that about a pop-punk band). Are some of the lyrics on the nose? Yes. Are some of the riffs samey? Yes. Should there be even more kickass Travis Barker drumming? Of course!! But man this album still slaps. I woulda run this album into the ground if it came out after Dookie. Instead a decade passed between this and Dookie and I became a corporate sellout. The band would be so disappointed 😆
Åttondelarnas mästare. Chugga chugga. Några helt fantastiska låtar - Boulevard of broken dreams. Fyra plus
Ugh probably my least favorite post-grunge band.
I haven't listened to this for probably 20 years and I don't know why, because it's absolutely epic. Perhaps my love for this album got obfuscated over the years by the singles being overplayed to death. Anyway. I don't know whether to laugh or cry that this is still so relevant and timely. Forgot how much I love Give Me Novocaine/She's a Rebel and Whatsername. 4.5 stars; can't quite justify the 5 given I forgot about this one for so many years.
Ich weiß nicht. Hat sich mir an manchen Stellen schon etwas gezogen, wurde auch mit der Thematik irgendwie nicht ganz warm. Trotzdem, die vier Songs, die ich schon kannte, sind Banger. Was soll man machen? 3 1/2, ich habe aber schon Alben mit weniger sehr sehr sehr guten Songs vier Sterne gegeben, also runde ich auf.
Some old jams and some new surprises. Never gave the album a full listen but pleasantly surprised by the breadth of styles on one album
Nicht das beste green day album, aber schon aus reiner Nostalgie ein banger. Ist halt 1h 2000er PopPunk. Meistens gute Texte und gute Performance. Musikalisch wahrscheinlich eher eine 3 aber für mein 12 jähriges ich eine 4/5
It is the definitive album of the entire ‘emo’ subculture. And probably the best album that can be considered ‘emo’. A bit too ‘emo’ for my tastes (compared to Dookie, for example), but I rate them higher than blink 182, and a lot of other rubbish American teen punk.
The composition is always fun and that's impressive, Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming are so good. Great album n.n
Billed as a "rock opera", I hadn't sat down with this album for a number of years prior to this morning, and it's been a welcome nostalgia trip back towards my preteen and teen days. A bit of an overblown concept tying the album together perhaps, but the songs here are undeniable. I'm still of the opinion that this would only have stood to benefit if "Wake Me Up When September Ends" rounded off the album, but numbers such as the title track and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" have quite rightly earned their status as some of Green Day's most recognisable and widely renowned tracks.
sounds so much like 2004, great singles
Got to admit, you got me with this one. I was 33 or 34 when this was released, married with a couple kids. This missed me by at least 10 years. I know a lot of these songs, turns out that’s because they are great songs. I’m not a punk, or even a post-punk, but Billie Joe is a great singer and songwriter and this is a really good album.
Pretty impressively built and executed album. Good sequencing, varied song styles, catchy hooks, great instrumentals. The only thing holding it back it some of the middle tracks are a tad forgettable and have uninteresting concepts. All around a good album. 4/5
Was too much of a music snob who 'aged out' of Green Day to listen to this back in the day, although Idiot/Boulevard/September were virtually inescapable. Undeniably well-crafted pop punk.
Honestly one of my all time favorite rock albums!
This is a very nostalgic record for me, I remember this was the first CD I put onto my ipod. Still pretty solid.
Well, it's Green Day. What can I say. I'm not a huge fan or anything but I do like some stuff from them, and it's a band I admire quite a bit. This album grows on me the more I listen to it. Fave tracks: American idiot, jesus of suburbia, holiday, boulevard of broken dreams, whatsername. Would I revisit this: yes.
Beyond teenage nostalgia, it's better than I remembered.
hard to put this any lower than 4 - it's well made, distinct, good lyrics and culturally significant. the only thing that docks it for me is personal preference - while a unique voice is often good, for some reason, I don't gel with Armstrong's. but, thats a nitpick. wish i could put 4.5
The best Green Day album, I’ve got this one on CD. One of the best punk albums of all time, I really enjoy this one!
Green Day is a great band. Not always my favorite band, but I understand and appreciate them as artists. It’s funny that they made a musical out of this album, because even if they hadn’t, I’d still be getting rock opera vibes. Solid album. Maybe a little too much Broadway drama, but it was fun and enjoyable.
8.5/10 The least punk punk-album ever, but that's a good thing because I like music thats ambitious and well produced. Ive listened to this so many times when I was in highschool. I thought maybe Id grown past it but I really enjoyed it again and the story evoked some emotions in me as well.
Lowkey better than I thought it would be, had heard American idiot and Holiday on repeat in high school but never heard the whole album. Extraordinary girl/letter bomb was my favorite song I hadn’t heard yet
Really strong album. The story throughout, the highs and lows, the melodies.
Classic album with some incredible protest songs.
no esta mal es como una pelicula americana mola
Surprised how vibrant and tight this feels.
They get an extra point from me for continuousy calling out the fascist regime at their shows. That's punk. I do like them though.
this is probably the best album ever if you're like 14
Good album. I liked the punk elements it has and it still seems culturally relevant. An album from my childhood so I like it a lot.
I liked this a lot more than expected. I'd never heard the whole album before. Relatively impressed.
Decent album - carried by 2/3 songs but they are absolute bangers. Some of the themes still hold true today. Great recommendation.
First album on this list to inspire nostalgia in me
Great album, lots of great songs!
Undeniably iconic and one of the definitive 00s rock album. Through a mixture of overfamiliarity and marking the start of Green Day's big decline, I don't think this is an unqualified masterpiece. It's very bloated and a little bit pretentious (as all rock operas are), working much better when it offers banger singles than 9 minute long prog punk (except Jesus of Suburbia).
Really holds up. I know that a few songs have cringey reputations but in the flow of the opera they are good. Big thumbs down to the Spotify track breaks making it hard to add certain tracks to my overall playlist.
Normally hate a theme album but this is very well put together. Some cracking tunes but as always with Green Day a bit overblown
Well that was quite the cultural whiplash moment for me
Reminds me of when I got lost after the Milton Keynes bowl gig and my friends mum said she can't take me anywhere
Another casualty of my teenage self’s totally unfounded beefs 😂 such a fun listen, will definitely revisit!
Das esch halt so e rechtig typische 2000er Rock. Es fätzt scho no rächt ond es hed es paar wörk berühemti Tracks wie "Wake me up before September ends" denne. S einzige Problem esch dass es ergendwie emmer e chli ähnlech tönt, ennerhalb vom Albom aber au im ganze Genre.
Great album that I have heard many times. I really enjoy all their work, it really reminds me of my youth. Some big hit songs but also some hidden gems that make for a nice album. I'm sure I will be listening to this one again.
Initially turned off when I saw this I’m sick of their politics blah blah blah. But it’s a solid record with catchy songs. I liked it. It’s 4 stars. Pop punk rock.
Pretty much read the tea leaves on the state of neofascism in the country way back in 2003. I like how almost every song is interconnected with some sort of theme that’s consistent throughout the album.
This does not hold up well. The milquetoast rebellion seems downright silly. I wish it didn’t. That said, I know every song and love many. So I guess it’s above a 3?
ganz schön, aber live sind die halt besser
4.7
Kinda hate that the songs are 2 for 1 but the 20th anniversary fixes that
A classic
A hard rate for me. I was never into this as much as everyone else was. I'm good with never hearing the Sept song again. Still it's better then a lot of the 3s i've given.
Nostalgic but still really fresh. Never gets boring or too slow and is filled with classic GD hits like 'Holiday', 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' and 'Wake Me Up When September Ends'. Over 20 years old and still a banger of an album.
I think part of the high rating is nostalgia but idk that’s a solid album!
It’s a really good album with a whole lot of range
Potentially a hot take but I think American Idiot is the best Green Day album. The rock-opera thing is ambitious and it mostly lands for me. It's polished (though I concede that's maybe not an accolade for a punk album), it has range, and it's catchy. It takes itself a little too seriously and there are some songs on there that I actively dislike (she's a rebel) but overall I like it.
