The definitive Green Day playlist

Nimrod (1997), Green Day's fifth studio album, was sort of a departure from the band's previous straightforward power pop punk offerings that made them international superstars. "Hitchin' a Ride" is an example of experimentation. As if pop-punk met swing, with a bit of metal thrown in for good measure. 

The two tracks were released as a joint single off Insomniac (1995), the band's fourth album. While the songs are good enough to stand alone, they pack more of a musical punch together. 

"Welcome to Paradise" was first released on the band's second studio album Kerplunk. However, the song earned prominence and widespread popularity when it was re-recorded for 1993's Dookie. The latter cracked the top 10 in Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart. 

The title track from Green Day's underrated 2009 effort by the same name. The song never charted in the United States, but it's still one of the highlights of a record that had to follow up the creatively stellar American Idiot. 21st Century Breakdown seems lost in the shadows within the band's stellar catalog.

A hidden gem from Kerplunk and a song that probably is not on the radar of many mainstream, MTV-generation Green Day fans from the mid-1990s. For those fans who have not truly absorbed the Green Day, it's worth checking out this tune — and all of Kerplunk, for that matter.

Another Kerplunk deep cut, this one written by drummer Tré Cool, who also sang lead with a Southern drawl. If there is such a thing as country-punk, this would be a perfect example. A satirical song about sexual domination was another example of the band not taking itself too seriously. In the mid-1990s, "Dominated Love Slave" was a highlight when played live in concert, with Cool on guitar and Billie Joe hopping behind the drum kit. 

More quick, straightforward pop-punk that clocks in at a brisk 1 minute, 46 seconds. "Scumbag" was part of the 2002 Shenanigans compilation album and the American Pie 2 soundtrack (2001). Bassist Mike Dirnt wrote the lyrics, making it one of the rare Green Day gems that did not feature Billie Joe Armstrong writing the words. 

The first single off the band's breakthrough Dookie (1993). Actually, it was the first official single ever released by Green Day. The song is about boredom and what one might do to pass the time, like smoking weed or masturbatė. Though the track earned Green Day a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance, there are better listening options on Dookie.

An under-appreciated track off Nimrod. On "Redundant," Billie Joe Armstrong writes about some apparent trouble he was having with his marriage. As the band matured, so did Armstrong's prowess as a songwriter. By the late 1990s, Green Day was growing as a collective. Green Day no longer seemed like a cartoonish band and was taking their lives more seriously, which had translated into the music. 

As Green Day entered the 2000s, the band was struggling to regain its commercial success from the mid-1990s. Warning (2000) reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, but the band was at relative crossroads in terms of how to break out of that funk. "Minority," however, focuses on individualism and is one of the better efforts from Warning. The tune spent several weeks atop  Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart. 

Originally released on the 1990 EP Slappy, "Paper Lanterns" was also part of the 1991 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours compilation. During the band's early years, "Paper Lanterns" was a live favorite that showed Green Day's potential, specifically Billie Joe Armstrong's songwriting abilities, to enjoy more success beyond the local East Bay punk scene. 

Another Green Day deep cut worth celebrating. Found on Nimrod, "Uptight" was never released as a single and rarely mentioned when discussing the album. The song's strength might be its overall simplicity. All business, no-messing-around punk that's harder and edgier than some of the band's other tracks at the time. It also brilliantly showcases the musical talent of each band member, particularly Tré Cool's assault on the drums.

Four years after the release of Warning and amid a downturn in the band's popularity, Green Day went big and bold with 2004's conceptual smash American Idiot. This "punk rock opera" went to No. 1 on Billboard's 200 albums chart, won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, and led to a stage musical. "Holiday" is the prelude to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," though both were successful as standalone singles. Differently paced but perfectly intertwined to keep the story of our anti-hero (Jesus of Suburbia -- more on him later) going. 

Like Kiss with "Beth," Green Day's most widely recognized hit is a ballad. Veering from its signature pop-punk sound, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" is an acoustic number from Nimrod that was certified gold in the United States and platinum in the United Kingdom. The tune spanned various avenues of pop culture and became a staple at high school proms.

