American Idiot
by Green Day
  • Record Label: Reprise
  • Release Date: Sep 21, 2004
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 841 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 769 out of 841
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 841
  3. Negative: 50 out of 841

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
view
per page
  1. WillO
    Sep 25, 2005
    10
    One of the best rock albums of all time.
  2. Simone
    Nov 15, 2006
    10
    Green Day is best and this album is truly purfect
  3. kockmunchy
    Jan 18, 2006
    10
    Fuck yeah! Green Day is da SHIT!!!
  4. SamI
    Dec 13, 2006
    10
    Hands down my favorite album of 2004. The songs don't really work alone, but as a whole the album is magnificent. A great example of how an album *should* be made, the sum being greater than its parts.
  5. AshD
    Jan 22, 2006
    10
    I've never been into punk music but when I heard 'Boulevard of Broken dreams', I was just drawn in so much by Green Day. I love this album and all the songs sound completely different from eachother and are so unique that you will love every single song off it for different reasons. Definitely the best album of the year.
  6. ShellK
    Oct 23, 2006
    10
    This CD Rocks
  7. MichaelS
    Mar 11, 2006
    10
    Amazing!
  8. HannahF
    Aug 14, 2006
    10
    One of the best records of all time.
  9. ggjujuewqtq
    Jan 12, 2007
    10
    is exellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  10. DesmondH.
    Dec 2, 2007
    9
    If you think they are anti-America, you are an idiot. GD are anti-war, idiots.
  11. Dan
    Dec 25, 2007
    8
    Although heavily commercialized, there is no doubt that American Idiot is still a great punk rock album. Each of its song plays a part of an overriding story in the album, and reflects America in its modern age. Its riffs, although relatively simple, are catchy nevetheless, and are certainly catchy enough to hook any punk rock fan. Aside from its obvious commercialization and change, Although heavily commercialized, there is no doubt that American Idiot is still a great punk rock album. Each of its song plays a part of an overriding story in the album, and reflects America in its modern age. Its riffs, although relatively simple, are catchy nevetheless, and are certainly catchy enough to hook any punk rock fan. Aside from its obvious commercialization and change, American Idiot is a superb album and another good step for Green Day.… Expand
  12. pauld.
    Jul 15, 2007
    10
    by far there best album
  13. MattM
    Jul 28, 2008
    10
    A great album with powerfully organized and well-written songs, and great lyrics. The best songs on the album Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, She's a Rebel, Extraordinary Girl, Letterbomb, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Homecoming, and Whatsername.
  14. AndrewC.
    Oct 26, 2009
    10
    "American Idiot" is one of the leading rock operas of our time. The epic starts off with the title track. One of the album's highlights is "Jesus of Suburbia", which is, like every song, a serious one, telling about the economy, although the most politics-headed song is the song that follows, "Holiday", which will have people singing along as the classic blasts through the speakers, "American Idiot" is one of the leading rock operas of our time. The epic starts off with the title track. One of the album's highlights is "Jesus of Suburbia", which is, like every song, a serious one, telling about the economy, although the most politics-headed song is the song that follows, "Holiday", which will have people singing along as the classic blasts through the speakers, with strong lines. Billie Joe Armstrong says the topic sentence in just one line, "I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies". The guitar feedback transitions into "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", a song we all knew from the radio. Songs 5-10 are good, but not the strong points. 11 is "Wake Me Up When September Ends" confused as a song for 9/11, although it was to honor his father. Another nine minute epic follows after "Jesus of Suburbia", which was song 2, called "Homecoming". The last song is "Whatsername", originally to be released as a single, although Green Day thought the video was terrible. Overall, "American Idiot" is a classic, and hopefully, it will also be re-mastered.… Expand
