GREEN
DAY
Green
Day, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong,
bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool,
was formed in 1987 and is widely credited for assisting in
the punk revival of the 90s. The band reached widespread commercial
success with the release of their second studio album, Dookie,
in 1994. Assisted by the success of the breakout singles from
that album, “When I Come Around,” “Longview” and “Basket Case,”
Green Day that year set out on their first wide exposure tour,
playing both Lollapolooza and Woodstock 1994. In 1995, Dookie
won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album, and the band
was nominated for nine MTV Video Music Awards, including Video
of the Year.
The band followed up Dookie with Insomniac in 1995, which gave
the band 1996 American Music Awards award nominations for Favorite
Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite Alternative
Artist, as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short
Form for "Walking Contradiction.” In 1997, the punk trio
released their fifth studio album, Nimrod. The single from
that album, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” received extensive
airplay and was used in several television shows and earned
the band a MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video.
Green Day’s next big success came in the form of American Idiot,
which debuted at No. 1 in 2004. The band received a Grammy
Award for Best Rock Album for the album and Record of the Year
for its smash hit "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," as
well as an astonishing seven MTV Music Awards. In 2009, the
band released their eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown,
on Warner Music Group’s Reprise Records, debuting at No. 1
on the Billboard Top 200 chart, as well as on the Rock, Active
Rock and Alternative charts, fueled by the alternative radio
No. 1 single “Know Your Enemy.” The band took home three 2009
MTV Video Music Awards for “21” Guns,” winning all three categories
in which the clip was nominated: “Best Rock Video,” “Best Cinematography,”
and “Best Direction.” They won an American Music Award in November
for Favorite Alternative Rock Music Artist, as well as a Grammy
Award for Best Rock Album.
