American Idiot

Jamais écouté avant.

American Idiot est peut-être le sommet de son genre, a minima commercialement. Le problème, c'est que le pop punk californien, son genre donc, n'est qu'une neutralisation, un abâtardissement du punk pour en faire une musique de masse, taillée pour les bacs et les stades. C'est énergique et efficace, mais sans sincérité sensible, sans profondeur. Même dans son engagement politique, American Idiot a quelque chose d'adolescent, d'un peu superficiel... et (même si ça n'est bien sûr pas de leur faute) d'un peu décalé en 2026, à l'heure où le criminel de guerre néocon bien con Bush a été remplacé par encore bien pire...

Top : American Idiot
Flop : Extraordinary Girl

Well, isn't this just downright fun! I would've loved this when it came out if I wasn't 2 years old.

God tier Pop Punk. Remember clearly when this came out and it was HUGE. 4/5.

Gran álbum, muy consistente con su temática y sonido sin volverse repetitivo. Me gusta mucho que gran parte de las canciones sean doble-tracks y que no se sientan eternas.

A good ol' Greenday album. A song like American Idiot has only gotten even more relevant with the time.

Once that has been said, it's Green Day and as such it's punk just a bit more convoluted than the others.

Favorite Songs: American Idiot ; Jesus of Suburbia ; Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I never really liked Green Day and after hearing this, I still don't really like Green Day. I can't believe they made a Broadway musical based on this album. That must have been hell.

I’ll admit to having been a bit of a snob about Green Day - I mean I was already in my 40s when this record came out, so I’ve never really been their intended audience. But hey, I’m kinda enjoying this. It’s not very adventurous, musically or lyrically, and the social criticism is mild, but still, much of it is better than I’ve always assumed it would be.

“St. Jimmy” is probably what I liked most on here. The music on this track is a little more frenzied, and the vocals not miked so prominently. To me the best punk rock is a bunch of short songs that are a big wall of noise and you have to work a little to figure out what they’re saying.

Didn’t even need to listen to this to know it’s a 5. I listened to this album on repeat in high school when it came out. Such amazing memories. But I happily listened to it again today and it hit even deeper 20+ years later. Love Green Day so much!

didnt age too hot. 2.5

As someone who grew up in the 2000s, I cannot deny the crossover appeal American Idiot accumulated. Even before I formally got into rock music, I was enjoying singles like "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" on mainstream radio. Then once I formally got into rock music and started going through Green Day's discography, I came to realize how well this record held up in their catalog, long after they first broke into the mainstream with Dookie. The neat part about a record like this garnering such mass appeal was that it was made without compromising the band's ambition here.

Let's be clear, this was not the originally intended follow-up to Warning. That album was not well received at the time, even if in hindsight it's an underappreciated gem. But because of the reception at the time, the members of Green Day decided to make a more straightforward return to the fast-paced punk music they began with on what would have been known as Cigarettes & Valentines. But the master tapes for that follow-up were stolen, so after consulting with their longtime producer Rob Cavallo, the band ended up working on a new record from scratch. The new direction the band took would be to write a "punk rock opera", inspired by the rock operas that The Who and David Bowie had done before. Now, it's not the first time such a concept had been done for punk - Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade springs to mind. But given the reach Green Day built and Billie Joe Armstrong's disdain of America when the Iraq War was underway, there was potential for such a format to ascend. Boy, did it ascend, right through the roof.

I think what worked in American Idiot's favor is its accessibility. For as much as it is meant to be an "opera", the songs still maintain that approachable pop-punk songwriting that the band had fine-tuned up to this point. That much should be evident from the 3-minute fervent explosiveness of the opening title track. From there, the mood is set for the 9-minute "Jesus of Suburbia", introducing the antihero of the story through a series of movements that can go in some intriguing directions while being easily dissectible, like the jaunty piano-driven "City of the Damned", the almost ballad-like "Dearly Beloved", and the anthemic closer "Tales of Another Broken Home". Even when songs are paired together, like with "Are We the Waiting" into "St. Jimmy", or are multi-movement like "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming", the individual components can be enjoyed on their own and in unison.

Also adding to the accessibility of this record is the story's intentional vagueness. Sure, there are characters in this narrative, with the aforementioned Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmy, and Whatsername. But those characters serve more as archetypes to resonate with. It's a risky move, but it allows the themes of this album to shine - the disenfranchisement, the isolation, the frustration towards what's going on in the modern world, and striving to survive in it; concepts that feel universal and managed to maintain relevance. The one exception to the loose narrative and theming would be the melancholic ballad "Wake Me Up When September Ends", chronicling Billie Joe's life after his father's death. It's a rather touching song, coming from a rather earnest place.

If I had to nitpick, it would be in a manner that, weirdly enough, reminds me of how I felt about John Grant's "Jesus Hates F-----s". From the get-go on the title track, Billie Joe uses that f-word in his vulgar language toward the mass media's orchestration of public hysteria. But he did establish his bisexuality as far back as "Coming Clean" off of Dookie, and he directs that word unto himself, so he gets a pass in my book. That said, the use of that r-word in the "Dearly Beloved" segment of "Jesus of Suburbia" hasn't exactly aged well. But that's one bold word in a sea of them, so it's not enough to take me out of the experience.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how largely subdued Mike Dirnt's basslines have become over the years. By this point, he more or less follows Billie Joe's guitar lines across the board, even when Dirnt's bass becomes noticeable, such as during the bridge on "Holiday". But considering the guitar parts are already amazing, I'll let it slide here.

