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

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  1. LongLiveRock
    Aug 22, 2012
    10
    I haven't heard all of Green Day's albums but this might be their best. Some people think it's a masterpiece and others think it sucks. It's rare for fans to disagree that much but in my own opinion I think American Idiot is a classic, if not a masterpiece. There is not one weak song on this album. Some fans may not like it because they like the old Green Day better but for most bands toI haven't heard all of Green Day's albums but this might be their best. Some people think it's a masterpiece and others think it sucks. It's rare for fans to disagree that much but in my own opinion I think American Idiot is a classic, if not a masterpiece. There is not one weak song on this album. Some fans may not like it because they like the old Green Day better but for most bands to survive they have to change in some way. My favorite tracks are American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Holiday, St. Jimmy, Letterbomb, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Homecoming, and Whatsername. That is almost all of the songs. Call me whatever you want for loving this album, I don't care. Looks like most of the critics agree with me anyway.… Expand
  2. ricco94
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    Great, wonderful, spectacular. It's the best Green Day album, my favourite. All 13 songs are very good, I can't find the worst. I think also Warning was very good, but American Idiot is great.
    No more words for such a masterpiece.
  3. Copeland
    Jan 5, 2013
    10
    When you think 'Rock Opera' this is the album that instantly comes to mind, and that is because it is a candidate for best album of all time. This is an album that took the world by storm in 2004 and 2005 and single handedly boosted Green Day's career to an absolute high, with singles winning awards and being tonnes of airtime, after all, everybody here has heard American Idiot, Wake Me UpWhen you think 'Rock Opera' this is the album that instantly comes to mind, and that is because it is a candidate for best album of all time. This is an album that took the world by storm in 2004 and 2005 and single handedly boosted Green Day's career to an absolute high, with singles winning awards and being tonnes of airtime, after all, everybody here has heard American Idiot, Wake Me Up When September Ends or Boulevard of Broken Dreams at least 10 times, and I highly doubt nobody is sick of ALL of those songs, let alone any of them. Overall, a wonderful album and a true masterpiece. Must buy!… Expand
  4. edbezant
    Dec 23, 2012
    10
    this is by far green day's best album, tunes like american idiot and boulevard of broken dreams i never get tired of listening to! this awesome album will always have a place in my itunes library!
  5. RNL708
    Dec 16, 2012
    10
    This has got to be one of the greatest albums, not just in rock history, but of all music history. Definitely one of those albums you should listen to before you die.
  6. samcbomb98
    Jan 12, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A amazing album, its got it all, from punk to softer songs that all goes together really well. There is a storyline cleverly written in to this album which can has so many meanings and everytime you listen to it you pick up on something new. One of the greatest albums of all time!… Expand
  7. Weather_Man_E
    Apr 19, 2013
    10
    This is the kind of album that gets people excited about music. A beautiful blend of the personal and political, "American Idiot" excellently captures the emotional landscape of the post-9/11 U.S. Themes like media hysteria, anti-imperialism, antiwar sensibilities, lower middle class life, religious disillusionment, drug addiction, tragic love, the search for meaning, and ultimatelyThis is the kind of album that gets people excited about music. A beautiful blend of the personal and political, "American Idiot" excellently captures the emotional landscape of the post-9/11 U.S. Themes like media hysteria, anti-imperialism, antiwar sensibilities, lower middle class life, religious disillusionment, drug addiction, tragic love, the search for meaning, and ultimately learning everything the hard way, are all woven together into a story that makes up for what it lacks in clarity with surprisingly accessible gravitas. Stylistically, critics of Green Day are quick to point out their disloyalty to the tried-and-true formulas of punk's first wave, and indeed you will find this album to be anything but formulaic. This time, the trio have seen fit to experiment not only with song structure, but also modestly with instrumentation, and it has paid off. That said, if you are a fan of the boisterous pop-punk of the Ramones, the fiery idealism of the Clash, and the grandiosity of the Who, you will feel at home listening to "American Idiot". While older critics harp on the fact that Green Day had the nerve to form in the late 80's instead of 10 or 15 years earlier, the sweet children have grown up, and they have a hell of a story to tell. Come to this album with no biases or pretensions, and it might very well change your life.… Expand
  8. Avaliante
    Jun 2, 2013
    10
    "American Idiot" Uma Obra Prima Dos Anos 2000.
    Com Temas Essenciais Como Politíca,Injustiça,Morte E Desemprego.
    Duas Longas E Excelentes Ópera De Rock Jesus Of Suburbia E Homecoming. As Punk Rock Essência Do GD American Idiot,Holiday,St Jimmy,She's A Rebel,Letterbomb E As Longas Jesus Of Suburbia E Homecoming E As Fundamentais Baladas De Rock Boulevard Of Broken Dreams,Are We The    "American Idiot" Uma Obra Prima Dos Anos 2000.
    Com Temas Essenciais Como Politíca,Injustiça,Morte E Desemprego.

