{{About|the band Green Day|the Japanese holiday|Greenery Day}}

{{pp-semi-blp|small=yes}}

{{pp-move-indef}}

{{Infobox musical artist| <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->

| Name = Green Day

| Img = GreenDay21st.jpg

| Img_capt = Green Day performing on May 7, 2009 in support of ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]''. Left to right: Tré Cool, touring musician Jason Freese, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Mike Dirnt.

| Img_size = 250

| Landscape =

| Background = group_or_band

| Origin = [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]], [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]]<!--DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT A TALK PAGE DISCUSSION -->

| Genre = [[Punk rock]]<br />[[Pop punk]]<br />[[Alternative rock]]<!-- DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT A TALK PAGE DISCUSSION -->

| Years_active = <!--Do not change this; see WP:MOSNUM#Other date ranges--> 1987–present

| Label = [[Lookout! Records|Lookout!]], [[Skene! Records|Skene!]], [[Reprise Records|Reprise]], [[Adeline Records|Adeline]]

| Associated_acts = [[The Lookouts]], [[Pinhead Gunpowder]], [[The Frustrators]], [[The Network]], [[Foxboro Hot Tubs]]

| URL = [http://www.greenday.com/ greenday.com]

| Current_members = [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] <br />[[Mike Dirnt]] <br /> [[Tré Cool]]

| Past_members = [[John Kiffmeyer]] }}

'''Green Day''' is an American [[Rock music|rock]] trio<!--Do not change; this is the genre settled on for the lead section after much discussion on the talk page. Other genre labels are discussed further down and are listed in the infobox --> formed in 1987.<ref name="sfonline">"[http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/rock-n-ribs-beginnings Rock 'n' Ribs Beginnings | San Francisco online]". Retrieved 2009-11-28.</ref> The band has consisted of [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] ([[lead vocals|vocals]], [[guitar]]), [[Mike Dirnt]] ([[bass guitar]], [[backing vocals|vocals]]), and [[Tré Cool]] ([[drum kit|drums]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]]) for the majority of its existence.

Green Day was originally part of the [[punk rock]] scene at [[924 Gilman Street]] in [[Berkeley, California]]. The band's early releases for [[independent record label]] [[Lookout! Records]] earned it a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label.<ref name=happenednext>Guitar Legends. "[http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/articles/guitarlegends/page8.jpg What Happened Next...]." Retrieved on August 20, 2007</ref> Nevertheless, its major label debut ''[[Dookie]]'' (1994) became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide.<ref name="autogenerated3">Myers, Ben. "[http://www.disinfo.com/site/displayarticle15670.html Green Day: American Idiot and the New Punk Explosion]" April, 2006.</ref> As a result, Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow [[Punk rock in California|California punk]] bands [[The Offspring]] and [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]], with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States.<ref>DeRogatis, Jim. ''Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's.'' Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. Pg. 357, ISBN 0-306-81271-1</ref><ref name="punk revival">{{cite web | author=D'Angelo, Joe | year=2004 | title=How Green Day's Dookie Fertilized A Punk-Rock Revival | work=MTV.com | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1491001/20040915/story.jhtml | dateformat=mdy |accessdate=July 26, 2006}}</ref> Green Day's three follow-up albums, ''[[Insomniac (Green Day album)|Insomniac]]'', ''[[Nimrod (album)|Nimrod]]'' and ''[[Warning (Green Day album)|Warning]]'' did not achieve the massive success of ''Dookie,'' but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum, and gold status respectively.<ref>[http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-g/greenday_main.htm Rock On The Net: Green Day<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Green Day's 2004 [[rock opera]] ''[[American Idiot]]'' reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling five million copies in the U.S.<ref name="timeline">{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Green Day Timeline | date= | publisher=[[Rock on the Net]] | url =http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-g/greenday_main.htm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-05-04 | language = }}</ref> The band's eighth studio album, ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]'', was released on May 15, 2009.

Green Day has sold over 22 million records in the United States.<ref>[http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTopArt RIAA - Gold & Platinum]. Retrieved 2010-01-19.</ref> They have won four [[Grammy Awards]]; [[Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Album]] for ''Dookie'', [[Best Rock Album]] for ''American Idiot'', [[Record of the Year]] for "[[Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day song)|Boulevard of Broken Dreams]]", Best Rock Album for the second time for ''21st Century Breakdown''.

==Band history==

===Formation and Lookout years: 1987–1993===

{{Listen|filename=03 Welcome To Paradise.ogg|title="Welcome to Paradise"

|description=Sample of "[[Welcome to Paradise]]" from ''[[Kerplunk (album)|Kerplunk]]'' This was before Green Day re-recorded the song for its major-label debut ''[[Dookie]]''.|format=[[Ogg]]}}

In 1987, friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time, formed a band called '''Sweet Children'''. The first Sweet Children show took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in [[Vallejo, California]] where Armstrong's mother was working.<ref name="sfonline"/> In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working with former [[Isocracy (band)|Isocracy]] drummer, [[John Kiffmeyer]] (also known as Al Sobrante). Kiffmeyer served as both the band's drummer and business manager, handling the booking of shows and helping the band establish a fan base.<ref name="autogenerated2">www.greenday.net/hitlistinterviewbj.html Hit List Interview - Billie Joe Armstrong, July 18, 2001</ref>

