They inspired us to fight our demons with “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, made us cry with the beautiful music of “Wake me up when September ends” and we couldn’t help but tap our feet at “21 Guns”. Yes, you guessed it right! They are none other than Green Day, an American Punk Rock band formed in the 1980s by the bassist Mike Dirnt and lead guitarist-cum-vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong.
As of 2018, the band includes three members, the original two along with Tre Cool who is the drummer. Jason White, the guitarist of the band, had been a member from 2012-2016 and continues to be its touring member. The immense success of one of America’s leading punk rock bands can be effectively ascertained by the fact that they had sold over 85 million records around the world by 2015.
Early Life
The band was first called “Sweet Children”, but the name soon got replaced after Billie Joe Armstrong wrote a song called “Green Day” about his first experience with drugs. Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed the band when they were 14 years old and gave their first band performance in 1987.
In 1988, Green Day was signed by Lookout! Records, who nurtured and developed the band in its initial years. Green day’s debut E.P., “1,000 hours” was released in 1989 and their debut studio album “39/Smooth” was released the following year both of which garnered much appreciation.
Their second studio album “Kerplunk” sold 50,000 copies in America. Their major-label debut, “Dookie” was released through Reprise Records in 1994 and was a huge success. They sold over 10 million copies of the album in the United States. In 2018, Green Day is widely credited for making Punk Rock music popular in mainstream culture.
Career
“Dookie” became a commercial success, and the band started moving forward. In the span of their career, they have released 12 studio albums, four video albums and four compilation albums. Some of their most famous albums include, “American Idiot”, “Insomniac”, “Nimrod” and “Revolution Radio” among a host of other immensely successful albums.
Insomniac was released in 1995 and was much darker than the melodious “Dookie”. That is the thing about Green Day, they do not stick to a single variety of music, but have efficaciously tried them all. Their most popular and seventh studio album, “American Idiot,” was released in 2004. With a total of 16 million copies sold, it was critically acclaimed and well-received by many.
Awards and achievements
The list of awards and achievements won by Green Day is never-ending. In total, they have won 91 awards out of 210 nominations. The group has won five Grammy awards, a Best Rock Album, a Best Musical Show Album, a Record of the Year and a Rock Artist of the Year Award to name a few.
They have won awards from all over the world including UK, Japan, Asia, Australia and the Philippines. They have been getting nominated almost every year since they were established and were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
The net worth of Green Day
As of April 2024, Green day’s net worth is more than $170 million, a fortune held jointly by the members of the band. The group has performed in over 150 world tours, all of which have been huge successes.
Green Day’s most recent album, “Revolution Radio” was released in 2016 and they also released their greatest hits compilation “God’s Favorite album” in 2017. In an industry, where singers and bands come and go and find it extremely hard to stay stable, the Green day has maintained its stride. We hope they stay out of controversies and wish them all the luck for their future!