20 years ago today (9/20/24), Green Day released their seventh studio album, American Idiot. Released ten years after the breakthrough album Dookie, American Idiot would outsell even that album. The album marked a significant shift for the band, both musically and thematically. The album is known for its rock opera structures and critique of American society, particularly in the wake of the Iraq War and the political climate of the early 2000s, and earned the band a Grammy for Best Rock Album. Watch the trio strike through the title track at Live 8 in 2005.