[[Larry Livermore]], owner of [[Lookout! Records]], saw the band play an early show and signed them to his label. In 1989 they recorded their first [[Extended play|EP]], ''[[1,000 Hours]]''. Before 1,000 Hours was released, the band dropped the name Sweet Children, according to Livermore this was done to avoid confusion with another local band [[Sweet Baby]].<ref>{{cite news | author= | year= | title=Interview with Lawrence Livermore: An inside look at Green Day's early years | work=www.greenday.net//livermore.htm|accessdate=July 26, 2006}}</ref> The band adopted the name Green Day, allegedly due to their fondness of [[marijuana]].<ref>[http://archive.metropolis.co.jp/tokyomusicconcerts/concert/359/tokyomusicconcertsinc.htm - Music and Concerts: Green Day<!]</ref>

Lookout! would release Green Day's first [[Album|LP]], ''[[39/Smooth]]'' in early 1990. Green Day would record two EPs later that year: ''[[Slappy]]'' and ''[[Sweet Children (EP)|Sweet Children]],'' the latter of which included some older songs they had recorded for [[Minneapolis]] indie label Skene! Records. In 1991, Lookout! Records released ''[[1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours]],'' a compilation of the ''39/Smooth,'' ''[[Slappy]],'' and ''1,000 Hours'' EPs. In late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Sobrante left the East Bay area to attend college.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> [[The Lookouts]] drummer Tré Cool began filling in as a temporary replacement, and when it became clear that Sobrante did not plan to commit to the band full time, Tré Cool's position as Green Day's drummer became permanent. The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993, and played a stretch of shows overseas in [[Europe]]. The band's second full length album ''[[Kerplunk (album)|Kerplunk]]'' sold about 50,000 copies in the U.S.<ref>Thompson, Dave. "Green Day." ''Alternative Rock.'' San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000.</ref>

===Breakthrough success: 1994–1996===

''Kerplunk's'' underground success led to a wave of interest coming from major record labels, and they eventually left Lookout! on friendly terms and signed with [[Reprise Records]] after attracting the attention of producer [[Rob Cavallo]]. Signing to Reprise caused many punk rock fans to regard Green Day as [[Selling out|sellouts]].<ref name=happenednext /> Reflecting on the period, Armstrong told ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine in 1999, "I couldn't go back to the punk scene, whether we were the biggest success in the world or the biggest failure ... The only thing I could do was get on my bike and go forward."<ref>Smith, RJ. "Top 90 Albums of the 90's." ''SPIN.'' August 1999.</ref> After signing with Reprise, the band went to work on recording its major label debut, ''[[Dookie]].''

{{Listen

|filename = Longview.ogg

|title = "Longview"

|description = Sample of "Longview", the first single from ''Dookie'', which combined a memorable bass line with a guitar riff and drums introduced in the chorus.

| filename2 = Basket Case1.ogg

| title2 = "Basket Case"

| description2 = Sample of "Basket Case", the third single from ''Dookie'', which was about [[Billie Joe Armstrong|Armstrong]]'s panic attacks.

}}

Released in February 1994, and recorded in 3 weeks,<ref>[http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1779:2213/1/Green_Day.htm Biography Channel - Green Day]</ref> ''Dookie'' became a commercial success, helped by extensive [[MTV]] airplay for the videos of the songs "[[Longview (song)|Longview]]", "[[Basket Case (song)|Basket Case]]", and "[[When I Come Around]]", all of which reached the number one position on the [[Modern Rock Tracks]] charts. That year, Green Day embarked on a nationwide tour with [[queercore]] band [[Pansy Division]] as its opening act. At a September 9, 1994 concert at Boston Esplanade, mayhem broke-out during the band's set (cut short to seven songs) and by the end of the rampage, 100 people were injured and 45 arrested.<ref>[[Fricke, David]] (1999-12-16), "Our Back Pages". ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (828/829):85</ref> The band also joined the lineups of both the [[Lollapalooza]] festival and [[Woodstock 1994]], where they started an infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist [[Mike Dirnt]] for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth. Viewed by millions by [[pay-per-view]] television, the Woodstock 1994 performance further aided Green Day's growing publicity and recognition,<ref name=behindthemusic>"Green Day". ''[[Behind the Music]].'' [[Vh1]], 2000.</ref> and helped push its album to eventual [[RIAA certification|diamond status]]. In 1995, ''Dookie'' won the [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Album]] and the band was nominated for 9 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year.<ref>Green Day Authority. "[http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/awards.php?section=dookie Band Awards - Dookie]" "Green Day Authority."</ref>