Didn't like this upon release, bit has come around to it. The hits arr massive. 4..5 stars
fun and nostalgia. if the ratings reflect how likely i am to listen again, I am obligated to give a four
An enjoyable album from a band that has no right to be as good as they are.
Not a fan of Green Day. But they accomplished something special.
An album that begins "I don't want to be an American Idiot..." What's not to like.
My relationship with Green Day is complicated. I loved Dookie when it came out. Wasn't overly impressed with the follow ups. Had pretty much given up on them by the time this one came out. These days, everything I hear from them just makes me think they're a group of aging musicians who are trying to hard to act like they're still teenagers. Awesome as Fuck? Father of All Motherfuckers? I know I'm getting old and jaded, but Jesus guys, act your age. Rant over. What about American Idiot? I'd heard the big singles ("Blvd of Broken Dreams" & "Wake Me Up When Sept Ends"), and wasn't overly impressed with them. Other than that I'd only listened to the album once or twice many years ago and didn't remember much about it. Today's thoughts: Its not bad. Still don't really like the big singles, but several others are quite good. The title track, "Jesus of Suburbia", "Homecoming" all good extended concept rock. Overall a good listen. Still won't bother with the recent stuff, though.
7/10… punk / rock
Fuck Green Day. Fuck Bliie Joe and his hobbit like stature. No gives a shit what you think since you blasted Bieber when you were a tolerable alcoholic. Now the band looks like fat lesbians. This album is decent though if you remove the people performing it and pretend that they are nobodies. I’ll give them that.
The first CD I ever bought was Green Day Dookie with money from my 12th birthday in 1995. I loved that album (still do!). I was a huge GD fan. When American Idiot came out, they had changed their style slightly, to be a little more traditional and mainstream. As a 20 y/o with loads of angst, I wasn’t a fan. I haven’t truly revisited this album since the mid 2000s. Boy was I wrong. 20 years of separation showed me this is a really good album and Billie Joe and the boys has to evolve. They were getting older. There’s something that is inherently anti punk about growing old. Green Day is and forever will be punk rock, but they evolved into a more grown up, toned down version on American Idiot. The drums are always amazing, Billie Joe can write and sing with the best of them. And the energy is always the leader of it all. Glad I got the opportunity to revisit this album, now I need to go check my youthful biases and see what else I thought was stupid in my teens and early 20s. 8.2/10 #58/1001
It's pretty good.
Good pop punk but overly long
! Glad to see this. Think this is one where I know/have heard most of the songs but I've never listened to them in order so that's interesting. I Love Holiday so much but man are you ready for boulevard after the first three tracks. On the whole I think i prefer the steadier songs to the loud bangers they feel more varied. Like maybe i just dont know how to listen to guitar rock but the backing to a lot of the Big Shouters feels v similar. The streets will remember Give Me Novocaine. Tbf the Big Shouters are well laid out. Letterbomb HITS. And then into wake me up? That's some placement. I always manage to forget how good wake me up is actually. Best song on the album probably. Billie Joe's voice is so perfect for what he does. Or maybe what he does is perfect for his voice idk. Manages to sound like he's putting his all into it without constantly straining his voice. Perfect modern punk frontman honestly. Maybe it's because I'm already familiar with a lot of the other tracks but homecoming is over 9 minutes long and not overstaying its welcome. Not 100% sold on whatsername as the closer idk. Feels safe. Objectively this feels like it should be a 5 but idk something is stopping me. Possibly just feels disjointed bc of my familiarity with individual songs..might listen again this aft and see if I can settle into it. Either way I'm burning a copy for my car. 4.5 but I'm rounding down bc i have to feel a 5 in my truest heart
9/10 Ok so I get this isn’t necessarily Green Day’s best. I’m aware it may not even be a 9/10. However, when I hear it I’m transported back in time. Each song on here has a certain point of inflection with me over the years and it’s a great great album. Favorite song: Jesus of Suburbia
Very enjoyable album
questi fanno tanto casino ma ho aggiunto diversi brani tra quelli che mi piacciono... misà che un 4 questo album se lo merita.
A punk rock opera, complete with progressive rock staples like multi-part suites. It sounds ridiculous, and it would be if the songs weren’t so damn good.
It's Green Day. What else can I say?
Solid album even if it's not fav genre
Fav: Whatsername Notes: A lot of good/great tracks.
they went back to more of their punk roots, gave political & social commentary on our culture at the time, and had a bit of a comeback with this release. don't think I had ever listened to it all the way thru before. solid 4.5
Awesome album.
A great record that, to me, was kind of a comeback record for the band.
I don't think this is my favorite Green Day album, but it is very good. At the time it came out I was pretty annoyed the hits got so much radio play. Now with a little time (and a little less repetition on the radio) I think I can be a little more objective about it. 4/5
Ble positivt overrasket. Har ikke tidligere lyttet til et helt album Green Day, kun fått med meg enkelte låter på radioen eller musikk videoer på TV. Flere veldig gode melodier og gode arrangementer. Vokalen er god, og det er ordentlig trøkk i musikken. Min vurdering er gjort etter å ha lyttet på Delux edition. 👍🏻
Green Day has always been a bit of a cringe band for me, going back to their Dookie days when my neighbor blasted it for what felt like 23 hours a day. Beyond that, they’ve long been the poster child for everything I dislike about commercial pop punk, especially their aggressive, punk driven tracks that just don’t click with me. Take American Idiot, the title track is so annoying I can hardly stand it. But once you get past that song, a lot of the other tracks on this album aren’t actually that bad. Over the years, I’ve found their more melodic songs, like some on this record, to be pretty catchy, and I think Green Day would’ve been much better as an alternative rock band than a punk band. On a side note, I’ll give them credit for their influences, particularly Devo, who inspired them so much that some members formed a synth-pop, new wave side project called The Network, which was a fun little venture for what it was. All that said, Green Day has always been, and probably always will be, a bittersweet band for me. Some moments I enjoy, but others I just can’t get behind.
