10 Close Calls In Rock History

For any '90s kid, Green Day's music still feels like the height of adolescent angst. As much as American Idiot set them on the path to even greater world domination in the '00s, the massive success of Dookie was enough to make them superstars overnight, freeing them from their native California stomping grounds and into rock history. Then again, things might have taken a drastic turn if they hadn't gotten over the hurdle of Kerplunk.

While far from being a bad record, Green Day's sophomore release was a bit of a fractured one to make, with Tre Cool being brought in as the new drummer in substitute for John Kiffmeyer. Though Cool is clearly the better player, the band has said that the drumming he started with was way too frantic to actually fit in with their style of pop punk, almost leading to the band breaking up before they even finished the record.

Choosing to stay the course, Green Day persevered before eventually striking a deal with Reprise Records, after which they became one of the biggest names in music, with songs like Welcome to Paradise and Burnout showing that Tre finally found his place among the rest of the guys. Even though Tre can certainly play some flashy stuff, his ability to serve the song is what really clenched him the gig.