In 1995, a new single for the ''[[Angus (film)|Angus]]'' soundtrack was released, titled "[[J.A.R.]]". The single went straight to number one on the Billboard [[Modern Rock Tracks]] chart. The song was followed by the band's new album, ''[[Insomniac (Green Day album)|Insomniac]],'' which was released in the fall of 1995. ''Insomniac'' was a much darker and heavier response by the band, compared to the poppier, more melodic ''Dookie.''<ref name=behindthemusic /> ''Insomniac'' opened to a warm critical reception, earning 4 out of 5 stars from ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', which said "In punk, the good stuff actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets."<ref>Coleman, Mark. "Insomniac." ''Rolling Stone.'' November 1995.</ref> ''Insomniac'' used a piece of art by [[Winston Smith (artist)|Winston Smith]] entitled ''[[God Told Me to Skin You Alive]]'' for its album cover. The singles released from ''Insomniac'' were "[[Geek Stink Breath]]", "[[Brain Stew/Jaded]]", "[[Walking Contradiction]]", and "[[Stuck With Me]]". Though the album did not approach the success of ''Dookie,'' it still sold two million copies in the United States.<ref>[http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS RIAA]</ref> ''Insomniac'' won the band award nominations for Favorite Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite Alternative Artist at the 1996 [[American Music Awards]], and the video for "Walking Contradiction" got the band a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short Form, in addition to a Best Special Effects nomination at the MTV Video Music Awards.<ref>Green Day Authority. [http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/awards.php?section=insomniac Band Awards - Insomniac] "Green Day Authority."</ref> After that, the band abruptly cancelled a European tour, citing exhaustion.<ref name="snotty">Di Perna, Alan. "[http://www.oocities.com/vintageinterviews/greenday.html Young, Loud, and Snotty]." ''Guitar World.'' August 1996.{{Dead link|date=January 2010}}</ref>

===Middle era and fall in popularity: 1997–2002===

After taking a break in 1996, Green Day began to work on a new album in 1997. From the outset, both the band and Cavallo agreed that the album had to be different from its previous records.<ref>Spitz, Marc. ''Nobody Likes You.'' New York: Hyperion, 2006. Pg. 128.</ref> The result was ''[[Nimrod (album)|Nimrod]],'' an experimental deviation from the band's standard pop-punk brand of music. The new album was released in October 1997. It provided a variety of music, from pop-punk, [[surf rock]], and [[ska]], to an acoustic ballad. ''Nimrod'' entered the charts at number 10. The success of "[[Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)]]" won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video for the song's video, which depicted people undergoing major changes in their lives while Billie Joe Armstrong strummed his acoustic guitar.<ref>Green Day Authority. [http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/awards.php?section=nimrod Band Awards - nimrod.] "Green Day Authority."</ref> The song was also used in the second "clip show" episode of ''[[Seinfeld]]'' and on two episodes of ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]''. The other singles released from ''Nimrod'' were "[[Nice Guys Finish Last]]", "[[Hitchin' a Ride (Green Day song)|Hitchin' a Ride]]" and "[[Redundant (song)|Redundant]]". The band made a guest appearance in an episode of ''[[King of the Hill]]'' entitled "The Man Who Shot Cane Skretteberg", which aired in 1997.

In 2000, Green Day released ''[[Warning (Green Day album)|Warning]],'' a step further in the style that they had hinted at with ''Nimrod''. Critics' reviews of the album were varied.<ref name=metacritic>[http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/greenday/warning Green Day: Warning (2000): Reviews<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Allmusic]] gave it 4.5/5 saying "''Warning'' may not be an innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:88q5g44ptv5z~T1|title=Warning|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=2009-07-10}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' was more critical, giving it 3/5, and saying "''Warning''... invites the question: Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social commentary from what used to be snot-core's biggest-selling band?"<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/97165/greenday?pageid=rs.ArtistDiscography&pageregion=triple1&rnd=1114159648830&has-player=true ''Warning'' review], [[Rolling Stone]]</ref> Though it produced the hit "[[Minority (song)|Minority]]" and a smaller hit with "[[Warning (Green Day song)|Warning]]", some observers were coming to the conclusion that the band was losing relevance,<ref name=metacritic/> and a decline in popularity followed. While all of Green Day's past albums had reached a status of at least double platinum, ''Warning'' was only certified gold.

At the 2001 California Music Awards, Green Day won all eight awards that they were nominated for. They won the awards for Outstanding Album (''Warning''), Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album (''Warning''), Outstanding Group, Outstanding Male Vocalist, Outstanding Bassist, Outstanding Drummer, Outstanding Songwriter and Outstanding Artist.<ref>Green Day Authority. "[http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/awards.php?section=warn Band Awards - Warning]" "Green Day Authority".</ref>

The release of a Greatest Hits compilation, ''[[International Superhits!]]'', and an assemblage of B-sides, ''[[Shenanigans (album)|Shenanigans]]'', followed ''Warning''. ''International Superhits'' and its companion collection of music videos, ''[[International Supervideos!]]'', sold reasonably well, going platinum in the U.S. ''Shenanigans'' contained some of the band's B-sides, including "Espionage" which was featured in ''[[Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me]]'' and was nominated for a Grammy for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance|Best Rock Instrumental Performance]].

In the spring of 2002, Green Day co-headlined the [[Pop Disaster Tour]] with [[Blink-182]]. Despite the co-headlining title, Green Day would play each show before Blink-182, who at the time were experiencing more success. The tour was documented on the DVD ''[[Riding in Vans with Boys]]''.