why are you making me listen to Green Day in the year of our Lord 2025... on the day a new pope was chosen too..... i saw the number of tracks and was so excited, but what do you mean they're all 15 minutes long i didn't know they said the f-word in the title track oh wow yeah the song american idiot is good, i knew of it obviously, but i don't have that many thoughts about it, it's one of those songs that's been in my life for too long for me to listen to it critically. but hey, love anything that criticizes the US so go off jesus of suburbia sure is an interesting title. i gotta say though, i know it's still only the second track, but i'm already getting kinda tired of the guitars just... being there sounding the same the whole way through. and yes, i know, it's a punk record. the lyrics are interesting, but very straight-foward. nothing necessarily wrong about that, and this is a punk record after all, but still. ok the song just started going the fuck off at around the three minute mark, this is great. this feels like a transition to a completely different track, interesting that they decided to keep them together. not them say the r-word haha ok this really is the 2000's. ok, I liked this, but i do wish this song was like three or four different songs, because i liked certain parts more than others. and no, this isn't my first case of multiple tracks in one, and yes, i do always hate it. i knew green day was very political, and i am sort of familiar with their recent controversies. that being said, i am liking the themes here (not that we've had anything that hard to disagree with yet). see why is boulevard of broken dreams in the same track as holiday. i know there's a version of it alone, but still. but yeah, that's a classic. are we the waiting is the first song that i don't really enjoy. let's see the second half though. sidebar real quick, i think some of the problems that i have with this album so far really boil down to the vocal performance. it's not bad, but that's kind of the problem. his voice is too ""good"" for a punk record? and that's not at all an insult to the genre. but i do associate it with raw, imperfect vocals. shouting around words. but maybe that's just me being ignorant and close-minded. maybe i shouldn't base all my expectations for punk music on the clash and the sex pistols. oh well, i still think that i would enjoy these tracks more if the voice was different. yeah st. jimmy is much better that the first half. why is it joined together, that's so damn annoying. i actually like when they go for a softer rock sound like the start of give me novacaine (also present in boulevard). yeah this song's nice! i also like that it gets progressively louder. and yet again, i hate the fact that these two tracks are joined together. because while i don't dislike she's a rebel, i like give me novacaine so much more the first 40 seconds of extraordinary girl are the most intrigued i've been this whole album, but then the song does a 180 and it's just another song with the same sound (getting kindaaa tired of that). again, this isn't bad, but it doesn't stand out from the rest of the album at all. it's less impressive. i don't know, maybe the lyrics could be seen as appealing. sorry i paused this to listen to a shitty stand-up clip my friend sent me, my god, that made me more excited to get back to this. ok a self-hatred anthem, wasn't expecting that. i like letterbomb better than extraordinary girl but neither one blows me away oh another classic, i gotta respect them for this, wake me up when september ends was my childhood. but again, i'm incapable of thinking critically about it. i'll be honest, i don't think i was made to listen to a punk record that's this long. i'm getting pretty tired of the loudddd guitars. homecoming isn't really an exciting track either, so yeah, kinda waiting it ends. and my opinion didn't change much throughout the track, even though it did change a lot over the 9 minutes. whasername is an interesting closing track. one of the quietest (or better said, not-as-loud) tracks, at least at the start, more reflective, less political, but it still feels like it belongs here. like it. this is another album that was historical for its time, and green day's heyday is definitelly deserved, but some of the themes here are just not as revolutionary today. and i guess that's inevitable. when you make a piece of art that is as political as this album, it's only natural that, when more and more time passes, audiences relate to it less and less. however, it is also true that we can relate to political pieces of different times by learning more about their context. and maybe i'm just not that informed on all the specific contexts that inspired this release. and i'll own that that's my fault. so, to make an actual in-depth review, i'd have to do some research about that. but for now, as a first listen review, this will do. a lot of songs here are good. none are bad. some blend together and are less memorable than others. but overall, i'd say this is a good project! this is another case where the rating system here bothers me, as this album feels too good to be a 3 but maybe not good enough to be a 4? i'll probably end up giving it a 4 but yeah, not the strongest one. my biggest complaints here aren't really about the album specifically, but more directed towards the genre as a whole, which i do enjoy, but in small doses. however, i do think the album could use some more variety in sound. not much here surprised me, as my hears were always getting assaulted by the loud loud loud guitars (the drums too, to a lesser extent). another thing i disliked, as i've mentioned plenty of times at this point, is the joining together of different songs. i'm sure the band had a reason for it, but it's just annoying. there are also a lot of positives, but sometimes it's easier to write about things you don't like. my favourite parts of the album were the ones where the band went off script a bit, like the second part of jesus of suburbia or some of the singles. so, as it stands, there are some stand-outs, and some forgettable moments. but it's good. worth a listen. bye
Better than I gave it credit for when I was a teenager.
Green Day's "American Idiot" is an energetic album with powerful lyrics and catchy tunes that make it an enjoyable listen. The band's performance is solid, and the album has a cohesive feel that kept me engaged from start to finish.
punk meet pop. pop meet punk.
Faktiskt oväntat bra!
So called classic from American rock band. Some classic tunes.
I liked this album a lot more than I expected too. So many popular songs on here. The tracks in the second half felt weaker than the first half but still pretty good and overall enjoyable listen. Favourite Tracks: American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Give Me Novacaine
solid punk, pretty long songs but cool instrumentals,
Never has been my favourite Green Day album. They were probably quite progressive with their messaging at the time though, which feels more pertinent now
Uma surpresa! Green Day é outra banda que sempre tive preconceito, e mesmo eu tendo a idade pra ter crescido ouvindo eles, não foi o caso. Não esperava nada desse álbum, comecei a ouvi-lo bem despretensioso, e acho que isso me ajudou muito. Fui surpreendido totalmente. Claro, já conhecia os singles mais famosos, a faixa titular e blvd. of broken dreams, mas também, quem não conhece essas canções? Não tenho nada de negativo com esse disco. Muito bom do começo ao fim. Não inovou em nada, mas nem todo álbum precisa ser um Revolver (Beatles). Um disco básico, mas extremamente bem executado. Todo instrumento aqui é tocado deliciosamente. O vocal do Billy é muito bom, ele tem um alcance bom até. Gostei demais das músicas mais épicas, tipo Jesus of Suburbia. Liricamente ele é bem superficial, mas você esperava o que de uma banda de pop-punk? É musica pra voce colocar e bater o pé e mexer a cabeça. Quer profundidade vai ler Tolstoy... Um album classico, e de certa maneira, até superestimado, que eu nunca teria ouvido e dado uma chance se não fosse por esse site. Curti ! 4/5
This was pretty good. I listened to it twice because I enjoyed it so much, but by the end the modern Green Day flavor was a little old. Four stars.
I'm absolutely biased as this album came out when I was in high school, but I still think it's great. Super tight musically and consistent with Green Day's signature sound. At the time I found the political slant kind of cringey, and maybe it still is, but it was also prescient, and brave in a way that main stream bands were not being at the time. The double-song format is interesting, and works most of the time. Ultimately I think this deserves it's spot, though it's at best Green Day's third best album.
Really good album, truly made me a fan of the band not just a handful of prior singles. They have had a pretty remarkable career from "Dookie" on. I saw this tour and realized they're legit and not a one trick pony. This album spoke to the frustration people were feeling at the time, very relevant, not just a new set of songs. The title track kicks all kinds of ass and is in your face from start to finish. It was a huge hit and was followed by "Holiday" which is good high energy pop rock, then another absolute early 2000's classic, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams". "Give Me Novocaine" & "Wake Me Up When September Comes" were both radio friendly hits that boosted this album to insane sales levels. The glue tracks like "Jesus of Suburbia", "Are We The Waiting/St. Jimmy" & "She's A Rebel" are solid and speak to the creative high they were on at the time. The least popular track on the album has over 40M listens, that's telling you about the relevance, hits and popularity of this concept album. For the impact, longevity, hits & relevance this gets 4.5 stars. Definitely T1001 worthy.
This one has been in my library for a while. To me this was Green Day at their most ambitious. This is an album that needs to be played through front to back. Not that there aren’t killer tracks (American Idiot, Holiday etc) but the whole thing is punk rock opera. I could see both John Lydon (Sex Pistols) and Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) both appreciating this one.
My preferred 2004 pop punk protest album is Shake the Sheets by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, but honestly 2 decades later I'm just glad an album like this was so insanely popular. Where is this energy at right now?!?!
Since middle school, I've been aware that the album existed - but, I didn't give it a chance until I'm at the end of 25. I'm glad I've finally listened to it.
Haven’t listened to it since high school, time for nostalgia. Holiday and boulevard of broken dreams are 🔥
It shouldn't work. Over the top, cheesy and politics that nowadays feels dated (Bush era protest just feels so funny when I look at the world around me rn). That being said it kinda does work. The tunes are undeniably catchy and it's enjoyable in a sophmoric, high school coded possibly nostalgia biased way. 8/10
Big fan
AMERICAN IDIOT leider findi s lied selber chli müehsam bzw. au die art vo strophe vo riff --> gsang mit ¼ drum bass --> riff etc. ES ISCH SO NERVIG de refrain hani aber sehr gern omg da isch jesus of suburbia druff?? hmm iwie hanis besser im chopf gha? also s isch guet aber iwie hanis besser im chopf gha holiday findi glaub mit basket case ihres beste lied, ich lieeeb de chorus iwie ischs en funny move, dass holiday und boulevard zemme sind aber es passt schono boulevard isch halt insaaaaaane overplayed aber find es git au en grund, au wenn ich jz rig nie lust han, zums aktiv lose, sehrsehr es guets lied de fill nachem erste refrain isch ih mis hirn BRENNT hahahaha oke ich kenn würkli alli lieder, au wenn ich glaub nonie das album am stuck glost han ok nvm jz tönt langsam alles chli glich DAMN DAS ALBUM GAHT LANG sorry wake me up when septber ends isch doch en banger? han mier e ziit lang ihgredt, dass es ass isch aber ich hans eifach gern und es isch so sanft okii jaaa es chratzt amene 5i aber für das ischmer s züg chli z glich und z lang, sorro
liked songs: American Idiot, Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Give Me Novacaine / She's a Rebel, Extraordinary Girl / Letterbomb, Wake Me up When September Ends Am I crazy for saying this is Green Day's best album? It has plenty of their punk roots but with just enough variety in the songwriting that it doesn't get boring and same-y. 4
Very important & powerful political album, enjoyed it!
