Green Day: 6 Reasons You Should Still Listen To Dookie 20 Years On

By Katie Feehan /

4. It's A Great Gateway To Old School Punk

With this in mind, many critics and older punk fans criticised Dookie as sounding too poppy. But their simple song structure and hook-based style were appealing to those who might have initially been put off by harder, more traditional punk bands like Nofx and once you are drawn in to the punk attitude and energy, you could appreciate the older bands more readily. Bands like Nofx, The Ramones and even The Sex Pistols don't sound so alien once you've fallen in love with Dookie and its energetic, upbeat sound. The recording sounded great and the their pop sensibilities were easier to digest than more other punk bands, meaning they broadened the market for their music and led us willingly into the world of pop rock and punk rock. As well as this, Dookie was the ideal start for many budding amateur musicians. So many fans reached for guitars and drum sticks after hearing the seemingly simple and easy to learn songs. They mostly only use three to five power chords and have relatively simple structures and beats so are perfect for new bands to play great songs. Speaking personally, my high school was rife with bands inspired by Green Day and my bandmates and I learned their entire back catalogue before we started writing our own material. This nurturing of musicians is reflected in their live show segment where they frequently invite one guitarist, one bass guitarist and one drummer up on stage to take part in their set. Not requiring anything too fancy, they transform such simple and easy riffs and beats into catchy entertaining tunes.