Green Day: Ranking Their Albums From Worst To Best

4. Warning

Oh my, did Green Day ever want to be the Kinks more than they did in 2000? Honestly, forget the shoot-the-moon aspirations of American Idiot, these guys were never more eager to prove themselves as a serious rock band than they were during the recording of Warning. I know that sounds like a dig (and it's not not one...), but if you're going to strive for a mountaintop, you may as well pick the one that one of the greatest English rock bands of all time ascended to. Utilizing acoustic guitars and social commentary with equal gusto, Warning is a jangly, perky, and yes, more mature offering from everyone's favorite bratty dorks. There's a good chance Warning is so underrated by Green Day fans because this album actually made them feel their age. It wasn't full of the brash, petulant hijinks and slacker anthems everyone had grown accustomed to. It was a dramatic shift, but one that was entirely necessary for a group of guys who were rapidly approaching their 30s. And it's not as if they went soberly downbeat, there's still plenty of good times to be had on Warning. The fun's just a little less childish. The music is more diverse than any previous Green Day record, and although it doesn't go for the throat as often, the use of a goddamn mandolin on the otherwise back-to-basics "Blood, Sex and Booze" might be the most punk thing the band had done up to that point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eebfMFzJHNs