    Duas Longas E Excelentes Ópera De Rock Jesus Of Suburbia E Homecoming.

    As Punk Rock Essência Do GD American Idiot,Holiday,St Jimmy,She's A Rebel,Letterbomb E As Longas Jesus Of Suburbia E Homecoming

    E As Fundamentais Baladas De Rock Boulevard Of Broken Dreams,Are We The Waiting,Give Me Novacaine,Wake Me Up When Semptember Ends E Para Encerrar Com Chave De Ouro Whatsername

    Top De American Idiot
    1-Boulevard Of A Broken Dreams
    2-Holiday
    3-Letterbomb
    4-Homecoming
    5-Jesus Of Suburbia    … Expand
  9. edvard
    Oct 4, 2013
    10
    Amazing album that stands it test of time and still is a masterpiece almost 10 years into the future. Truly a classic. I would even go so far to compare this album to Nevermind by Nirvana or Abbey Road by The Beatles or IV by Led Zeppelin.All tracks are amazing but I would have to admit that the middle is not as good as the beginning and end but those tracks are awesome aswell! Track byAmazing album that stands it test of time and still is a masterpiece almost 10 years into the future. Truly a classic. I would even go so far to compare this album to Nevermind by Nirvana or Abbey Road by The Beatles or IV by Led Zeppelin.All tracks are amazing but I would have to admit that the middle is not as good as the beginning and end but those tracks are awesome aswell! Track by track: American Idiot 10/10 this power rocker starts up the album with a huge bang, still hears this song today on the radio or the tv. Jesus of Suburbia 10/10 this 9 minute rock-opera keeps my interest through the whole song. Holiday 10/10 Awesome! Nuff' said. Boulevard of Broken Dreams 10/10 another timeless classic that i still hear being played. Are we waiting 10/10 This 3 minute song is so epic! St.Jimmy 10/10 Fast paced fun! Here is where the album is getting a bit worse on the 4 following tracks: Give me novachine,Extraordinary Girl, Letterbomb. 9/10 but I love She is a Rebel 10/10. Wake me up when september ends 10/10 A truly beautiful song that Billie Joe wrote to his dad that passed away of cancer when Billie Joe was 10. He died in september and "Wake me up when september ends" is a reference to what BIllie Joe said on his fathers funeral. Homecoming 10/10 another awesome 9 minute
    rock-opera. Diverse and intense. Whatsername 9.5/10 awesome closer that sums up the album perfectly. Oh, did I mention that you should listen to the lyrics to truly understand the album. You see, this whole album is a story. This review turned up pretty long so I think I will end it here. You know what to do! Just listen to this already!!!    … Expand
  10. DDD99
    Oct 27, 2014
    10
    It's been 10 years since the initial release of Green Day's iconic rock-opera that arguably defined a generation of rock. The album shows far more diversity and complexity on every level than anything Green Day had done prior. That, and it's prettier political punk(ish) sound and theme put the band back into the limelight. The album features a far more political and anti-establishmentIt's been 10 years since the initial release of Green Day's iconic rock-opera that arguably defined a generation of rock. The album shows far more diversity and complexity on every level than anything Green Day had done prior. That, and it's prettier political punk(ish) sound and theme put the band back into the limelight. The album features a far more political and anti-establishment theme than anything the band had done before, but it was their least punk record. Diving into arena rock, power pop, and overall alt rock awesomeness while still sticking to the relatively simple multi power chord based sound they're known for, the album is a musical success. Who would have thought that Green Day of all bands would put out a 57min album with a coherent plot line, fleshed out characters, two 9+min tracks and do it with astonishing results. In years to come, this will be put alongside some of the greatest American albums of all time.… Expand
  11. Zanessa250QI
    Apr 4, 2016
    10
    ................................................................................................................................................................A Masterpiece!!!!!!!!
  12. raciocinio
    Dec 16, 2017
    10
    An Landmark album for Green Day Career and for music, Maybe the best album ever by Green Day, and simply one of 5 best album of 2000's Decade, also one of best albums ever made.