  15. KyleM
    Feb 26, 2009
    10
    American Idiot is one of this decades greatest CD's. Although the music may not sound like it did 15 years ago on Dookie, it's still got a lot of punch to it. This and Warning are albums Green Day have released to prove they've grown up, you can play the same exact thing for 20 years and expect to keep on living. American Idiot is Green Day's biggest risk, and biggest success.
  16. WyattM.
    Jul 31, 2009
    10
    I think green day put great meaning's for there song's in American idiot.
  17. earl
    Nov 18, 2004
    9
    excellent
  18. TomM
    Nov 21, 2004
    10
    Awesomely deep album, must be listened to as a piece. The lyrics actaully mean something, telling a great, and whatsmore, relevent story.
  19. JakeM
    Nov 26, 2004
    10
    Just as good as Dookie if not better, A true Masterpiece from Green Day
  20. ashcheesepie
    Nov 26, 2004
    10
    i adore this album. it's just fucking super. it's important for long time green day fans to let go of dookie, i mean christ, listen to this! they're so much more than dookie. what sets this album apart is what holds the album together: the songs can be listened to holistically which creates a definitive atmosphere of something america (and the world) has lost. but an i adore this album. it's just fucking super. it's important for long time green day fans to let go of dookie, i mean christ, listen to this! they're so much more than dookie. what sets this album apart is what holds the album together: the songs can be listened to holistically which creates a definitive atmosphere of something america (and the world) has lost. but an individual song can also be upheld alone by its own merits. billie joe, i think, has proved himself through and through.… Expand
  21. JUSTINS
    Dec 28, 2004
    10
    THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR HANDS DOWN. The music took me to places that i had never been before this Byfar is the ultimate album of the year.I think that for the content of the album they should make a rock opera
  22. killermonkey
    Dec 13, 2005
    10
    this is one of the best punk albums ever when this came out i bought it right away i love green day and always have billie joe armstrong is my idol this cd is awesome and even has a storyline i wouldn't say it's their best cd (dookie is their best) but pretty close and extremely far from their worst anyway be sure to buy this it should be at a store for like 13 dollars anyway this is one of the best punk albums ever when this came out i bought it right away i love green day and always have billie joe armstrong is my idol this cd is awesome and even has a storyline i wouldn't say it's their best cd (dookie is their best) but pretty close and extremely far from their worst anyway be sure to buy this it should be at a store for like 13 dollars anyway i'm out cya… Expand
  23. RickH
    Dec 23, 2005
    10
    American Idiot really holds together and strikes a chord with anyone who was raised and conditioned to what we should believe and then later finding out that we nee to follow our own path, both the postive side as well as the destuctive side, in order to become who we really are.
  24. JonG
    Dec 28, 2005
    8
    Honestly i think this is a good album, but. The songs kinda get old after awhile and it gets to the point where you just don't wanna listen to it anymore. But all in all this is a pretty good album, and i suggest if you don't have it to go get it because their always crankin out new hits from the album.
  25. chadw
    Dec 17, 2006
    10
    I don't know why people say that this is awful. Everybody who listens to this record should like it.
  26. DaleF
    Dec 26, 2007
    10
    3 years after the release of this CD and it's still in my player constantly. Incredible CD.
  27. rollingstone82
    Aug 14, 2010
    8
    The Return of Green Day.

