Green Day

Throughout the early ’90s, Green Day continued to cultivate a cult following, which only gained strength with the release of their second album, 1992’s Kerplunk.Dookie, Green Day’s major-label debut, was released in the spring of 1994. Thanks to MTV support for the initial single, ‘Longview,’ Dookie became a major hit. The album continued to gain momentum throughout the summer, with the second single, ‘Basket Case,’ spending five weeks on the top of the American modern rock charts. By the time the fourth single, ‘When I Come Around,’ began its seven-week stay at number one on the modern rock charts in early 1995, Dookie had sold over five million copies in the U.S. alone; it would eventually top ten million in America, selling over 15 million copies internationally. Dookie also won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance. Green Day quickly followed Dookie with Insomniac in the fall of 1995; during the summer, they hit number one again on the modern rock charts with ‘J.A.R.,’ , entering the U.S. charts at number two and selling over two million copies by the spring of 1996.They issued Nimrod in late 1997. Three years later, their long-awaited follow-up, a refreshingly poppy record titled Warning, was released. Another long wait preceded 2004’s American Idiot, an aggressive rock opera that became a surprise success — a chart-topper around the world, a multi-platinum Grammy winner, and easily the best reviewed album of their career. . In May of 2009, 21st Century Breakdown was released, picking up where American Idiot left off, as another ambitious punk rock opera. The album was a commercial success, selling over 215,000 copies in its first three days of sales. In 2009, American Idiot was adapted for the stage.