Green Day, in many ways, is a series of seemingly irreconcilable paradoxes. They were a punk band that was played on the radio (a lot). They had a Tony-Award-winning musical based on one of the most aggressively anti-establishment albums in all of mainstream music from the past 20 years. They’ve done sappy pop ballads and LGBTQIA+ anthems—on the same record, even (see Nimrod below). They are sellouts, but they also brought punk rock to countless kids who would have otherwise never experience it. As such, they are, unsurprisingly, both adored and despised. Whether Green Day is among your music idols or you see them as an overhyped copycat of The Clash, their impact on popular music is undeniable. That impact, in many ways, can be traced back to their first major label release, Dookie, which came out on February 1st, 1994—thirty years ago this week. In celebration, check out the 30th anniversary box set (see below), along with some other highlights from the band’s varied career.

For more great music, make sure to check out the offerings of your local Library branch and Freegal.

Dookie [30th Anniversary Edition]

American Idiot

Insomniac

Warning

Nimrod

Green Day: The Ultimate Unauthorized History

20 Greatest Hits: Easy Guitar Anthology 

Green Day: Under Review 1995-2000: The Middle Years, An Independent Critical Analysis

Smash!: Green Day, The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, and the ’90s Punk Explosion

American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording