Green Day’s American Idiot changed everything. While the Bay Area punk trio sold millions of records after shifting to a major label for 1994’s Dookie, their seventh studio full-length saw them operating on a whole new level. Centered around a disillusioned teenager who flees his hometown for the big city, American Idiot unfurled as a towering “punk-rock opera” — just as ambitious, imaginative, and epic as any ’70s concept album. Two decades later, the project is so revered that the band have been playing it in full on their recent tour, which they’re wrapping up this week. Given that the album just celebrated its 20th anniversary, we asked our readers to vote on American Idiot’s greatest songs. These are the top picks, ranked accordingly below.
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5. “Give Me Novacaine”
Perhaps American Idiot’s most melodic moment, “Give Me Novacaine” sees the album’s main character, Jesus, fall deeper into bad habits. He steps to the edge of death as he tries to escape both mental and physical agony (“Take away the sensation inside/Bittersweet migraine in my head/It’s like a throbbin’ toothache of the mind”) — and loses himself in the process. Plus, the transition into “She’s a Rebel” remains pretty incredible, too.
4. “St. Jimmy”
It’s no wonder American Idiot became a Broadway hit. Filled with powerhouse rock anthems, the LP incites anxiety, energy, and depth at every turn. “St. Jimmy” is a great example, acting as a turning point where Jesus realizes that his move to the city has left him completely alone. He reaches a low point, which makes room for his alter ego St. Jimmy to thrive, reveling in his ability to cause chaos wherever he goes.
3. “Whatsername”
For all the high-stakes emotion that unravels across the LP, it’s fitting that Green Day end their punk-rock epic on a bittersweet note. “Whatsername” — which acts as American Idiot’s epilogue that takes place several years later — sees Jesus thinking about the woman who tore his heart out. (Although was it really love if he couldn’t even remember her name?) It’s a melancholy closer, making peace with the fact that even though Jesus took a different path, he’ll still have the memories — and, for better or worse, he can still carry on.
2. “Letterbomb”
Overwhelmingly, our readers agreed that “Letterbomb” is one of American Idiot’s greatest songs. It’s the climax of the album, where Whatsername leaves Jesus and he realizes that St. Jimmy only lives within his imagination. Featuring an unexpected cameo from Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna, Billie Joe Armstrong thrashing away on the guitar, and poignant lyrics that are still recited today, “Letterbomb” has it all. And the final minute? It sends the track over the top.
1. “Jesus of Suburbia”
Up until this point, no one had heard Green Day like this. This staggering five-part song saw the band challenging what mainstream punk could sound like, so naturally it snagged the top spot. “Jesus of Suburbia” introduces the eponymous protagonist — a teenager brought up on “a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin” — who ultimately decides to abandon his suburban roots for a new life in the city. Clocking in at nine minutes, the song isn’t only vital to the album’s concept — it saw the Bay Area punks taking a huge swing and succeeding. In a lot of ways, “Jesus of Suburbia” is Green Day’s “Stairway to Heaven” or “Bohemian Rhapsody.”