===''American Idiot'' and renewed success: 2003–2006===

[[Image:MK Bowl Concert.jpg|thumb|Spectators watch Green Day from the grass slopes at the [[National Bowl]].]]

In the summer of 2003 the band went into a studio to write and record new material for a new album, tentatively titled ''[[Cigarettes and Valentines]].''<ref>Spitz, pg. 152.</ref> After completing 20 tracks, the [[Master recording|master tapes]] were stolen from the studio. The band chose not to try to re-create the stolen album, but instead started over. By the end of 2003{{When|date=June 2009}}, Green Day collaborated with [[Iggy Pop]] on two tracks for his album ''[[Skull Ring]]''. On February 1, 2004 a new song, a cover of "[[I Fought the Law]]" made its debut on a commercial for [[iTunes]] during [[NFL]] [[Super Bowl XXXVIII]]. The band underwent serious "band therapy," engaging in several long talks to work out the members' differences after accusations from Dirnt and Cool that Armstrong was "the band's Nazi"<ref>{{cite web| author=Hendrickson, Matt| year=2005| title=Green Day — How the brats grew up, bashed Bush and conquered the world| work=Rolling Stone| url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6959133/greenday?pageid=rs.News&pageregion=single2&rnd=1108277555953&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.872| dateformat=mdy| accessdate=November 24, 2005}}</ref> and a show-off bent on taking the limelight from the other band members.

The resulting 2004 album, ''[[American Idiot]]'', debuted at number one on the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] charts, the band's first ever album to top the chart, backed by the success of the album's first single, "American Idiot." The album was billed as a "punk [[rock opera]]" which follows the journey of the fictitious "[[Jesus of Suburbia]]".<ref>Di Perna, Alan. "Combat Rock." ''Guitar World.'' Holiday 2004.</ref> ''American Idiot'' won the [[47th Grammy Awards|2005 Grammy]] for "Best Rock Album" and the band swept the 2005 MTV music awards, winning a total of seven of the eight awards they were nominated for, including the coveted Viewer's Choice Award.<ref>Green Day Authority. "[http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/awards.php?section=ai Band Awards - American Idiot]" "Green Day Authority."</ref>

Through 2005, the band toured in support of the album with about 150 dates — the longest tour in its career — visiting Japan, Australia, South America and the United Kingdom, where they drew a crowd of 130,000 people over a span of two days. While touring for ''American Idiot'', they filmed and recorded the two concerts at the [[Milton Keynes]] [[National Bowl]] in England, which was voted 'The Best Show On Earth' in a ''[[Kerrang!]]'' Magazine Poll.

These recordings were released as a live CD and DVD called ''[[Bullet in a Bible]]'' on November 15, 2005. This CD/DVD featured hits from ''American Idiot'' as well as a few songs from all its previous albums, except "Kerplunk" and "1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". The DVD featured behind-the-scenes footage of the band, and showed how the band prepared to put on the show. The final shows of its 2005 world tour were in [[Sydney]], Australia, and [[Melbourne]], Australia, on December 14 and 17 respectively. On January 10, 2006 the band was awarded with a [[People's Choice Award]] for favorite group.

[[Image:HaseAufCenterstage.jpg|thumb|375px|Green Day live in Germany during the ''American Idiot'' tour.]]

On August 1, 2005, Green Day announced that that it had rescinded the master rights to its pre-''Dookie'' material from Lookout! Records, citing a continuing [[breach of contract]] regarding unpaid royalties, a complaint shared with other Lookout! bands.<ref>[http://www.punknews.org/article/13338 Punknews.org| Lookout! downsizes, scales back plans for the future<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The pre-''Dookie'' material, which remained out of print for about a year, was reissued by the band's current label, Reprise, on January 9, 2007.<ref name="Billboard">[http://www.greendayauthority.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1166180174&archive=&start_from=&ucat=& Reissue Article] on greendayauthority.com</ref>

In 2006, Green Day won the [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year]] for "[[Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day song)|Boulevard of Broken Dreams]]"<ref>"[http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=Green%20Day&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1 Green Day's Grammy Awards]" Grammy.com.</ref> which spent 16 weeks at the number one position of Billboard's ''Modern Rock Tracks'', a record it shared along with [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]' "[[Scar Tissue]]" and [[Staind]]'s "[[It's Been Awhile]]," (the record has been since been beaten by [[Foo Fighters]]' 2007 hit "[[The Pretender (song)|The Pretender]]" which reigned at the top spot for 18 weeks).

[[Brandon Flowers]] of [[The Killers]] went on record in 2007 claiming that Green Day's politically driven concept album ''[[American Idiot]]'' displays "calculated [[Anti-Americanism]]." He explained that he has problems with the album content itself and the fact that the band's live DVD, ''[[Bullet in a Bible]]'', was filmed in England. The taping of the concert, featured on ''Bullet in a Bible'', shows thousands of [[European ethnic groups|Europeans]] singing along to "American Idiot." Stating that he felt Green Day's DVD is a bit of a stunt, he said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song - those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it. And he ([[Billie Joe Armstrong]]) knew it."<ref>Rolling Stone Magazine Issue 1014 November 30 - Q&A Brandon Flowers, by Austin Scaggs pg 36</ref>

===Foxboro Hot Tubs and ''21st Century Breakdown'': 2007–present===

[[Image:Green Day live.jpg|thumb|Green Day performing during a secret show at the Kesselhaus in Berlin on May 7, 2009.]]

