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

5. It Changed The Sound And Public Opinion Of Punk

The way Green Day changed the sound of punk always makes me think of a family holiday we took in the summer when I first bought Dookie. It involved a lot of driving and whilst my Dad, a music teacher, would not normally listen to our more aggressive music choices, he was more than happy to stick Green Day on and listen all the way through, only skipping Longview because of its questionable subject matter. Whilst this may lessen its cool in the eyes of many hard-core punk fans, it really does epitomise the way Green Day injected the punk scene with a more welcoming and melodically centred style that meant non-punk fans could enjoy it. The punk attitude was still there in their lyrics and the way they composed themselves but it was expressed in a way that was fun and appealing. This was perhaps even more readily received because it was released at a time when grunge was starting to feel a little too oppressive. Released only a few months before the death of Kurt Cobain, it's easy to see how people jumped on the Dookie train for some right relief. The grunge-like apathy is still there but the in-your-face angst is all gone. Dookie took the anti-social aspect away from punk and allowed anyone and everyone to energetically revel in the silliness of life.