Green Day plays music.
Green Day . In 1994 , its major label debut Dookie ( released through Reprise Records ) became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Green Day was widely credited , alongside fellow California punk bands Sublime , Bad Religion , The Offspring , and Rancid , with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States . Green Day 's three follow-up albums , Insomniac ( 1995 ) , Nimrod ( 1997 ) , and Warning ( 2000 ) did not achieve the massive success of Dookie , though they were still successful , with Insomniac and Nimrod reaching double platinum and Warning achieving platinum status . The band 's rock opera , American Idiot ( 2004 ) , reignited the band 's popularity with a younger generation , selling six million copies in the U.S. . The band 's eighth studio album , 21st Century Breakdown , was released in 2009 and achieved the band 's best chart performance to date .