{{Listen

| filename = Green Day - 21 Guns.ogg

| title = "21 Guns"

| description = Sample of "21 Guns", the second single from ''21st Century Breakdown''

}}

Green Day engaged in several other smaller projects in the time following the hype of American Idiot. Green Day released a new album under the band name [[Foxboro Hot Tubs]] entitled ''[[Stop Drop and Roll!!!]]''. In 2008, the Foxboro Hot Tubs went on a mini-tour to promote the record, hitting tiny Bay Area venues including the Stork Club in Oakland and Toot’s Tavern in Crockett, CA. One song, “Ruby Room,” even gives a shout-out to the Oakland dive bar where “the Pabst Blue Ribbon unravels.”<ref>Crooks, Peter. [http://www.diablomag.com/Diablo-Magazine/July-2008/Green-Day-20/ "Greenday 2.0"] Diablo Magazine, July 2008.</ref>

In an interview with ''[[Kerrang!]]'', Armstrong revealed that 2008 would "be a fair estimate of the release date of their new untitled eighth studio album for Green Day."<ref>www.greendayauthority.com/magazines/kerrang/122006.jpg</ref> In an interview with Carson Daly, [[Garbage (band)|Garbage]] lead singer [[Shirley Manson]] revealed that [[Butch Vig]] would be producing Green Day's forthcoming album.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[MTV News]]|date=2008-10-14|title=Green Day Are In The Studio With Butch Vig For New Album, Online Video Confirms|author=James Montgomery|url=http://www.mtv.com./news/articles/1596973/20081014/green_day.jhtml}}</ref> The span of nearly five years between ''American Idiot'' and ''21st Century Breakdown'' was the longest gap between studio albums in Green Day's career. The band had been working on new material since January 2006. By October 2007, Armstrong had 45 songs written, but the band showed no further signs of progress until October 2008, when a video of the group recording with producer Butch Vig in the studio was posted on YouTube. Two videos showing the band in the studio were posted on YouTube.<ref>{{cite news|title=Green Day in studio with Nirvana producer|date=2008-10-14|author=Jonathan Cohen|publisher=[[Reuters]]|url=http://ca.reuters.com./article/entertainmentNews/idCATRE49E04920081015}}</ref><ref name="green day at studio 10-09-08">{{cite web | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yGoEG1Jn5s | title = Green Day recording at studio Oct 9 | publisher = GreenDayStuff | date = 2008-10-21 | accessdate= 2008-10-09}}</ref> In the tour section of the band's official website, the message "World Tour coming soon!" is shown.<ref>http://www.greenday.com/site/tour_black.php</ref><ref>www.greendayauthority.com</ref> The writing and recording process, spanning three years and four recording studios, was finally finished in April 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Green Day Reflects On '21st Century Breakdown' |url=http://www.gantdaily.com/news/12/ARTICLE/49905/2009-04-27.html |publisher=Gantdaily.com |date=April 27, 2009 |accessdate=2009-05-31}}</ref>

The new album, titled ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]'', was released worldwide on May 15, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/72615/green_day|title=Green Day unveil new album release date|accessdate=2009-03-30|date=2009-03-27|publisher=[[idiomag]]}}</ref> It received rave reviews from the likes of Nirvana's Krist Novoselic.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Krist Novoselic: 21st-Century Breakdown Is Green Day at Their Best|url = http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/05/21st-century_breakdown_is_gree.php|accessdate = 2009-05-27}}</ref> The album had mainly positive reception from critics, getting an average rating between 4 and 5 stars. After the release, the album hit #1 in fourteen different countries, hitting Gold or Platinum in each. ''21st Century Breakdown'' achieved Green Day's best chart performance to date. The band started playing shows in California in April and early May. It was their first live show in about 3 years. Green Day is currently on a world tour that started in North America in July, 2009 and continuing around the world throughout the rest of 2009 and early 2010.<ref name="livedaily">{{cite news |last=Madison |first=Tjames |title=Green Day taps big names as tour opners |url=http://www.livedaily.com/news/19183.html |publisher=[[LiveDaily]] |date=May 26, 2009 |accessdate=2009-06-01}}</ref>

It has also been announced that Green Day will be getting their own Rock Band video game entitled [[Green Day: Rock Band]]. A trailer of the game was shown during the [[Spike Video Game Awards|Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009]]. It is set to release sometime in 2010.<ref>http://www.rockband.com/news/greenday-rockband-announcement</ref>

Green Day do plan on having a follow up album within the next couple years, but no specific dates have been stated. They have said that they are writing new material.<ref>http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1630900/20100131/green_day.jhtml?rsspartner=rssYahooNewscrawler</ref>

