2004 — American Idiot — Green Day
For years, punk and rock fans didn’t want to take Green Day seriously, but the conceptual “punk rock opera” changed that. It was a rebirth of sorts for the band and showed an impressive level of maturity hardly seen over its previous six releases. The title track grabs the listener’s attention right off the bat and the multi-part “Jesus of Suburbia” is the most ambitious track in the Green Day arsenal. The album won a Grammy and was adapted into a Broadway stage production.
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