21st Century Breakdown Image
  • Summary: The eighth studio album for the band was produced by Butch Vig.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 30
  2. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. 21st Century Breakdown is even better, so masterful and confident it makes Idiot seem like a warm-up.
  2. Melodic pop-punk is the point, after all, and on that level it's a success. Even with a muddled message, credit is due for the ambition it takes to vent these modern frustrations and break free from the shackles of verse-chorus-verse.
  3. Mostly, the overkill of professionalism just makes me yearn for the early Green Day material I grew up with: sloppy, abrasive, and most importantly, aware of what they can and can't pull off.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 85
  2. Negative: 8 out of 85
  1. CRL
    10
    This album makes American Idiot seem like the opening act. Set in three acts and eighteen songs, it tells another story about Christian and Gloria, as well as a bit of America thrown in for good measure. This is Green Day at its finest. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. j30
    4
    Sounds like b-sides of American Idiot and Warning. Complete lackluster display of songs.from such a great band.
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. BryanM
    3
    There are no new ideas here. Everything has been rehashed from old albums, and their lyrics are more vague and directionless than before. American Idiot was overrated, but still worth listening to. This is essentially a B-sides compilation of American Idiot, presented as the anthem collection of the century. There are a few tracks worth listening to, but I cannot recommend this album to anybody but the Top 40 worshiping masses. Expand
    • 2 of 3 users said yes

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