• Record Label: Reprise
  • Release Date: May 15, 2009
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 391 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 37 out of 391

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
  1. Aug 29, 2019
    7
    An American Idiot clone? Yes, I can agree with that. Bloated in places? Yes, definitely. But still a pretty good listen? Yes. The highs of this album are really high, and I mean, on par with songs from the album’s predecessor. But the lows are just dreadful. Not to mention all the filler in the album. Also, the story of Christian and Gloria isn’t really all that interesting. Nimrod provedAn American Idiot clone? Yes, I can agree with that. Bloated in places? Yes, definitely. But still a pretty good listen? Yes. The highs of this album are really high, and I mean, on par with songs from the album’s predecessor. But the lows are just dreadful. Not to mention all the filler in the album. Also, the story of Christian and Gloria isn’t really all that interesting. Nimrod proved that an eighteen-song album could be done well by the trio, and this album just doesn’t show that as well. Still, it has a lot of great moments.
    Favourites: Restless Heart Syndrome, East Jesus Nowhere, Last Night on Earth, ¿Viva la Gloria?.
    Least Favourites: American Eulogy, Know Your Enemy, See the Light
    Expand
  2. Dec 22, 2016
    10
    aMAZING Follow up to the AmazING American Idiot (2004)...

    Green Day prove that are a Force of Music not only of Punk Rock Genre.

    Billie Joe Armstrong is a force of nature
  3. Mar 10, 2018
    10
    In my opinion, Green Day's best album. Yes, even better than American Idiot. So many tracks that are unjustly criticized
  4. Feb 11, 2020
    8
    Another epic rock opera. Disappointingly falls short of American Idiot. Nevertheless this is still a good album. Fave tracks: 21 Guns, Viva La Gloria! , The Static Age
  5. Nov 25, 2019
    10
    This is, in my opinion, Green Day's best effort to date. Narrowly behind are American idiot and Dookie. Billie Joe Armstrong has taken the Rock opera he perfected with American Idiot and perfecting it again on a higher level. The storytelling is crisp and deeply entwined throughout this record. The production quality is exquisite. The melodies and lyricism hearken back to American Idiot.This is, in my opinion, Green Day's best effort to date. Narrowly behind are American idiot and Dookie. Billie Joe Armstrong has taken the Rock opera he perfected with American Idiot and perfecting it again on a higher level. The storytelling is crisp and deeply entwined throughout this record. The production quality is exquisite. The melodies and lyricism hearken back to American Idiot. The perfect blend of the already great three piece now has strings, pianos, and other accompanying instruments that were much more rare on their previous releases. They also stay true to themselves while delving into something new. This is a great album all around and deserves nothing less than a 10. Expand
  6. Feb 7, 2020
    9
    This is my favorite album of all time. The songs are really diverse as well.
  7. May 7, 2020
    9
    Amazing album. Almost as good as American idiot. Green Day’s rock opera great. One of my favorite albums of all time.
  8. Aug 27, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Um dos álbuns essenciais pra se começar a ouvir a banda e criar um gosto favorável pela mesma. Foi o 1º álbum que ouvi da banda e me apaixonei por grande parte das músicas.
    A minha favorita é sem dúvidas Last Night On Earth, que além de harmoniosa é a música mais linda que a banda compôs desde Good Riddance(Time of Your Life) do álbum Nimrod.
    Expand
  9. Jul 27, 2021
    0
    Haha this makes American Idiot look good lol. If you thought green day had lost almost everything that made them good on American Idiot, THEY LOST EVERYTHING THIS TIME! A boring snooze fest really. I love green day, but 2000-2012 wasn't exactly great for them. Thank you Metacritic for letting me use a 0 as a rating.
  10. Jun 7, 2022
    9
    Definitely underrated, maybe not as good as American Idiot, but still provides good music and an entertaining experience
  11. Jul 8, 2023
    10
    one of my favourite green day albums, its a bit long but I loved it enough for a 10
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 30
  2. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. The performances are blandly professional, because any major-label rock band of Green Day's abilities could shit this stuff out in their sleep, and emotionally inert. This is the crafting of a modern epic as a dreary day-job routine.
  2. 21st Century Breakdown is far from a bad album, and, like Idiot, will likely be the best release this year from such a popular band.
  3. It could have easily gone any of several wrong ways, but Green Day's punk has long since been tempered with pop's most attractive attributes, and 21stCentury Breakdown, like its predecessor, is unapologetically accessible and relentlessly exhilarating.