==Musical style and influences==

Green Day's sound is often compared to first wave punk bands such as the [[Ramones]], [[The Clash]], [[Sex Pistols]], [[The Jam]], and the [[Buzzcocks]].<ref name="snotty" /><ref>Azerrad, Michael. ''[[Our Band Could Be Your Life]]''. Little Brown and Company, 2001. Pg. 496. ISBN 0-316-78753-1</ref> The majority of their song catalog is composed of overdriven guitar, fast, manic drums, and relatively high-treble bass. Most of their songs are fast-paced and under four minutes. Billie Joe Armstrong has mentioned that some of his biggest influences are seminal [[alternative rock]] bands [[Hüsker Dü]] and [[The Replacements (band)|The Replacements]], and that their influence is particularly noted in the band's chord changes in songs.<ref name="snotty" /> In fact, Green Day has covered Hüsker Dü's "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" as a B-side for the "Warning" single, and the character "Mr. Whirly" in their song "Misery" is a reference to the Replacements song of the same name.<ref>Di Perna, Alan. "Far From The Maddening Crowd". ''Guitar World''. December 2000.</ref> Among other influences, Green Day have also cited [[Queen (Band)|Queen]],<ref>{{cite journal|last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |coauthor=Matt Hendrickson |title=Green Day |journal=Rolling Stones |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/how_green_day_conquered_the_world}}</ref> [[proto-punk]]s [[The Who]], and [[power pop]] pioneers [[Cheap Trick]].<ref name="Spin Interview">"[http://www.spin.com/articles/green-day-we-love-who-and-cheap-trick Green Day: "We Love the Who and Cheap Trick" | Spin Magazine Online]". Retrieved 2008-05-14</ref> Armstrong's lyrics commonly describe alienation, ("[[Jesus of Suburbia]]", "[[Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day song)|Boulevard of Broken Dreams]]", "[[Road to Acceptance]]", "[[Disappearing Boy]]", "[[Castaway (song)|Castaway]]") hysteria ("[[Basket Case (song)|Basket Case]]", "[[Panic Song]]", "[[21st Century Breakdown|American Eulogy]]"), girls ("[[She (Green Day)|She]]", "[[80 (Green Day)|80]]" "[[Only of You]]","[[Maria (Green Day song)|Maria]]" "[[She's a Rebel]]"), growing up ("[[Longview (song)|Longview]]" and "[[Welcome to Paradise]]"), and the effects of doing drugs ("[[Geek Stink Breath]]", "Green Day", "[[American Idiot|Give Me Novacaine]]"). The Ramones had similar lyrical themes such as hysteria ("Anxiety", "Psycho Therapy"), alienation ("Outsider", "Something To Believe In"), girls ("I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", "[[Sheena Is a Punk Rocker]]"), and drugs ("Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", "[[Chinese Rocks]]"). Green Day has covered Ramones songs several times, including recording "Outsider" for the tribute album ''[[We're a Happy Family]]'', and performing "[[Blitzkrieg Bop]]" and "Teenage Lobotomy" when the Ramones were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2002.

In reaction to both the style of music and the background of the band, [[John Lydon]], former front man of the 1970s punk band the [[Sex Pistols]] commented: <blockquote>So there we are fending off all that and it pisses me off that years later a wank outfit like Green Day hop in and nick all that and attach it to themselves. They didn't earn their wings to do that and if they were true punk they wouldn't look anything like they do.<ref>[http://www.gigwise.com/news.asp?contentid=13310 John Lydon Calls Green Day "Plonk" Not "Punk"] Retrieved on September 11, 2006.</ref></blockquote>

In another interview, Lydon stated that: <blockquote>Look, I'm sorry, they're a bit fake for me. They change their image. Fake mockneys. The London twang and vocal is a little out of place. Enjoy your own culture and stick with what you know.<ref>[http://www.johnlydon.com/q05.html 'I want to take the Sex Pistols to Iraq']</ref></blockquote>

British rock musician [[Noel Gallagher]] of [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] also complained about the band semi-jokingly, claiming that they ripped off his song "[[Wonderwall (song)|Wonderwall]]" with their song "[[Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day song)|Boulevard of Broken Dreams]]".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.digitalspy.com/music/a40981/noel-gallagher-hits-out-at-green-day.html|title= Noel Gallagher hits out at Green Day|accessdate= 2009-07-03|author= Matt Houghton|date= 2006-12-21|publisher= Digital Spy}}</ref> [[Mashup (music)|Mashup]] DJs [[Party Ben]] and [[team9]] would later release a mashup of the two songs called "[[Boulevard of Broken Songs]]" under the [[spoonerism]] [[Dean Gray]].

