Green Day

US rock band. They were influential in reviving punk music during the 1990s, creating punk-inspired pop music, and advancing other crossover forms such as punk-metal. Their albums include Dookie (1994; Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance), Warning (2000), and American Idiot (2004; Grammy Award for Best Rock Album).

Band members are Billie Joe Armstrong (1972– ) on guitar and vocals, Mike Dirnt (1972– ; born Michael Pritchard) on bass, and Tré Cool (1972– ); born Frank Edwin Wright III) on drums.

School friends Armstrong and Dirnt formed the band Sweet Children in Rodeo, California, during their early teens. After Al Sobrante (born John Kiffmeyer) joined as drummer they changed their name to Green Day and independently released their first EP, 1,000 Hours, in 1989. Their first full-length album, 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, followed in 1990, and Sobrante was replaced with Tré Cool. The band gained popularity during the early 1990s with the punk scene, until they crossed into mainstream success with Dookie, which featured the hit singles ‘Longview’, ‘Basket Case’, and ‘When I Come Around’. American Idiot, featuring the hit single of the same name, is a conceptual punk rock opera. Other albums include Insomniac (1995), featuring ‘Brain Stew/Jaded’, and Nimrod (1997), featuring ‘Good Riddance/Time of Your Life’.