Overall, I adore American Idiot. This record has surprisingly held up over the years, as Green Day managed to reinvigorate themselves. The band would continue with the "punk rock opera" format for 21st Century Breakdown, before becoming creatively spent with the 2012 trilogy and subsequently returning to their straightforward punk roots with Revolution Radio and Saviors (the less said about Father of All..., the better). In any case, I'm glad that this album exists, as such a tenacious statement towards the modern era.

Still amazed that this album one-shot like a third of my generation. I feel lucky that i had already gotten into better political music by the time this came out. Listenable for the most part, but really has not aged well. Was disappointed that so many of the reviews on here are either completely uncritical 5/5 best album ever from nostalgia addicts, or 1 or two stars from people still doing the "this isn't real punk, these guys are sell outs" discourse 20 years on (of course it's not, it's Green Day). Or people somehow missing that it's a (pretty weak) satire. I liked Dookie/Nimrod fine but this has never clicked for me and I don't think it ever will.

I'd recommend Anti Flag's The Terror State for a better iteration of anthemic Bush era pop punk with an actual political stance instead of just vague suburban ennui. Or even My Chemical Romance if you want more of the theater kid/mall goth side of things. Although maybe the ennui and bad satire WAS the point.

Wake me up when September ends, es una canción perfecta para su época y para su estilo, después de ser unos locos hardcore se paran y te cuentan algo que importa. A partir de ahí un disco en su línea divertido, rockero, que pide ser joven y saltar en un bar o en un concierto con sus canciones. Me guardo esa canción y también Jesus of suburbia y Holiday/Boulevard of broken dreams.

Great, but I appreciated Dookie's raw, unfiltered punkness much more than this: which is a tad more cleaner and more polished. I want some gritty punk, man!

Ok

I knew the singles but was surprised by the big 9 minute songs. I liked it all though.

Do I think this is brilliant because I listened to it so much, making it sound so very familiar?
Or did I in fact listen to it so much because it is so brilliant?
Actually, I don't really care. I loved it when it came out, and I loved it every bit as much relistening now.

I think that the songs and the whole album is excellently constructed, the sound is guitar-heavy, just as I like it, and I somehow have a knack for these background "ooooh"s that are employed always at the right time.

There are lots of well earned hit singles on here, but I love most "deep cuts" even more, like the fast paced "Letterbomb" or the beautiful closer "Whatsername".

There is not much keeping this from being a 5/5, for example the opening title track being average instead of as brilliant as the rest.

4.5/5 - near perfect

When American Idiot came out, I remember being so anti-Green Day that I never really gave it a chance. Twenty years later, it felt like the perfect time to finally sit down and listen to it properly.

A lot of that prejudice came from Dookie, which I really disliked as a teenager. Because of that, I assumed Green Day were all loud, shouty punk rock with little substance. American Idiot proved me wrong. There are some genuinely great songs here, and a lot more variety than I was expecting.

What surprised me most was the ambition of the album. Yes, there are the big, energetic rock songs, but there are also some excellent ballads, strong melodies and surprisingly good storytelling running through the lyrics. It feels far more considered and mature than I had given it credit for all those years ago.

It's still not a genre I would naturally gravitate towards, and I probably won't be rushing back to it regularly, but I came away with a much greater appreciation for Green Day as songwriters and musicians. Sometimes revisiting an album years later can completely change your perspective, and that's definitely what happened here.

Favourite tracks: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
Least favourite tracks: Everything on the album was worth a listen
Album artwork: Cool album cover

You know what, this album is sick as hell!!!

Went into this already fondly familiar with the big hits, though fully expecting to be let down by the deep cuts as with many past albums. Instead, the album experience completely recontextualized the hits, and I can confidently say there is not a moment of filler on this!!!

You mean to tell me Holiday led into Boulevard of Broken Dreams all this time?!?! The lone guitar note transitioning the two genuinely blew my mind!

The concept album angle was also a really pleasant surprise. Even if it's not as topical today as it was back then, that cohesion elevates the album so much to me.

I was on the fence about the rating until I found myself listening front to back two more times today, each listen better than the last. How can I argue against that? Banger banger banger.

Standouts: American Idiot • Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams • Are We the Waiting / St. Jimmy • Give Me Novacaine / She's a Rebel • Extraordinary Girl / Letterbomb • Homecoming

Had a few really nice tubes on it. I meant to type tunes but I'm going to leave that. They're nice tubes and I enjoyed them. I've never been a rock opera guy. I am a punk fan. I'm conflicted.

A welcome evolution from their pop-punk sound in Dookie! Sad that I was born too late to really enjoy this album in its heyday.

Really interesting to hear Green Day try out operatic-punk, which goes well with the heavy-handed topics it addresses.