    The Album is too Masterpiece that even seem Underrated an rating of 79% of 100, by the critics this album could pass easily the 80%, and even the 90%.
  13. spyman3000
    Sep 20, 2015
    10
    I enjoyed pretty much every song on this album with an exception which is "Are We the Waiting", that song just kinda annoys me. But overall the album is a 10
  14. Glosio
    Aug 26, 2015
    10
    One of the best albums of Green Day , a concept album that reflects life in the US in the government of Bush in a very good shape. It is not limited to be politically correct and show anger and condemnation . The two most notable songs : American Idiot and Jesus of Suburbian
  15. Ferrari5
    Oct 23, 2015
    10
    “American Idiot” by Green Day is the best album I’ve heard in my 18 years on this earth. It starts with greatness and ends with greatness. It has songs that a BMX rider can ride to and then songs that you can listen to when you’re out for a walk. Truly shows that when Green Day took there break in 2000 after their album “Warning”, and then, 2004 released “American Idiot” which sold“American Idiot” by Green Day is the best album I’ve heard in my 18 years on this earth. It starts with greatness and ends with greatness. It has songs that a BMX rider can ride to and then songs that you can listen to when you’re out for a walk. Truly shows that when Green Day took there break in 2000 after their album “Warning”, and then, 2004 released “American Idiot” which sold 267,000 in its first weeks. And since 2004 to 2014 they have sold 6.2 million “American Idiot” albums. It shows that the break they had really paid off in the long run. Especially the next year when they won 5 awards for best album and best international album from 5 different music companies. And then won 2 awards at the Grammy’s forest rock album and record of the year for “ Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.
    What this album is really about though is about how the US Government was, back in 2001 during the Iraq War. Mr. Billie Joe Armstrong said from an interview on “Fresh Air Interviews” that, “..right after 9/11 and watching the sort of tanks going into Iraq and these embedded journalists going in live, it felt like a cross between war and reality television," and he also says, “So I just felt this great sort of confusion,...For me, I felt this moment of rage and patriotism,”. What this also means is that when the journalists were broadcasting this live to American viewers it was showing how bad Iraq was with their government. And Armstrong was trying to get his point across that if we don’t elect the right president in the 2004 elections this country could go downhill with the US Government. Hence the name “American Idiot”, a lot of Americans dont think things through and would probably elect the wrong person to be in the oval office. A song thats also in the album that really tells people is it a good idea to go to war and lose even more people is the song, “Wake Me up when September Ends”. Its saying is it a good idea to step to their level and lose people just to get pay back. Then “The Death of St. Jimmy” is is supposed to be god, but in this case its supposed to be someones child that joined the service and the mother is very worry about him. Especially when he returns home and he’s acting very differently and both paretns are concerned about him. So for a band that could look l ike a bunch of punks they know what’s going on in the country.    … Expand
  16. RyFox
    Dec 19, 2015
    10
    This review may be slightly biased since this album did get me into music. However, I do think this album deserves this score. Every single on the album was great and among my favorites. Even the slower songs, we which I am usually not fond of. But Green Day managed to pull off a great rock opera. Cheers to them :)
  17. aydge89
    Oct 4, 2016
    10
    An amazing record from beginning to end filled with so many classics. I liked some of GD's stuff before this but AI was what really got me on board as a fan. Sensational!
  18. PeopleChoice
    May 1, 2016
    10
    What could we say about this brand new album? The best of the 2000's and one of the greatest albums of all time, it has everything, it is more powerful, catchier and crazier than the predecessors; a job well done; the 2nd best album released by Green Day
  19. clinteastwoo
    May 11, 2016
    10
    .........................................................................................................................Fantastic Album Masterpiece...................
  20. than_Q
    Oct 11, 2016
    10
    "I. Love. Punk." those are the three words that I said to myself after listening to this titanic, beautiful, awesome album. I have never experienced such an amazing album in my life, nothing else could compare to this fantastic album, this was a turning point for my life, seriously, I've never had such a life-changing masterpiece hit me so hard to turn away from the mainstream. This is the"I. Love. Punk." those are the three words that I said to myself after listening to this titanic, beautiful, awesome album. I have never experienced such an amazing album in my life, nothing else could compare to this fantastic album, this was a turning point for my life, seriously, I've never had such a life-changing masterpiece hit me so hard to turn away from the mainstream. This is the holy grail of punk, this is the greatest punk album that exists at the moment, you can completely ignore the critics and user review score, just know this, you will be listening to this god damn album for years to come. Green Day does the impossible in American Idiot, they delve into so many different styles and genres, yet sticks to it's heart. Everything about this album is memorable, from the concept, to the track list, to the riffs, to the first muffled audio that you hear in American Idiot before the kick, you will remember this extravaganza of an album.

