21st Century Breakdown was released 16 years ago today

[Clockwise]

I too am experiencing the strange sensation of this album now being older than I was when it came out (15 years old!) Happy birthday 21CB, you've aged like a fine wine!

[GreenDayJunkie86]

HAPPY BDAY 21CB!!!

[Elxufinnishidiot]

I still think this is maximum Green Day, even if American Idiot might be better as an album and I might like Nimrod more on some days. This was my first Green Day album and it's probably the most nostalgic of them all for me.

[greenalert997x]

Great album. Huge, chunky reverberating guitars, deep vocal, great mixing.

Even though objectively this album got appreciated (Grammy, hit singles), it struck me how many people consider(ed) this album bad, like one of the worst.

I remember how 10-15 years ago lots of opinions indicated that Green Day were now sellouts. AI was great, but 21st is meh, as if 21st was the beginning of new Green Day; from punk to pop stars.

Interestingly enough today I cant find that many bad opinions. Many people point this album as one of the best. Me too.

[Gonzalo17]

2 hours ago, greenalert997x said:

 it struck me how many people consider(ed) this album bad, like one of the worst.

AI was great, but 21st is meh, as if 21st was the beginning of new Green Day; from punk to pop stars.

Here IS the reason... For punk era fans, like me, was traumatic, but with the time I finally accepted

[Cunt]

This album has doubled in age since I first saw them live. Crazy how 2009-2017 feels like a lifetime but 2017 to 2025 has gone by in the blink of an eye. I still remember trying to convince my parents to let me go to this tour knowing there wasn’t gonna be snowballs chance in hell they were ever gonna let me go. Maybe if it was on any other day of the week than a Sunday, but even then there was a greater chance of Joseph Smith being resurrected from the dead. 

[solongfromthestars]

5 hours ago, greenalert997x said:

Even though objectively this album got appreciated (Grammy, hit singles), it struck me how many people consider(ed) this album bad, like one of the worst.

I remember how 10-15 years ago lots of opinions indicated that Green Day were now sellouts. AI was great, but 21st is meh, as if 21st was the beginning of new Green Day; from punk to pop stars.

Interestingly enough today I cant find that many bad opinions. Many people point this album as one of the best. Me too.

I remember that too. It was very 'uncool' to like it, or it made you a 'fake fan,' even on GDC. I guess fans have come to terms with Green Day being able to name an album after excrement but also being able to write a legendary concept album, and new fans are just discovering Green Day as a band that can do both so it's no surprise to them. 

I'm so glad it won a Grammy because it absolutely deserved it.

[Mollyluna]

2 hours ago, solongfromthestars said:

I remember that too. It was very 'uncool' to like it, or it made you a 'fake fan,' even on GDC. I guess fans have come to terms with Green Day being able to name an album after excrement but also being able to write a legendary concept album, and new fans are just discovering Green Day as a band that can do both so it's no surprise to them. 

So being a new fan has some advantages after all!😃 I can like everything they’ve done! And I do!

[mikedirntseviltwin]

AND WE WILL SEEE

HOW GODLESS OF A NATION

WE HAVE BECOME

GOD, I love this album so much

26 minutes ago, Mollyluna said:

So being a new fan has some advantages after all!😃 I can like everything they’ve done! And I do!

Look, I got introduced to GD through the Trilogy, (and was then shocked when they didn’t ALWAYS sound like that) so I feel ya

[Mollyluna]

1 hour ago, mikedirntseviltwin said:

Look, I got introduced to GD through the Trilogy, (and was then shocked when they didn’t ALWAYS sound like that) so I feel ya

I admit I‘m quite okay with not being a fan then. I know that the IHeart meltdown would have freaked me out. I worry too much anyway….

[Robbie1039]

I was just becoming a fan right before know your enemy came out.  Next thing I knew, my grandma was telling me how she just went to see their show and gave me the 21st Century Breakdown cd she bought there 😂.  In 2010, my dad and I camped out at the stage they were playing at Lollapooza all day.  That was the closest I’ve ever gotten to being picked to come up on stage.  This album holds a special place in my heart and I still come back to it regularly.