This album was pretty fun. It drags a little by the end but overall it's solid. I forget how much I really like Green Day.
Hard rock classique, 4 pour la nostalgie
Like many of my age, American Idiot was my first exposure to punk. The singles from this were *everywhere* for the next year or so, which is an eternity when you're 7 years old! Off the top of my head, I can't think of another time that a punk band has had that level of cultural dominance. It's aged better than I'd have expected it to, too.
That's classic
Classic
This was suprisingly nostalgic! I never listened to the full album, just the popular songs. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, it felt so well done and clean to listen to. Although I didn't listen to the lyrics, I appreciate the storytelling aspect behind it! Using creativity and art to voice what you believe in is beautiful.
We Are The Kids Of War And Peace, From Anaheim To The Middle East 1001 Albums Generator 8 (04/14/2025) Even just looking at the track lengths and cover of American Idiot, it was clear that this was not going to be a return to form for Green Day. Gone were the days 2-3 minute pop punk song, filled with lyrics about masturbation, grouchy old dudes, and blowing up planes. This was a new Green Day, one that, fresh off the heels of 9/11 and the Iraq War, would be leaning into the political edge that punk music was built on originally. This was a new Green Day, one that would focus more on songwriting and dynamics than ever before. This was a new Green Day, one that could write a rock opera full of global hits, still playing on rock radio to this day. I was in diapers when 9/11 happened, so it's an understatement to say that I don't truly understand what it was like at that time. In a time when the population (somewhat) trusted that our government had our best interests in mind, at least more than people do now, it was unimaginable to the average red-blooded American that this terrorist attack could be the work of anything other than Islamic terrorists. Of course, we had to go kill them for what they did to our country, it was almost a no-brainer. The 2004 Presidential election, while relatively close, was nowhere near the nail-biter that 2000 was, indicating that America as a whole was still on board with Bush's hawkish foreign policy. Of course, the world has changed now as much as it has stayed the same. War rages on, pushed by corrupt politicians who fill their pockets with the blood of soldiers. But people, especially the young, on the left and right are beginning to realize the folly of war and some even recognize that some combination of Dick Cheney, Israel, and the CIA were fully or partially responsible for the tragedy that happened on 9/11. An album like this would hardly even register as politically edgy nowadays, besides its use of the words "faggot" and "retarded". Of course, an album must be judged in the context it was released. In 2004, this really was quite brave. Green Day were far from the first group to criticize the Bush administration, but this was a group that was not known for being political. Additionally, they were floundering commercially after their sixth studio album, Warning, so the safe thing to do would have been to release a return to form, agreeable, fun album. This is not that. Singles American Idiot and Holiday are both overtly political, and Wake Me Up When September Ends is a slow rock ballad about the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father, and in spite of this, they were all massive hits. Why? Well, first of all, these songs are catchy as fuck. I remember so many of these choruses growing up; American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and Wake Me Up most of all. Some of Green Day's finest melodies are on this album. However, while Green Day albums after this would lose the punk and keep the pop, this album has a great balance between the two. The title track, St. Jimmy, and Letterbomb embody the punkier side of this album and show that in spite of what contemporary critics may have said, these boys can still rock. The centerpieces of this story are the second and second-to-last songs on the album, Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming. The former, named after the main character of the album, and by Armstrong's admission, his attempt at making Bohemian Rhapsody of the future, is a nine minute, five-part punk and progressive rock epic that features styles from pop punk to glammy piano rock to theatrical acoustic rock. Hey, we even get some time signature changes. The titular character is a disillusioned American teen, living on pharmaceuticals since his childhood and growing up in a broken home. This "anti-hero" ends the song by leaving his home city. Amazingly, this song was also a single. The latter, Homecoming, is another 9 minute, 5 section track, and was actually written first. My favorite part of this song has to be the nearly rockabilly Tre Cool-led Rock N Roll Girlfriend. This is one of the coolest things I've heard this band do. This song isn't as good as Jesus of Suburbia, but it's underappreciated for sure. While the singles and some other songs are great, the middle section of this album does drag a bit. The run from Give Me Novacaine to Letterbomb is especially boring. Extraordinary Girl wouldn't be out of place on a modern Green Day album, which is not a compliment. Additionally, I don't like how so many songs here are combined into a single track. This is a nitpick, and is specific to the streaming version that I am listening to, but I don't understand why, for example, St. Jimmy, which is exciting and fun, is attached to the bland, plodding Are We The Waiting. This really isn't a big issue but it has annoyed me since I was a kid. American Idiot is not my favorite Green Day album. However, its level of artistic ambition was never met by the band before or since. The good songs are great, but the bad songs are completely forgettable. Overall, 3.5/5, rounded up to 4/5 Favs: Jesus of Suburbia Holiday St. Jimmy Least Fav: Extraordinary Girl
More sprawling in genre than I realized.
A favorite of mine growing-up. Maybe fed up with a couple songs by overplaying it. Fav Songs : Jesus of Suburbia & Whatsername
3.5 rounded up. Never listened to the whole album before and didn't realize that they had created a "concept" album. Personally I prefer Dookie, but the themes in this one seem more mature and sadly relevant.
Really good, though the second half isn't nearly as strong.
Jesus of Suburbia started and I thought “oooh, I really like this” followed by “is this song still going?” That basically encapsulates my experience of this album- some really strong tunes but a shade too long.
This is one of those albums that I know people really love, and I simply cannot get into it. I'm not sure if its the over-strummed guitars, or his voice which just doesn't change emotion at all. Whatever it is, i can respect that it's different and it was a sound of my generation but I just can't tune to it.
I like Green Day. This is a very strong album, especially “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “American Idiot”.
better than I remembered
Das Album American Idiot der US-amerikanischen Band Green Day wurde 2004 in den Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood sowie in den Studio 880 in Oakland aufgenommen. Die Gruppe, bestehend aus Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt und Tré Cool, ist seit den frühen 1990er-Jahren aktiv und bewegt sich musikalisch im Bereich des Punkrocks mit Einflüssen aus Alternative Rock. American Idiot markiert eine konzeptuelle Wendung in der Bandgeschichte. Es handelt sich um ein sogenanntes Konzeptalbum, das eine lose zusammenhängende Erzählung verfolgt. Die Texte greifen gesellschaftskritische Themen auf und spiegeln eine Reaktion auf die politischen Zustände der damaligen Zeit in den Vereinigten Staaten wider. Musikalisch fällt das Album durch eine klar strukturierte Produktion und eingängige Melodien auf. Besonders hervorzuheben sind die Titel „American Idiot“, der als kraftvoller Auftakt dient, sowie die Ballade „Wake Me Up When September Ends“, die sich durch eine ruhigere, persönliche Note auszeichnet. Auch die beiden längeren Tracks „Jesus of Suburbia“ und „Homecoming“ stechen durch ihren Aufbau in mehreren Abschnitten hervor und zeigen eine andere, eher erzählerische Herangehensweise der Band. Das Album bewegt sich stilistisch zwischen treibenden Punk-Rhythmen und melodischem Rock. Die Instrumentierung ist durchgehend klar und energisch, ohne überladen zu wirken. Im Fazit ist American Idiot ein in sich geschlossenes Werk, das sowohl musikalisch als auch thematisch einen klaren Standpunkt vermittelt. Die Kombination aus politischem Unterton, strukturiertem Songwriting und klarem Sound macht es zu einem auffälligen, aber nicht überladenen Eintrag in der Diskografie der Band.
