Why do people hate the saviors of punk rock? Why have people abandoned the band who brought one of the worlds best genres out of its darkest times? Why will people show disrespect to one of the greatest bands in rock history? What is it that makes people hate Green Day?

After the decline of the genre when people started to stray from Iggy Pop and others like him, one band brought it all back. First arriving on the scene as Sweet Children in 1989, they then became known as Green Day, and soon after them came the bands Blink 182 and MxPx. Green Day is known as the savior because they started the trend that kept punk rock alive.

Now, to address the real problem. People show no respect to Green Day after all they did for the punk rock genre. They hate the music, but it’s similar to other punk rock bands out there. Ex-fans are calling the band sellouts after the American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown albums were released. They say that the music before was better and was the only good Green Day; I didn’t know there was more than one. The beauty of American Idiot is that it was the first ever CD of its kind to be classified as an opera. From the first song “American Idiot” to the end of the CD with “Whatsername,” you follow the story of the Jesus of Suburbia. What album has ever told a story before, following a character from start to finish? That’s what some fans don’t understand.

The way the music was written differed from the normal style of music writing, and long term fans couldn’t accept the change.21st Century Breakdown was it’s own masterpiece also finding itself being a rock opera. Some dropped being a fan after the five year wait from American Idiot , but the wait was worth it. The pure greatness of the CD has to be discovered by listening to it. The entire CD is of the end of man, the chaos of humans, and fighting back while telling a story in 3 Acts. 21st Century Breakdown is an act of rebellion, and being a successful one, that’s what makes it so great. The old fans don’t accept change very well, and the last two albums have been one, but why should that matter? I’ll admit that Green Day’s new album sounds more like Alternative Punk, but if you noticed, the word Punk still appeared. Punk rock, Punk pop, Alternative Punk, it’s still punk. That’s the beauty of it. Punk rock can have different styles and still be the genre that we all know and love.

Nobody gives Green Day a chance. They judge before listening and then say they’re terrible to everyone they know. I’m not saying at all that the new stuff is better. Green Day’s success spans over all eight of their albums, with each album containing great songs. Sure there are a few songs you don’t necessarily care for, but it’s like that for every band. Think of any band and then look at all the songs you have by them. Don’t say you can’t, because I’m really sure most of you have an iPod, or at least iTunes on your computer and maybe even the actual CD you can hold in your hands. Count all the songs you either know all the words to, or listen to a lot. If you left any songs out, you don’t care for those songs as much.

Every album they have put out has been great. The band has come a long way since their beginning, and have had success the entire time. Albums like Dookie, Shenanigans, Nimrod, Insomniac, and Warning are some of their older albums that are filled with genius. All of them have their own uniqueness that makes Green Day who they are. You can’t possibly say that one album that Green Day has put out is better than another. Each one just has those certain aspects and attributes that make them incomparable. Sure you can have a favorite album by Green Day, but all of them are equally good. The release of the new albums ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré! can only be held to high expectations. The way the band has begun to experiment with their albums is great. Two rock operas were released in a row and now a three album trilogy; the band has really broadened their creativity.

Green Day has tons of singles and songs that hit the charts and stay there for long periods of time, yet people say they’re bad. If they were so bad, would they have made the charts? Would American Idiot have sold over 14 million copies and charted number one in 19 countries? If they were as bad as people make them out to be, how would they still survive as a band?