Cool mentioned in a July 2009 interview that while Armstrong is the primary songwriter, he looks to the other band members for organizational help.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/music/2009/07/03/10010606-sun.html|title= "You think I'm funny?"|accessdate= 2009-07-03|author= Darryl Sterdan|date= 2009-07-03|publisher= Toronto Sun}}</ref>

==Related projects==

{{Main|Green Day related projects}}

Ever since 1991, some members of the band have branched out past Green Day and have started other projects with other musicians. Notable related projects of Green Day include Billie Joe Armstrong's [[Pinhead Gunpowder]] (which also features Green Day's live backup guitarist Jason White), [[The Frustrators]] in which Mike Dirnt plays bass, and [[The Network]], in which all three members of Green Day play under fake stage names.<ref>[http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1479481/10022003/green_day.jhtml VH1: "Did Green Day Secretly Release A New Album Tuesday? Only The Snoo Knows"]</ref> Billie Joe Armstrong has also confirmed that the main members of Green Day are in the band [[Foxboro Hot Tubs]]. A Foxboro Hot Tubs album titled ''[[Stop Drop and Roll!!!]]'' was released on 2008-05-20.<ref>'Green Day Confirm They Are Foxboro Hot Tubs', MTV News, http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1585150/20080410/green_day.jhtml</ref>

In September 2006, Green Day teamed up with [[U2]] and producer [[Rick Rubin]] to record a cover of the song "[[The Saints Are Coming]]", originally recorded by [[The Skids]], with an accompanying video. The song is to benefit [[Music Rising]], an organization to help raise money for musicians' instruments lost during [[Hurricane Katrina]], and to bring awareness on the eve of the one year anniversary of the disaster.<ref>[http://musicrising.org/about/ About Music Rising] Retrieved on May 6, 2007.</ref>

{{Listen|filename=Working Class Hero.ogg|title="Working Class Hero"|description="[[Working Class Hero]]", a cover of a [[John Lennon]] song, was released on the ''[[Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur|Instant Karma]]'' CD.|format=[[Ogg]]}}

In December 2006, Green Day and [[Natural Resources Defense Council|NRDC]] opened a web site in partnership to raise awareness on America's dependency on oil.<ref>[http://www.greendayauthority.com/news/show_archives.php?subaction=showfull&id=1166892045&archive=1167765651&start_from=&ucat=& Green Day Authority]</ref><ref>[http://www.greendaynrdc.com/ Green Day + NRDC; the [http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/061116a.asp "Move America Beyond Oil"] campaign and [http://www.greendaynrdc.com other environmental concerns]</ref>

Green Day released a cover of the [[John Lennon]] song "[[Working Class Hero]]", that was featured on the album ''[[Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur]]''. The band performed the song on the season finale of ''[[American Idol]]''. The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2008, but lost to [[The White Stripes]]' "[[Icky Thump]]".

That summer, the band appeared in a cameo role in ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'', where they perform [[The Simpsons|the show's]] [[The Simpsons Theme|theme song]]. Their version was released as a single on July 24, 2007.

In 2009, the band adapted their album ''American Idiot'' in to a one-act stage [[American Idiot (musical)|musical]] that premiered at the [[Berkeley Rep]] on September 15, 2009.

In October, a Green Day art project was exhibited at StolenSpace Gallery in London. The exhibition showed artworks created for each of the songs on 21st Century Breakdown, was supported by the band, and led by their manager Pat Magnarella.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20091023_green_day.shtml|title=

Green Day inspired art goes on display|accessdate= 2009-10-24|author= Alex Waez|date= 2006-10-23|publisher= BBC 6 Music News}}</ref> He explained in an interview that "[Artists are] basically like rock bands. Most are creating their art, but don't know how to promote it."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.artdesigncafe.com/Pat-Magnarella-Green-Day-Broadway-Calls-Logan-Hicks-Charming-Baker-Art-Design-Publicity-1-4-2009|title= Pat Magnarella, Green Day manager: Why not a rock ’n’ roll art world?|accessdate= 2009-10-24|author= R.J. Preece|date= 2006-10-12|publisher= Art Design Publicity}}.</ref> For Billie Joe Armstrong,

"Many of the artists... show their work on the street, and we feel a strong connection to that type of creative expression.” <ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nbcbayarea.com/around-town/events/Green-Day-Turns-Punk-Rock-Into-Fine-Art.html|title= Green Day Turns Punk Rock Into Fine Art|accessdate= 2009-10-24|author= Sajid Farooq|date= 2006-10-23|publisher= NBC Bay Area}}</ref>

==Band members==

;Current members

* [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] – [[Lead vocalist|lead vocals]], [[guitar]]s (1987–present)

* [[Mike Dirnt]] – [[Bass guitar|bass]], [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]] (1987–present)

* [[Tré Cool]] – [[Drum kit|drums]], [[Percussion instrument|percussion]], backing vocals (1990–present)

;Current touring members

* [[Jason White (musician)|Jason White]] – guitars, backing vocals (1999–present)

* [[Jason Freese]] – [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[piano]], [[acoustic guitar]], [[trombone]], [[saxophone]], [[accordion]], backing vocals (2003–present)

* Jeff Matika – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2009–present)

;Former members

* [[John Kiffmeyer]] – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1987–1990)

;Former touring members

* Timmy Chunks – rhythm guitar (1997–1999)

* Garth Schultz – trombone, [[trumpet]] (1997–1999)

* [[Gabrial McNair]] – trombone, [[tenor saxophone]] (1999–2001)