Classic Green Day. While not my absolute favourite style, the punk rock here is very good and pretty much every track is at least solid. Cool concept too.
# Album Name: American Idiot # Artist: Green Day # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: The album starts off well. Dips in the middle. The band is tight as you would expect. Theres four strong singles on the album - american idiot, holiday , BoBD and September ends. The rest of the album isnt bad. Lots of fillers but some decent tracks. Some songs are definitely too long which helps bump the album up to nearly 60 mins runtime. It could have definitely been cut down in areas. But its a good album with a few tracks as good as their early stuff. # Top Tunes: american idiot, holiday , BoBD and September ends # Would I listen to it again? Yes
Balala
I was very familiar with many songs on this album from my youth, but I had never listened start to finish. I was actually impressed- the themes of loss of innocence and dissenchantment with authority are strong and on brand with Green Day. There were also a lot catchy songs (I've always enjoyed Holiday). My only real critique is sometimes they are a little on the nose. Overall- a very good album
I was never terribly interested in the idea of a punk rock concept album, but this works for what it is. 8.9/10 Best Tracks: "Holiday" "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Graduation year, who knew this would be the last album my circle of high school friends would be associated with. We hated it, we loved it, we didn’t know how to take it. Good grooves, this was their jump from the cliff. They gained a lot of new fans over this one
Huge nostalgia trip. It was fun to revisit an album I bought 20 years ago and gain a new appreciation for it. There were lots of great moments on it that I'd forgotten. I'm not surprised they turned it into a musical.
This may be my favorite album of theirs.
Great album, front loaded with bangers. Mid section of album a bit aversge. Jesus of suburbia best song on the album
I still remember all the words. Played this record our when it was released
Apt for our current political climate. Haven't heard this album in probably close to 20 years. Rating: 4/5
Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams
This isn't my era of Green Day and I still think of this as "new Green Day" even though we are twice as far removed from this as this was from Dookie. Jesus Christ, I'm gonna die soon. Real solid pop punk record.
Green Day went from meandering snot-nosed punks to rock revolutionaries with American Idiot, an album that (eventually) turned suburban disillusionment into a Broadway-sized spectacle. It was loud, furious, and shamelessly ambitious—proof that pop-punk could grow up without losing its bite. Power chords met politics, anthems met angst, and somehow, a nine-minute punk-prog epic (Jesus of Suburbia) made perfect sense. Not every track hit as hard, but when Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and Wake Me Up When September Ends were on the radio, they were undeniable. Love it or roll your eyes at it, American Idiot was one of the great comeback stories.
I'm a bit too old to love Green Day. But this album was fun enough.
Really good album. Classic Green day.
American Idiot Jesus of Suburbia Holiday Boulevard of Broken Dreams Wake Me Up When September Ends
Great album. Minus one star because i hate them
Feels as relevant, if not more so, now than it did in 2004. Big ups to my dad for buying this back then and being a cool rock dad.
I saw Green Day at Reading Festival about 10 years ago (it was 2013 - ed!) and they played a lot of this album. I knew the 'hits' of course but the whole set was damn good. I thought then I'd seek out some more of their stuff. Of course I didn't, but I wish I had.
The first time I've listened to this for many years. I distinctly remember listening to it whilst working in Bristol and having to get the commute by bus... but as everyone else caught on it was so overplayed at the time that even now I will still skip tracks from this album when they come up. It also marked my departure from Green Day really... although I saw the tour show - I've not since bought a Green Day album or seen them live. However, listening to it all the way through for the first time since it came out I thought it was great. Amazed really that the Green Day of 'Dominated Love Slave' went on to create a concept album that got turned into a stage show etc.... excellent.
4/5
Really solid album. I think it’s interesting that in the original version so many of the songs were combined with each other. I wonder what the choice was for that because in the 20th anniversary they are all separated and I think that makes more sense overall and it’s easier to digest that way. And even songs that were combined, only half of the song was a single so it’s a weird concept. Great album though.
OMG this album is knock-your-socks off good. Green Day took no prisoners with their hard-hitting lyrics and those damn good beats. The messages behind "American Idiot" or "Jesus of Suburbia" are so great that I forget it's 2025 and not 2004. And American Idiot is a great example of fusing rock and punk together. This project has shown me that it's the rare artist who can make banger political songs. The only less-than-great item I noticed was that the second part of the album drags on some. The excitement of the first half was so high, and it was noticeably absent in the second half. But to be completely fair, that first half is absolutely iconic 21 years later, and it seems cruel to compare the best fruit to the OK fruit.
Wow, it was a trip to revisit this album in full. I was a teenager when this came out, and it was definitely the sound of an era. As the era of "pop punk" was ending, but before the emo craze took off, teenagers were feeling a specific kind of angst, and this album captured that angst. Green Day comes in and does what they do best, with a more polished, more 2000s spin. And it worked. This album was an absolute craze and several songs from the album have persisted in the music space and are still commonly heard. Probably a 3.5 for me personally, but due to the nostalgia it drummed up AND the timeliness of this album as it pertains to current American idiot behavior, I'm rounding up.
It's so hard for me to keep reviews of albums like these objective because they have such a strong place in time and are so nostalgic. That being said, I think it still holds up. Sure some songs are longer than they need to be and there is some meandering in the lyrics but it still hits. Jesus of Suburbia has a nice little breakdown in there, would have been stronger cut at the halfway point after the little I don't care interlude (though the little somewhere over the rainbow interlude shortly after it's nice too). Don't love how there are a lot of split songs as a lot of these are really strong with one and not as strong with the other (looking at you Give Me Novacaine/Rebel Girl) and would be nice to not have to have both.
Good new punk! :)
3.5 - Good
clasicazo adolescente
Liked this a looott more than their last album I heard! A ton of iconic tracks on this album, most of which still feel very relevant today.
"American Idiot" is a modern rock opera about the disillusionment and hopes of American youth. Although the specific subject matter is vastly different, many themes from this album remain relevant in 2025, such as the disproportionate influence of the wealthy over government and reality television creating superficial fame. Following three underwhelming albums after "Dookie" ("Insomniac," "Nimrod," and "Warning"), along with another album that was abandoned, Green Day's "American Idiot" emerged as a bolder and more lyrically confrontational experience than its recent predecessors, channeling feelings of anger and frustration all wrapped in scathing wit. The evolution of Green Day on this album is evident by their shift in perspective. Instead of focusing on the frustrations of their own personal experiences within society, they leverage those experiences to look at broader societal issues. This approach had them largely set aside their pop sensibilities in favor of embracing more of the spirit and essence of punk. The album structure is also strong, filled with catchy hooks, powerful guitars, smashing beats all enhanced by the dynamic chord progression found in various song chapters, with "Jesus of Suburbia" serving as a prime example. I loved this album when released in 2004. And I still do. Also, it just rocks! Who doesn't love an album that rocks?
Random thoughts: * I saw this album performed live this past summer. It wasn't as fulfilling as hearing Dookie in its entirety live. * On this more critical listening I found several songs that were better than I ever remembered: "Are We the Waiting" "Give Me Novacaine" and "She's a Rebel". * Just like when listening to it live, Homecoming is too long. It just doesn't hold me. * This album should be a classic to me but it never really captured me the way it has others. Maybe I need to spend more time with headphones and reading lyrics. I like this album but always feel like I should LOVE it. It's still pretty good.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this album because I’ve always found Punk stuff to be edgy just to be edgy but apparently I was just looking at the wrong people because this was really good, my only critique was for some reason the vocals erked me occasionally, but apart from that I was still impressed by this everything else on this project. Favorite Tracks: Bouevard of Broken Dreams, Extraordinary Girl, Wake Me Up When September Ends, and Homecoming. P.S: The Apple Music Animated Art is awesome and probably one of the best ones I’ve seen lol
Not my cuppa tea but I can definitely see the appeal
Great album, lots of great songs.