    Ever since Dookie, Green Day has been one of the forefront punk rock/alternative bands in pop music. However in the years leading up to this album, their popularity had significantly faded. Punk rock fans really lost interest. The music didn't change much. Green Day themselves showed signs of musical decay with poor albums like Warning and Nimrod. They started    The Return of Green Day.

    Ever since Dookie, Green Day has been one of the forefront punk rock/alternative bands in pop music. However in the years leading up to this album, their popularity had significantly faded. Punk rock fans really lost interest. The music didn't change much. Green Day themselves showed signs of musical decay with poor albums like Warning and Nimrod. They started work on an album called Cigarettes And Valentines. But in the middle of those sessions, the master tapes had been stolen. Rather than use copies of the original, Green Day started a new concept which materialized into American Idiot.

    From the start, Green Day proves they aren't soft guys. On the title track, they blast off criticism of American media, saying how its falsehood has influenced us to become like, well, idiots. But that's the intro. Over the course of the album, one can finally understand the magnificence of the album because even though the sound is conventional, its themes and structures is unique.

    It is essentially a rock opera divided into several acts. Each act explains the character's emotions and journey. But the story itself isn't well made. The sound varies too much and the plot is really lost in the midst of musical genius. The tale isn't quite clear as it should be. Each act seems like a random piece of the character's journey rather than sequential chapters that make sense. For one thing, midway through the album Jesus Of Suburbia calls himself St. Jimmy for no reason. Then in Homecoming, he claims that persona is now dead. The whole idea of American Idiot is somewhat lost in the story.

    But Green Day has put the punk back in punk rock with an album that works more as a collection of good songs rather than the rock opera as proposed.    … Expand
  28. Pillwan2
    Sep 28, 2010
    7
    Sure, it's an odd thing to review in 2010, but how can you not have your say on this album? My 7/10 is a simple one. I haven't yet, listened to an album that for me, has been over a 7. Such bands as Every Avenue, Asking Alexandria and such all seem to pump out amazing albums, but none over a 7. American Idiot, however, has had a HUGE impact on the way I saw music when it was released. ThisSure, it's an odd thing to review in 2010, but how can you not have your say on this album? My 7/10 is a simple one. I haven't yet, listened to an album that for me, has been over a 7. Such bands as Every Avenue, Asking Alexandria and such all seem to pump out amazing albums, but none over a 7. American Idiot, however, has had a HUGE impact on the way I saw music when it was released. This is why I don't really cringe when people say they used to, or even still, listen to Busted. I'd rather listen to Busted, which I did and sometimes still do, than say...50 Cent?

    American Idiot, however, changed my music style. As soon as i bought it and gave it a good beating, I knew that I was into this genre. At the time, the genre was 'guitars'. Then it branched into Korn, then Linkin Park and before you know it, I'm buying Whisteria Cottage CD's and trying to decide what else to buy.

    The reason I am wittering on about this is because had Green Day released American Idiot this week, in the music position that I am in, I would have given it a straight 9. But because I was 12, and I didn't understand the political subtext, 7 will have to do.    … Expand
  29. Vampire25
    Feb 1, 2011
    8
    American Idiot is a great album. From the opening punk-anthem "American Idiot" to the raw and powerful "Wake Me Up When September Ends". There is not a dull song on this album. This album is nothing like "Dookie". Completely different in every way. They sing about politics and America and Religion. Whereas in Dookie he sings about laziness and what not. It's really a big step in the rightAmerican Idiot is a great album. From the opening punk-anthem "American Idiot" to the raw and powerful "Wake Me Up When September Ends". There is not a dull song on this album. This album is nothing like "Dookie". Completely different in every way. They sing about politics and America and Religion. Whereas in Dookie he sings about laziness and what not. It's really a big step in the right direction. All In All, American Idiot is a great album and it shows that Green Day is a band to be taken seriously. B+… Expand
  30. marian1233321
    Aug 9, 2011
    10
    Greatest album of all time , jesus of suburbia shows every teen dream of living his life . With this album green day reborned rock and american idiot became a simbol for the new generation of rock fans
Page:

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best Album of 2004
2
#2 Most Discussed Album of 2004
4
#4 Most Shared Album of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Billboard
    80
    It is exactly what the band needs to boost itself to the next level of pop-punk prowess.
    Read full review
  2. E! Online
    83
    There's still plenty of spunk in to be found in this Sgt. Pepper-lite.
    Read full review
  3. Dot Music
    80
    Not only does it contain Green Day’s finest songs (and choruses) to date... but it also scratches at the surface of political dissatisfaction with nails sharp enough to leave a nasty scar.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »