Green Day

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Green Day
Background Information
Also known as	Sweet Children
Origin	East Bay, California, U.S.
Genre(s)	Punk rock, Pop punk, Alternative rock, Hard rock, Rap rock
Years active	1986 - present
Label(s)	Reprise, Warner Records, Lookout!
Associated acts	Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, Iggy Pop, Garbage, The Frustrators, U2, The Armstrongs, SWMRS
Influences	The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks
Members	Billie Joe Armstrong Mike Dirnt Tré Cool

Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool. Cool replaced former drummer John Kiffmeyer in 1990, prior to the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk, and has been a member of the band ever since.

Green Day was originally part of the punk scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases for the independent record label Lookout! Records earned it a grassroots fanbase. In 1994, its major label debut Dookie became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in The U.S. Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow California punk bands Sublime, The Offspring, and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in The United States. Green Day's three next albums, Insomniac, Nimrod, and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, though they were still successful, with Insomniac and Nimrod reaching double platinum status and Warning reaching gold. The band's rock opera, American Idiot (2004), reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling five million copies in The United States. The band's eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released in 2009. Their next albums, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, were recorded simultaneously, and were released on September 25, 2012, November 13, 2012, and January 15, 2013 respectively.

Green Day has sold over 65 million records worldwide with 25 million in the US alone. The group has won five Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Best Rock Album for the second time for 21st Century Breakdown and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording. In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The musical has been nominated for several Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Scenic Design, and has received generally positive reviews.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2015, their first year of eligibility.

Band Members

Current Members

• Billie Joe Armstrong (1987 – present)
  • Lead guitar
  • Lead vocals
• Mike Dirnt (1987 – present)
  • Bass guitar
  • Backing vocals
• Tré Cool (1990 – present)
  • Drums
  • Percussion
  • Backing vocals

Touring members

• Jason White (1999 – present)
  • Rhythm guitar
  • Backing vocals
• Jason Freese (2004 – present)
  • Keyboard
  • Piano
  • Acoustic guitar
  • Trombone
  • Saxophone
  • Accordion
  • Backing vocals
• Jeff Matika (2009 – 2019)
  • Rhythm guitar
  • Backing vocals

Former Members

• Al Sobrante (1987 – 1990)
  • Drums
  • Percussion
  • Backing vocals
• Jason White (2012 – 2016)
  • Rhythm guitar
• Sean Hughes (1987 – 1990)
  • Bass
• Raj Punjabi (1987 – 1988)
  • Drums
  • Percussion
  • Backing vocals

Discography

Main article: Green Day discography

Albums

• 39/Smooth (1990)
• Kerplunk! (1992)
• Dookie (1994)
• Insomniac (1995)
• Nimrod (1997)
• Warning (2000)
• American Idiot (2004)
• 21st Century Breakdown (2009)
• !Uno! (2012)
• !Dos! (2012)
• !Tre! (2013)
• Revolution Radio (2016)
• Father of All... (2020)
• Saviors (2024)

Compilations

• 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991)
• International Superhits! (2001)
• Shenanigans (2002)
• Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band (2017)

Live albums

• Foot in Mouth (1996)
• Bullet in a Bible (2005)
• Last Night on Earth: Live in Tokyo (2009)
• Awesome as F**k (2011)

Extended Plays

• Slappy (1990)
• 1,000 Hours (1989)
• Sweet Children (1990)

Videography

• Bullet in a Bible (2005)
• Awesome as F**k (2011)

Music Videos

• "Longview" (1994)
• "Welcome To Paradise" (1994)
• "Basket Case" (1994)
• "When I come Around" (1994)
• "Geek Stink Breath" (1995)
• "Stuck With Me" (1995)
• "Brain Stew/Jaded" (1995)
• "Walking Contradiction" (1996)
• "Hitchin' A Ride" (1997)
• "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" (1997)
• "Redundant" (1998)
• "Nice Guys Finish Last" (1998)
• "Last Ride In" (1999)
• "Minority" (2000)
• "Warning" (2000)
• "Waiting" (2001)
• "Macy's Day Parade" (2001)
• "American Idiot" (2004)
• "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (2004)
• "Holiday" (2005)
• "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (2005)
• "Jesus of Suburbia" (2005)
• "The Saints Are Coming" (2006)
• "Working Class Hero" (2007)
• "Know Your Enemy" (2009)
• "21 Guns" (2009)
• "East Jesus Nowhere" (2009)
• "21st Century Breakdown" (2009)
• "Last of the American Girls" (2010)
• "Cigarettes and Valentines" (2011)
• "Oh Love" (2012)
• "Kill the DJ" (2012)
• "Nuclear Family" (2012)
• "Stay the Night" (2012)
• "Troublemaker" (2012)
• "Stray Heart" (2012)
• "The Forgotten" (2012)
• "Bang Bang" (2016)
• "Still Breathing" (2016)
• "Revolution Radio" (2017)
• "Back in the USA" (2017)
• "2000 Light Years Away" (2017)
• "Youngblood" (2018)
• "Father of All..." (2019)
• "Fire, Ready, Aim!" (2019)
• "Oh Yeah!" (2020)
• "Meet Me On the Roof" (2020)
• "Dreaming" (2020)
• "Here Comes the Shock" (2021)
• "Pollyanna" (2021)

Trivia

• Green Day was formerly known as Sweet Children.
• Al Sobrante's real name is John Kiffmeyer.
• Tré Cool's real name is Frank Edwin Wright III, and was born in Frankfurt, Germany.
• Mike Dirnt's real name is Michael Ryan Pritchard.