Pretty good
Took me back to year 7!
I don’t love the genre, but band is good, and this is a great album
I wish I could come into this with fresh eyes but twenty years on I think that's impossible for anyone my age. I've heard this countless times in cars, TV, radios. It's simply impossible for me to not have some strong opinions on at least a third of this album. I can't believe how much I went into this with a dislike for many songs for how much they rip. It's hardly surprising but I cannot believe Boulevard won me over. Are We Waiting is a bit of a weak followup though. I do not remember Extrordinary Girl at all. Contrasting to this I have had the start of Letterbomb stuck in my head for 2 decades and only now have I learned where it has been from. I could do without Wake Me Up When September Ends but I cannot truly hold that against this album. I don't hate it in the context of this album but I'd be okay if I never heard the song again, which isn't even a slight against the song itself! All in all this has been a surprising enjoyable jaunt down memory lane. It has been at least a decade since I've listened to this album and it's been a delight.
Really enjoyed listening to an album for my childhood. Brought a lot of memories back. Was great actually focusing on it and listening to all of it.
Green Day - American Idiot This type of music reminds me of early 2000's The Mars Volta. This is soo good. And from what I heard, Green Day has made better albums than even this. This album is packed with fun moments, great riffs and catchy hooks, overall this is really great! 1.- American Idiot = 7/10 2.- Jesus of Suburbia = 10/10 3.- Holiday = 8/10 4.- Boulevard of Broken Dreams = 9/10 5.- Are We the Waiting = 9/10 6.- St. Jimmy = 8/10 7.- Give Me Novacaine = 9/10 8.- She's a Rebel = 7/10 9.- Extraordinary Girl = 8/10 10.- Letterbomb = 8/10 11.- Wake Me up When September Ends = 10/10 12.- Homecoming = 8/10 13.- Whatsername = 7/10 FINAL SCORE: 8.3/10
This is one of those records that I come back to occasionally, knowing full well that it never fails to bring a smile to my face. I’m not a huge fan of the radio singles off this one, however there are some very bright deep cuts, songs like “whatsername” and “St Jimmy” are some of the best music Green Day ever released. What I really want to talk about is the rock opera contained within this album, “Jesus of Suburbia”. At over nine minutes, it’s a far cry from the minute and a half punk rock songs of yore. It is however, as I believe, the single best work that Billie Joe Armstrong has ever created. I can understand criticisms of this track that I’ve seen, people saying the metaphors are weak, and it’s not real punk rock, but I just don’t care. It’s a product of its time, and it’s really an accurate reflection of how young folk were feeling about the world at the time. The section of this song beginning at “Dearly Beloved are you listening?” Is my personal favourite, the simplicity of it musically combined with the brevity of the lyrics really tickles a specific part of my brain. I really like this whole song and I think it alone is worth five stars. Unfortunately I have to take a star off this album due to the incessant and never ending airplay that “Wake Me Up When September Ends” got when it came out.
Good album full of energy listened twice
i’m not the biggest fan of pop punk, but this certainly has its fair share of nostalgic 2000s tunes and fun deep cuts. solid 3.5
да, такой панк конечно это не совсем моё :) бодрая музыка и можно даже сказать весёленькая песенка holiday прикольная :) бульвар разбитых мечтаний мне нравится, за неё одну уже этот альбом можно оценить хотя бы на 4
First time I’ve actually listened through this album. Was pleasantly surprised how good it was aside from the hits everyone knows. What a delight!
Good pop punk record
I will die on the hill that this is a near perfect album
4.5
the music is very entertaining. Head banging punk rage, with a unifying operatic theme. Plenty of creative innovations.
An extraordinarily solid album and also my introduction to Green Day. I saw "American Idiot" when it was premiering at Berkeley Rep and LOVED it, so this album has a fond place in my heart. That being said, I still think that "Dookie" is their best album.
I don’t care about the concept or any of that nonsense, this is just a decent listen. Slightly uneven quality but there are some classics in there. Not punk though but whatever
4.5
I’m not the biggest Green Day fan but this album was a favourite when it originally came out. Been forever since I’ve listened to it in full but it still holds up to this day.
Never really my thing, but I think Green Day might be a great band.
Surprisingly good
I have no strong relationship with this album - I think my media bubble had started to crystallize around this time so I didn't find the singles too omnipresent. Yeah, it's alright I suppose. Nothing too horrible, but not a lot of it really sparks my interest either. Probably rates a 3, but I'm gonna bump it up to 4 as the title track is pretty zeitgeisty now that Trump's second term is underway... 🤦 Fave track - "American Idiot" by a mile...
Fun to listen to
First? 4/5 Again?4/5
7/10. Some classics.
I did not use a private session in Spotify for this one. Good solid rock album, couple of classics.
Erstes Album dass ich jemals ganz gehört und gehabt habe
This was a pretty album for me in 2005. I still enjoy it to this day. 4.5
Clasic, iconic. Nothing can be said that has not been said before.
Would listen again; have always loved Green Day’s sound and this album came out right as i started college so the nostalgia is high; plus i just like it anyway! Favorites: Holiday, boulevard of broken dreams, st. Jimmy, American idiot.
This is one of those albums where I've heard most of the songs, but never listened to it as a cohesive album. I can relate pretty well to the disillusionment of growing up in suburbia around the time this came out and after. It captured the way the world was headed.
Fantastic
Perfect encapsulation of early aughts atomization & disillusionment. Somewhat translatable to the current political environment. Ended Neoconservatism. Stand Out attacks are “Holiday” and “Give Me Novacaine”.
I always thought it was too cheesy, and I still do, but just on great singles it deserves stars
Catchy! Many bangers 💥
Great album
Δυνατό
Gott popp rokk. Solid lagasmíði og var miklu betra en annað sem var í gangi 2004. Flest lögin þarna eru auðvitað ofspiluð í drasl en kemur svosem ekki að sök við yfirferðina.
More complex than albums like Dookie or Insomniac, but still catchy and fun with no bad songs.
Super nostalgic. I remember hearing Holiday on a Tony Hawk game and falling completely in love. The album holds up pretty well and Billy Armstong’s voice remains one of the more distinct voices in music. 4/5
I remember this album's release quite well, despite being young at the time. Green Day hadn't done anything super noteworthy in the few years leading up to this album's release (for what it's worth, I think their prior album "Warning" is pretty underrated). Then boom, the singles were all over the radio during the mid-2000's. Listening to this album all the way through as an adult gives me a better appreciation for it for sure. Being a kid and not fully understanding the socio-political goings-on at the time, the punk rock/pop-punk rage and disillusionment from this era seeps through now. Interesting that the group went the "punk rock opera" route too. As a result, some tracks are very involved and even contain their own "chapters" ("Jesus of Suburbia", which introduces our "main character", and "Homecoming"). It all feels very grand compared to their previous releases, thanks to the overarching narrative. While I still prefer "Dookie", that was much more playful and almost elementary compared to "American Idiot". Both are pop-punk at their respective cores, yet on differing sides of that spectrum. Best tracks: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams (gotta love that transition)
No album better embodies post-9/11 American in the mid-00s. At a time when public enemy number one was our own President and the constant fear of terrorism still burned in our skulls, Green Day put pen to paper and wrote our collective American experience. 3.9/5
Very nostalgic, Bonnie danced to American idiot lol
American Idiot is the seventh studio album by Green Day, originally released in 2004. Like another user commented, it's important to place this album in its context. Green Day were pretty irrelevant prior to this album's release. Their previous record came out 4 years prior to a disappointing reception. This album blew up and I mean BLEW UP. These singles are still getting heavy airplay to this day. And every song on here is so damn catchy. The lyrics haven't aged as well, and I was originally going to give this a 3, but I found myself vibing with every song. It's really the perfect pop punk album. The production is polished but it really fits the music oddly enough. Many people consider Green Day to be sellouts but I think they were just doing what they did best.
