Timeline : Green Day
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is born in Oakland, California. He is raised in nearby Rodeo, where he records his first song at age 5.
Green Day bass player Mike Dirnt is born Michael Pritchard in Berkeley, California, where he is adopted by a couple from nearby El Sobrante. His stage name comes from his school days when he would mimic bass sounds by repeating, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt..."
Tre Cool (drummer for Green Day) is born Frank Edwin Wright III in Frankfurt, West Germany. He's raised in Willits, California.
The day before he turns 18, Billie Joe Armstrong drops out of high school. A week later, he releases the first album with his band Green Day: 39/Smooth.
Green Day release their major-label debut album, Dookie, bringing punk rock out of the basement with songs like "Basket Case" and "When I Come Around." At night, they play a gig at Slim's in San Francisco with The Dead Milkmen.More
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong marries Adrienne Nesser, his muse for songs like "When I Come Around" and "2,000 Light Years Away." The next day, Adrienne discovers she is pregnant with their son, Joseph.
Bob Dylan, who refused an invitation to the original 1969 festival, performs on the last day of Woodstock '94, singing "It Ain't Me Babe," "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," "Masters Of War," "Just Like A Woman," and "Highway 61 Revisited" on the main North Stage. Over on the South Stage, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong wallops fistfuls of mud at fans and incites an all-out mudfight. Bassist Mike Dirnt gets his front teeth knocked out by a security guard in the chaos.
Green Day play a free concert at the Hatch Shell in Boston. A few songs into their set, many in the crowd cross the line from moshing to rioting, and police order an end to the show. With their album Dookie climbing the charts, the band has been playing to exuberant crowds, which causes problems when casual fans find themselves engulfed in mosh pits.
A&M Records releases Woodstock 1994, an album documenting the Woodstock '94 festival that took place in Saugerties, New York, three months earlier. The two-disc set includes live performances from 27 artists, including Joe Cocker ("Feelin' Alright"), The Cranberries ("Dreams"), Green Day ("When I Come Around") and Bob Dylan ("Highway 61 Revisited").
Green Day play Madison Square Garden in New York City. It's quite a leap for the band, which had been playing small clubs at the beginning of the year. During the show, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong performs wearing only socks and a strategically placed guitar.
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day is arrested for mooning the audience during a show in Milwaukee. He pays a $141.50 fine for indecent exposure.
Performing as Nimrod (the name of their upcoming album), Green Day play a secret show at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, where they premiere their song "Hitchin' A Ride."
At a Tower Records in-store performance in New York City, Green Day trash the place, smashing instruments, pouring beer on the CD racks, and spray painting the windows. Their label happily pays the $50,000 in damage as Green Day prove they're still punk to the core.
With the big "alternative" acts now squarely in the mainstream, the Lollapalooza festival is officially canceled, with Green Day, Radiohead and Foo Fighters among the bands turning down offers to headline. The festival launched in 1991 with Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails and Siouxsie and the Banshees at the top of the bill.
Green Day frontman Billie Armstrong's second child with wife Adrienne is born: son Jakob Danger.
Green Day release the title track of their new album American Idiot as a single three weeks before the album is issued. Both the song and the album are wildly successful and highly acclaimed, with each nominated for multiple Grammy Awards (winning for Best Rock Album). American Idiot later becomes a successful stage musical.
Green Day release American Idiot, their first album in four years. Overtly political in places, it takes on President George W. Bush, especially on the title track. With a more refined sound, the album outsells even their punk rock touchstone Dookie, released 10 years earlier.
Green Day release "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." The title comes from a painting by Gottfried Helnwein depicting James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Elvis Presley at a corner bar.
The Simpsons Movie debuts. Early in the film, Green Day sink into Lake Springfield.
Green Day release the album 21st Century Breakdown, their follow-up to American Idiot, released five years earlier. The first two singles are "Know Your Enemy" and "21 Guns."
The stage adaptation of Green Day's American Idiot rock opera officially opens on Broadway, a year after its debut at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
American Idiot: The Musical, based on Green Day's 2004 album, closes after 422 performances.
While boarding a Southwest flight from Oakland to Burbank, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong is forced off the flight after giving some lip to a flight attendant who asked him to pull up his sagging pants. Armstrong doesn't take kindly to the request, and eventually he and his traveling companion are booted from the flight. Armstrong takes to Twitter, writing, "Just got kicked off a southwest flight because my pants sagged too low!" The tweet is quickly re-tweeted by his followers, forcing Southwest to release a statement apologizing for the incident.
A Green Day version of the video game Angry Birds is released, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool as green pigs. Players can unlock a new Green Day song from the 10th level of the game.
Green Day is forced to cancel their appearance at the New Orleans' Voodoo Music Festival, citing Billie Joe Armstrong's problems with substance abuse. Armstrong had an onstage outburst mid-show in Las Vegas a few weeks earlier that prompted him to get treatment.
Ariana Grande wins Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. Justin Bieber is also a big winner, taking home four trophies. Green Day take a swipe at Donald Trump, who was elected president two weeks earlier, in their performance of "Bang Bang," going into a chant of "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA."
Green Day and the National Hockey League announce a partnership deal that includes the band playing halftime of the 2020 All-Star Game, and their song "Fire, Ready, Aim" as the opening theme to the Wednesday Night Hockey broadcasts.
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