Another one of Green Day's most popular tunes can be found on Nimrod. However, it's probably best known for its inclusion in the James Van Der Beek vehicle Varsity Blues. It might be the most creative video in the band's arsenal. Sure, the guys matured personally and professionally, but they still had some fun with this song. 

Another classic from Dookie. "When I Come Around" reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, making it the highest-charting single from the album. It also spent nearly two months on top of Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. It might be one of the best pop-punk songs that truly opened the door for the genre to become a mainstream musical force, under the overall alternative umbrella, for most of the 1990s. 

Never released as a single, "Poprocks and Coke" was included on the 2001 International Superhits! greatest hits album. It's undoubtedly one of the band's poppier tunes but with a definite folksy feel that can more than hold its own with just about any other song on the album. It was also a song frequently played as part of warm-up playlists for high school basketball games in the early 2000s.

Another strong pop-punk tune was written by Mike Dirnt. "J.A.R." stands for Jason Andrew Relva, a friend of Dirnt who died from injuries from an auto accident at age 19 in 1992. The song was a tribute to Dirnt's fallen friend, originally found on the stellar soundtrack from the little-known film Angus (1995) and then on International Superhits! It was a big hit for the band (No. 17 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart) that built on the momentum of Dookie.

The undisputed gem of the 21st Century Breakdown album. "Know Your Enemy" is power pop-punk — fully charged music for mainstream ears. The song is a continuation of the mature musical aggression from American Idiot but also has a raw appeal that enabled the band to break big in the mid-to-late 1990s. A top-30 Billboard hit in the U.S., "Know Your Enemy" has also become a popular track to excite and arouse crowds at various sporting events.

Insomniac had the daunting task of following up the monstrously successful Dookie. Though it did not make as much money as Dookie, Insomniac reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. "Armatage Shanks" was the lead track but never released as a single. Still, it can be argued it's truly a shining moment on the record and perhaps the most underrated song in the Green Day catalog. It's high-octane, in-your-face, Ramones-eqsue punk, with some quality Tré Cool drumming. 

From the initial chords of this album opener and title track, Green Day's musical return to prominence was complete. The guys were mad about the world, conformity, war, the media, and government control. The hard-charging "American Idiot" single set the stage for an unabashed, raucously brilliant journey that concluded one of the great conceptual rock moments of all time. The song and album re-introduced the band to those fans that might have lost interest and opened the door to a new generation of pop punks.

Is this Mike Dirnt's defining musical moment with the song's notable bass intro? Perhaps. Plenty of alternative pop critics believe "She," about one of Billie Joe Armstrong's ex-girlfriends, is Dookie's shining moment. Green Day and alternative pop-punk fans should agree that it is truly one of the great such songs from the decade. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.

This might seem like a deep cut to the casual Green Day fan or those dedicated to the American Idiot era of the band. However, "Going to Pasalacqua" has been a favorite of long-time fans. It also continues to enjoy life in concert settings as an ode to the group's early days back in Northern California, when the focus was on some fast and furious punk with a healthy dose of pop sensibility. 

The epic "Jesus of Suburbia" is broken down into five parts and checks in at just over 9 minutes on album length. The album's focus gets plenty of love here, a track that is kind of a modern-day punk "Bohemian Rhapsody" meets something out of the Meat Loaf catalog. Billie Joe Armstrong and Co. were determined to put out a grandiose rock record that had its over-the-top moments. "Jesus of Suburbia" is that exact moment, and we're here for it all."

It wasn't the first track released from Dookie, but it might be the most memorable. Perhaps because the song's video was in heavy MTV rotation, earning the track nine MTV Video Music Awards. The tune was written before Billie Joe was diagnosed with a panic disorder and was an ode to his lengthy struggles with anxiety, which he's made a point to bring awareness to as the band's popularity and collective confidence grew. It also features some of Tré Cool's best drumming with the group.