Was Green Day a bonafide rock band and I didn't really notice it?! "American Idiot" still holds and is relevant as ever. I didn't remember that "Holiday" and "Boulevard of broken dreams" flowed right into each other. Cool.
I wanted to hate it - because Alternative Rock sucks usually, and these guys are from Berkley which I instinctively dislike; but truth is I couldn’t help but like it. I laughed at American Idiot, aimed at GW Bush but in truth so much more applicable to more recent administrations and current culture in America, and I found I really liked Boulevard and Wake Me Up. All in all a solid album.
Powerful ambitious. Love me a rock opera, and this delivers more so than tommy with discrete, yet part of the whole songs. If dirnt had done more harmonies rather than multitracking BJ (at least on my ear read) and there had been a bit more variety would have been a 5, but its close regardless.
Don’t really like Green Day but this is a good album
I love the transitions. It sounds like they're having so much fun
The song American Idiot was one of the first songs I bought on iTunes (I think the very first was Goodies by Ciara). I listened to it non-stop but never bought the album, so I actually don't know any of the other songs besides Boulevard/Holiday and Wake Me Up When September Ends. I had the compilation CD International Superhits, so all the Green Day nostalgia I have is wrapped up in those songs, not American Idiot. In middle school I went on a very purist/pretentious streak and got deeply into 70s/80s punk (Clash, Ramones, Dead Kennedys etc...). At that time Green Day were huge, and the face of punk/alternative being big in the mainstream. I viewed them as sellout and I wrongly shunned them (sorry Billy Joe). Later in life I realized that they do in fact rule, and started appreciating them as an adult. The end result however, is that I didn't listen to them in those formative years that everyone else did. They were there at the beginning of those times but were absent for the bulk of them, so I have definite nostalgia for them, but it’s not the deepest. From that perspective, American Idiot is quite good but not an all timer for me. The song American Idiot doesn’t do it for me anymore. Boulevard/Holiday are all time greats and will 100% be on my next trip to a Karaoke bar. The rest I alternated between enjoying or thinking “Hey that’s pretty good”. Without the nostalgia bias, this definitely rocks, but it’s not 5 stars. Album cover: (C+) Not trying to be mean here, but it’s not a great graphic. Also a little on the nose.
It's a little bit cheesy at times, and I totally don't understand why there are so many double songs that are quite clearly distinct entities. But this hit all the right nostalgia buttons for me, and it still holds up well for the most part. Shockingly good for me. Came very, very close to five stars.
I've always given Green Day a hard time. I love punk, but compared to the likes of the Dead Kennedy's and Fugazi, GD we're always too bubblegum instead of broken glass. That said, this is a dead good record. Saying that punk is bad because it's accessible is obviously misguided - especially when the message is still pretty consistent. I liked this a lot, and will definitely give it another spin.
Still holds true today
Some commentary here is still relevant. It’s still iconic. One of the classics when it comes to pop-punk. The album feels rather 1 dimensional at times, however.
I'm honestly empathetic to people who can't stand the idea of pop-punk. "pop" and "punk" seem like antonyms in many ways. But I don't think it's inherently bad when ideas of social awareness, consciousness, and empathy are spread to the masses through catchy tunes and polished production - especially during a time as uncertain as the post-9/11, Iraq Operation dominated, and Bush-administration run 2000s. Was Green Day the most effective in doing this? No, not at all. I can name dozens of hip-hop, punk, and even electronic artists who did a much better job of capturing the horrors of this time. But I don't think any were as commercially successful as Green Day with 'American Idiot', I mean just look at those streaming numbers. While I prefer my punk unpolished, dirty, and relentlessly noisy, even I can admit that there's a lot to love here. The opening title track may be one of the best pop-punk songs of all time, topping anything on Green Day's 'Dookie' even. But what follows is a pretty hit-or-miss concept-driven prog pop-punk album following the "Jesus of Suburbia", a man infected with those post-9/11 blues, as he falls into a deep depression and even dabbles with drug usage by the time the songs 'St. Jimmy' and 'Give Me Novacaine' come along. And I guess that's what initially rubbed me the wrong way about this thing, it's an album that focuses on the struggles of the average, seemingly well-off, American as opposed to the struggles of the ones in the direct line of fire of the American military for example. I don't see it that way now though, or maybe I do, but it doesn't bother me as much, at least not during the first half. But by the time JOS meets that rebel girl, and the cheesy-as-all-hell 'Extraordinary Girl' comes along, I roll my eyes. Maybe I don't get the whole thing, maybe it's all meant to be subtly ironic - the name "Jesus of Suburbia" and even "American Idiot" certainly hint at some level of irony. But if that's the case, why waste so much time building the protagonist up to be this tragic figure? Maybe I'm looking into it too deeply and trying to turn this album's concept into something it's not. Green Day's audience is predominantly young white Americans I'd assume, so targeting this concept toward their struggles and feelings of emptiness in an oppressive world only makes sense. And it's always a good sign when you can feel sadness at the ideas of oppression, even when they don't affect you directly, and Green Day captures those feelings quite well here, so for that, I'll still praise the concept of this thing, at least a tiny bit. So yeah, I'm a bit iffy on the concept. And even the playing here I'm very indifferent towards - it's standard. I do like the song 'Letterbomb' from an instrumental standpoint, with all its Husker Du'isms (20 years after the fact...god that band is good...). I'm maybe less partial towards the slower-ballad type tracks, or momentum-killers as I like to call them, especially the overplayed 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams'. I used to feel this way about the song 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' as well, but after learning about the pretty sad backstory of this song, I've started to appreciate its softer approach. The thing I love the most about this album though, by far, is Billy Joe Armstrong's vocals. I mean I love this vocal style in general but, on this album specifically, every damn song is unbelievably catchy, to the point where it's not even fair. It's fun, and the album's near-hour run time flies by - and a ton of these songs have been in my rotation for as long as I can remember. SO, for as cynical as I am towards the social commentary turned teenage drama concept of a record like this, I still ended up forming an almost guilty pleasure relationship with it. Or maybe "guilty" is not the right word, I do still wholeheartedly believe that the title track, 'American Idiot', is incredibly iconic and even "important(???)". Also, the pop-punk music here, in general, is very influential in this genre. Perhaps the best way to describe this album is 'interesting.' It's certainly a period piece, but how well it has aged is entirely up to the listener to decide.
Good album
Not what I usually listen to, so missed a lot of the lyrics. Recognized a couple of songs.
I bought this album on CD from a CeX while on a Scout camp years ago. It was a similar time to when I first got The Black Parade, but while I only found out The Black Parade is a concept album in the last half decade this was my first experience with an album which obviously used music as a way to tell a serialised story. The anti-establishment message defiantly effected my teenage mind for the better. The sound keeps changing and everything is iconic. I dream of seeing the musical on stage. Great album. Favourite track: Wake Me Up When September Ends.
Say what you will about Green Day, the song transitions on the album at perfect.
This album has a lot of things I like: easy to sing along with. Variety of volume and tempo. Multiple voices in chorus or other parts.
Good god this brings back memories. I was in high school when this dropped and I remember hearing it everywhere. At the time I wasn't into the pop-punk stuff (wasn't really into music) and never really gave it the proper listen. Amazing how many songs I was familiar with despite never owning the album.
It was amazing
I think this album is great because I grew up in the early 2000s, and this album is just so iconic from that time. Listening to it now, I wouldn't really call this a punk album. It has some of the lyrical qualities of punk, but not a ton, and it's definitely not punk stylistically (more like pop punk if anything). The hits on this album hold up so hard. They're still so good, even if they've been meme-ified a little. The rest of the songs hold their own weight, but the hits are definitely the highlight of any listen through. Favorite Song(s): Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends
This is a hard album to evaluate. It's definitely not a great punk album. And, I'm not even sure it's a great rock opera. However, it's indisputable that Green Day made a great album. I somehow avoided this album despite living through the early 2000s. I was in my counterculture phase, listening to mostly jam bands, and ironically Green Day was decidedly not counterculture at this point in time. I'm not sure they ever were really, but at least Dookie was a punk album at heart. Of course, I didn't escape the radio hits. They just came and came and came from this album. But, I have to say, listening to the whole thing start to finish, I was really impressed. I knew the popular songs, but I didn't know how it all fit together into the concept album. In fact, I think the songs I enjoyed most were the songs that I hadn't heard before. I liked their composition, I liked their storytelling, and I liked how they incorporated diverse musical styles. This is one of those albums that I didn't love, but I appreciate it. I doubt I'll return to it, maybe a few songs here and there, but I can acknowledge it's greatness. And for that it's a four-star album for me.
