Green Day – Dookie

Review

"Dookie" by Green Day really shook things up back in '94, throwing punk rock back onto the mainstream map with a bang. It was their big leap into major-label territory, and man, did they stick the landing. The guys, who initially jammed under the name Sweet Children, dialed into a cleaner, more refined sound with Rob Cavallo at the helm, and it absolutely worked for them.

The album pulls from Billie Joe Armstrong's own life, covering the whole emotional spectrum from ennui to angst, framed by the crunchy, charged-up tunes like "Longview", "Basket Case", and "When I Come Around". These tracks, beyond just being outrageously catchy, managed to challenge what people expected from punk, proving it didn't have to be all doom and gloom but could also be a whole lot of fun. The way "Dookie" lit up the charts and subsequently influenced a whole generation of music, capturing the Grammy for Best Alternative Album, is pretty spectacular. Its diamond certification and over 20 million sales speak volumes about its impact. And now, with its inclusion in the United States National Recording Registry, it's clear that "Dookie" isn’t just an album, it's a cultural milestone. - Ethan