10 Amazing Classic Rock Inspired Albums From The 21st Century

Green Day were poised for a comeback by the mid 2000's. After years of experimentation and losing some fans with their more folksy effort Warning, the band went into the studio to make a record of Dookie-flavored pop-punk. Once the masters were all stolen from the band's studio, it was back to the drawing board for the latest record.

In a break from recording, the band members each wrote little snippets of songs which were strung together in the vein of The Who's epics like "A Quick One." Inspired by the new songwriting technique, Billie Joe Armstrong set out to make the new record a rock opera centered around a kid growing up in 2000s America. What fans were greeted with on American Idiot was a modern album that had all the trappings of rock's glory days, with references from everyone from Tom Petty to The Ramones to The Clash to Springsteen.

The songs were so irresistible that the album became an instant success with the fans, even with tracks that eclipsed the 9 minute mark. More than just a great album, American Idiot bridged the past and present stripes of rock and became a watershed moment for the entire genre at the turn of the decade.