Nostalgic as hell. 4/5
Probably would be a 5 star to high school freshman me, but this album does hold up. Even more so with the current political climate
Played REPEATEDLY EVERYWHERE when it was released. Nevertheless, it’s a polished album full of relevance even sadly 20 years after release. Like it.
Rating: 7.5/10 The highlights are fantastic, some of the other songs not so much.
I love the familiarity
I think for nostalgia’s sake I will rate this higher This slapped when i was 15
A great album made weary by overplaying, but nevertheless it desrves it's spot in the 1001
Yesssss. I forgot just how good this album is. A timely listen for me (getting Green Day tickets and Trump’s re-election) and one that I enjoyed all the way through.
Quite nostalgic for me. I wasn't super into Green Day when this was current but I like the singles from this album. The whole thing has good energy to it and is varied enough to stay interesting. Not enough of my cup of tea to play repeatedly but this was a very enjoyable listen
This is easily a classic and a must-listen. Green Day fans and punk rock fans, you got your rock opera, this is it. This is so good.
I sometimes forget about or give a hard time to Green Day, but they’re a very solid trio. I think this album is a bit long for what it is, but thems some catchy ass tunes!
Whatever, list generator. No way this was random. Anyway…this album is really good.
For nostalgia alone this is a great record. Has aged both amazingly and poorly. To some level, felt like a curtain call for that era of pop punk.
It’s rock, it’s punk, but it’s some of the most eclectic rock music.
I think of they leaned more into the St Jimmy rock opera bit and less of the generic fuck bush stuff it would have been much better
Yesterday was the first time I actually didn't have time to write down my thoughts on an album - so my streak is broken! At least I still listened and rated it. Nothing to do with this particularly album, I just wanted to let that out. 'American Idiot', huh? The album that totally revitalised Green Day and gave their longevity a huge jolt after a decline in general interest and sales - despite solid albums like 'Insomniac', 'Nimrod', and the brilliant compilation 'International Superhits!'. Hell, even 'Warning:' is a bit of an underrated discography entry for the band, featuring some good deep cuts and genuine hits on its own. But there's no denying that most of their, albeit falling, commercial success was riding the success of their breakout LP 'Dookie' (a pop punk masterpiece). 'American Idiot' was a result of the lost tapes for an album that was going to be titled 'Cigarettes and Valentines'. And instead of just re-recording what they lost, they started from scratch. Commercially, it was by far the best thing that could have happened to them. But is this album as balls-to-the-wall amazing as its reputation would lead you to believe? Let's break that down. 'American Idiot' is one of the most ambitious pop punk albums you are ever likely to hear - released at a time where you could say the genre had hit its mainstream peak; as a few years later My Chemical Romance would almost rival it in this department with 'The Black Parade'; and I feel like the genre hasn’t seen that kind of success since. ‘American Idiot’, a concept album driven by the narrative of a character who eventually goes by the name of St. Jimmy. Who despises conformity and is stuck in a suburban life being exposed to media saturation. He leaves his home town and goes on a self destructive journey framed around rebellion and freedom. But through the events he goes through and decisions he makes, he ends up struggling with addiction, heartbreak, and the ultimate hollowness of his newfound lifestyle. Eventually he lets go of all that - and comes to the realisation that he must find purpose, not through lashing out at society, but rather searching within himself for the answers. The narrative arc is but a mere backdrop and a means for Green Day to step out of the off-the-wall observational based pop punk they had become comfortable doing and run right into protest anthems that, in all honesty, completely stand the test of time given the political and societal climate we seem to live in now. Songs like ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Holiday’, that directly call out government control and the negative effects of the almost brainwashing nature of the media. The epic 9+ minute suites ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ and ‘Homecoming’ that walk a fine line between pushing the narrative of the storyline forward while also making plenty of critiques on society at large. The tracklist also has its fair share of introspective songs, like the massive hits ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ and ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’. It’s quite a a mixture that’s all layered on top of a Green Day sound that is comfortably familiar with its catchy riffs, fun drumming, and hard bass lines. But they’ve somehow added so much gravitas to it. They sound louder, deeper, and so much more confident than on their previous LP’s. They knew, once a rock opera was the direction, what they needed to do and in that regard they pass with flying colours. The problem is that for all the mighty highs Green Day achieve on ‘American Idiot’, there is a certain level of forgettable tracks in between them. ‘St. Jimmy’, ‘Give Me Novacaine’, ‘Extraordinary Girl’, ‘Letterbomb’, and ‘Whatshername’ - all fine tracks. But sees them fall backwards a little in confidence and they seem like entries to merely fill up the tracklist, moreso than major contributors despite the lyrical content. It’s honestly hard to really give this a proper rating because it truly is a 3.5/5 album, in my opinion. The high points are good enough to gravitate it to a 4, but the lower points stand out enough to keep it grounded at a 3. But I ultimately decided on giving this a 4 because this site doesn’t like .5’s, and also because the impact ‘American Idiot’ had cannot be overstated; not just for Green Day’s career, but also its effect on the pop punk scene in general. The fact is most of it stands the test of time for a reason - and you’re guaranteed to find at least some appreciation in it if you’re in any way a fan of pop punk. If you’re a hardcore fan of Green Day, on the other hand, chances are ‘American Idiot’ is probably on your Mount Rushmore. As a huge fan of the genre myself, I think it’s solid and worth listening to for the high points alone. 4/5
Oh man. This album brings back memories. Of my gr 9 best friend, obsessed with Billy Joe, hanging out in her room fully decked out in Green Day posters, playing the Sims 2 with this on repeat in the background. For better or worse, this was probably the album of my generation. And you know what, coming back to it 20 years later, it's not bad.
Man, 4th grade James would’ve given this a 5 in a grenade heart beat. This is my first time listening straight through since probably 2006. Holiday is still a banger and I had completely forgotten about whatsername which I liked a lot. As a whole it’s hard to separate this from the now quaint seeming anti-Bush politics that sparked it. As a rock opera it is useless. But, it is a classic with some fun songs and I have a soft spot for it.
8.5
Classic
There wasn’t much like it in 2004. They filled a gap and it landed. I like the earlier albums better but this one is excellent
Cannot be objective, pure nostalgia for me. Pop punk brilliance.
Classic
Not my favorite green day album, and I really went to listen to it with a lot of prejudice, this was the album they turned emo and I reaaaaally disliked that move, but I was sidetracked today with how good it was, it was quite enjoyable
ya'll already KNOW how this makes me feel
este disco quedó de lado porque en esos años American Idiot era suficiente para mí, pero ahora, 20 años después, me doy cuenta de lo que me perdí. Me gusta cómo las canciones se siguen unas con otras y entiendo todo el contexto político también. Igual podría ser un poco más conciso.
Title track fucking rocks. Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams is imo their best song in their entire discography, let alone on this album Starts off really good but after Extraordinary Girl/Letterbomb it tails off a bit WMUWSE is a bit overrated - it's good but not that good
I'm quite familiar this record and was a big part of my early 20s. Still holds up. 4 stars.
Much better than expected. Did they influence Arctic Monkeys?
Pop-punk goodness, hard contest if this or Dookie is their best album
I really enjoyed this! Lots of angry energy, I remember the frustration everybody was feeling when it first came out, it easily summed up how the world was feeling at the time. And it has some absolute bangers on it!