    Usually, I would put a negative part on this paragraph, but, it's perfect, so, there's not much to say, but I'll talk about the concept! The story is so simple yet so memorable, Jesus of Suburbia is sick of the town that he lives in, so he decides to leave the town and live in the city in a new identity (I'm not going to talk about it anymore because you need to listen to this album for yourself). My favourite part of this album is it's existence. Some of the tracks on the album definitely deserved to get more attention, like Extraordinary Girl and Letterbomb, there are just so many classics on this album.

    I want you to go to your nearest record store/hi-fi store/phone, buy this album, and listen to it on repeat for a few months. This is an essential for the human race, every person NEEDS to get this album because this is the best album I've ever listened to, don't buy anything else, just get this album right now, seriously, you don't know what you're missing out on.    … Expand
  21. MasterRiley
    Feb 21, 2017
    10
    American Idiot is a great album with catchy songs, some upbeat and fun, while others are more thoughtful and dark like Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Overall it has a nice variety of songs that keep you wanting to listen to them over and over again.
  22. weskergamer
    Mar 12, 2018
    10
    Lo mejor q ha hecho Green Day nunca, en mi opinion, totalmente perfecto, musical y liricamente
  23. maiyagygery
    Mar 9, 2017
    10
    American Idiot are the best album from Green Day to me, Dookie second.
    It all contain a very serious written song, emotional singing, power beat, and a nice change of pace.
    Maybe it is one of the best album ever made of all time.
  24. DarwinMC99
    Jul 5, 2017
    10
    Green day alcanzo la cuspide con esta obra, que hasta la fecha sigue siendo en mi opinión su mejor trabajo discográfico que se vuelve un himno juvenil contra la estupidez de la política y gobiernos del mundo, te da un mensaje radical de rebeldía para defender tu opinión y no hacer callar tu voz
  25. golferbml
    Nov 30, 2017
    10
    Best album of all time. I wouldn't skip a single song. Every single song on this album is an absolute masterpiece. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is the best song of all time and Jesus of Suburbia is an underrated classic.
  26. MysticManiac
    Mar 10, 2018
    10
    This along with 21st Century Breakdown show the peak of Green Day's career. Both are classic albums
  27. DerekSCritic
    Jan 14, 2019
    10
    This album has to be one of Green Day's best along with Dookie. Every song on this album, besides the title track, is great to amazing. There are definitely several favorites from this album with my personal favorites being Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, St. Jimmy, Letterbomb, Wake Me Up When September Ends and Homecoming. Fortunately, the rest of the album is fullThis album has to be one of Green Day's best along with Dookie. Every song on this album, besides the title track, is great to amazing. There are definitely several favorites from this album with my personal favorites being Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, St. Jimmy, Letterbomb, Wake Me Up When September Ends and Homecoming. Fortunately, the rest of the album is full of great songs. American Idiot is an amazing album and one of Green Day's best albums!… Expand
  28. andsxn
    Mar 2, 2021
    10
    Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before.
  29. drongodan
    Feb 11, 2020
    10
    Truly magnificent album. Arguably the best they've done. Combination of great singles and album tracks. Fave tracks : Jesus of Suburbia, Homecoming, Whatsername
  30. Codeling
    Aug 7, 2021
    10
    This is a masterpiece.
    Best songs: Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Jesus of Suburbia, American Idiot, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Holiday, Give Me Novacaine
    Worst songs: -
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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 »