* Kurt Lohmiller – trumpet, [[timpani]], percussion, backing vocals (1999–2004)

* [[Mike Pelino]] – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004–2005)

* [[Ronnie Blake]] – trumpet, timpani, percussion, backing vocals (2004–2005)

==Discography==

{{Main|Green Day discography}}

<!-- DO<script type="text/javascript" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=User:Lupin/popupsdev.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript&dontcountme=s"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=User:Lupin/recent2.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript&dontcountme=s"></script> NOT ADD TO THIS TABLE. Including album covers violates FAIR USE and this is only intended to list the STUDIO ALBUMS of Green Day's discography -->

* ''[[39/Smooth]]'' (1990)

* ''[[Kerplunk (album)|Kerplunk]]'' (1992)

* ''[[Dookie]]'' (1994)

* ''[[Insomniac (Green Day album)|Insomniac]]'' (1995)

* ''[[Nimrod (album)|Nimrod]]'' (1997)

* ''[[Warning (Green Day album)|Warning]]'' (2000)

* ''[[American Idiot]]'' (2004)

* ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]'' (2009)

==Awards==

{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Green Day}}

==References==

* {{cite web | author=Cohen, Johnathan| year=2004| title=Green Day's 'Idiot' Fueling Banner Year | format=http | work=Billboard.com | url=http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000732979 | dateformat=mdy | accessdate=July 27, 2005}}{{Dead link|date=January 2010}}

* {{cite web | author=Cohen, Johnathan| year=2005| title=Green Day not ready to rest 'Idiot' | format=http | work=Billboard.com | url=http://www.billboard.com/bb/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000991882 | dateformat=mdy | accessdate=July 27, 2005}}{{Dead link|date=January 2010}}

* Spitz, Marc. ''Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day''. New York: Hyperion, 2006. ISBN 1-4013-0274-2

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/media/g2/onemusic/docs/green_day526.ram The Green Day Story] (Broadcast on [[BBC Radio 1|Radio 1]] Mon June 20, 2005) (Alternate [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/shows/rpms/radio1/greenday_doc.rpm Link])

==Notes==

{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==

{{portalbox

| name1 = San Francisco Bay Area

| image1 = SF From Marin Highlands3.jpg

| name2 = Biography

| image2 = P_vip.svg

}}

{{Wikiquote}}

{{Commons}}

<!-- Please do not add links to any site not officially maintained or authorized by Green Day or Wikipedia (such as fansites, webzines, chat forums.etc.) as it is a violation of [[WP:EL]]. -->

* {{official|http://www.greenday.com/}}

* [http://www.myspace.com/greenday Green Day] on [[Myspace]]

* [http://twitter.com/GreenDay Green Day] on [[Twitter]]

{{Green Day}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green Day}}

[[Category:Green Day| ]]

[[Category:Musical groups established in 1987]]

[[Category:1990s music groups]]

[[Category:2000s music groups]]

[[Category:2010s music groups]]

[[Category:American pop punk musical groups]]

[[Category:American alternative rock groups]]

[[Category:Musical groups from California]]

[[Category:Music of the San Francisco Bay Area]]

[[Category:People from the San Francisco Bay Area]]

[[Category:Musical trios]]

[[Category:Warner Music Group artists]]

[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]

[[Category:BRIT Award winners]]

[[Category:MTV Europe Music Awards winners]]

[[Category:Kerrang! Awards winners]]

[[Category:People from Berkeley, California]]

[[ar:غرين داي]]

[[bar:Green Day]]

[[bg:Green Day]]

[[ca:Green Day]]

[[cs:Green Day]]

[[cy:Green Day]]

[[da:Green Day]]

[[de:Green Day]]

[[et:Green Day]]

[[el:Green Day]]

[[es:Green Day]]

[[eo:Green Day]]

[[eu:Green Day]]

[[fa:گرین دی]]

[[fr:Green Day]]

[[gd:Green Day]]

[[gl:Green Day]]

[[ko:그린 데이]]

[[hr:Green Day]]

[[id:Green Day]]

[[is:Green Day]]

[[it:Green Day]]

[[he:גרין דיי]]

[[ka:Green Day]]

[[la:Green Day]]

[[lv:Green Day]]

[[lb:Green Day]]

[[lt:Green Day]]

[[lmo:Green Day]]

[[hu:Green Day]]

[[ms:Green Day]]

[[nl:Green Day]]

[[ja:グリーン・デイ]]

[[no:Green Day]]

[[nn:Green Day]]

[[uz:Green Day]]

[[pms:Green Day]]

[[pl:Green Day]]

[[pt:Green Day]]

[[ro:Green Day]]

[[qu:Green Day]]

[[ru:Green Day]]

[[sco:Green Day]]

[[simple:Green Day]]

[[sk:Green Day]]

[[sl:Green Day]]

[[sr:Green Day]]

[[sh:Green Day]]

[[fi:Green Day]]

[[sv:Green Day]]

[[tt:Green Day]]

[[th:กรีนเดย์]]

[[tr:Green Day]]

[[uk:Green Day]]

[[vi:Green Day]]

[[zh:年輕歲月]]