Green Day Album Sales: As The Rock Band Announces Its 14th Album, Here’s A Look At How Their Music Fared In The Last 30 Years
As Green Day announces its 14th album, here’s a look at the last 13 and how well they performed, including the Gold & platinum records they hold & album sales.
As Green Day Announced Their 14th Album, Check Out The Sales Of Their Previous Albums That Popularized Punk Rock While Others Left Fans Feeling Duh! ( Photo Credit – Facebook; Wikimedia )
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American rock band Green Day has been entertaining its fans for over three decades now. Formed in the East Bay of California in 1987, the band comprised of Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocalist and guitarist; Mike Dirnt – the bassist and backing vocalist; and Tré Cool – the drummer who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before they recorded their second album, Kerplunk. Owing to its ground-breaking music, the band has been credited for popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.
On Tuesday, October 24, the band took to social media and announced the release date of their 14th studio album, Saviors. Set to release on January 19, 2024, the album will be released via Reprise/Warner Records and is currently available for pre-order.
At the same time, Green Day also unveiled its first single, titled ‘The American Dream Is Killing Me’ and released its official video on YouTube. The video – directed by Brendan Walter and Ryan Baxley, features the band in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. While rock fans will surely be excited, here’s a look at how well Green Day’s last 13 albums performed and details about their sale.
Combined sales between the original out-of-print release of 39/Smooth and the additional sales and streaming from the songs had Green Day’s debut LP tracking towards 1.5 million worldwide sales. The April 13, 1990, released album sold 75,000 physical copies in the US. Currently, it has sold 1,322,000 in Sales + Streaming and 100,000 in Album Sales worldwide.
Kerplunk
Released on December 17, 1991, the band’s second album sold 10,000 copies on its first day and over 50,000 in the following two years. The album was pushed to Gold and Platinum status after the band rocketed to fame after debuting their third album, Dookie. Kerplunk was certified Gold on June 28, 1995, and Platinum on August 8, 2003. The album’s current Sales + Streaming is 2,126,000, while its sales are 1,950,000 worldwide.
Dookie
Dookie was Green Days’ major label debut. Though initial sales were strong, the album didn’t gain mainstream traction until a few months after release. This album got the band its first RIAA certification of Gold on June 14, 1994, and Platinum on August 17, 1994. By the end of 1996, the album had gone Platinum 9 times. On February 8, 1999, Dookie received the Diamond certification for sales of 10,000,000 copies. Having sold over 11.9 million copies in the US alone, the album’s – released on February 1, 1994, current Sales + Streaming is 27,728,000, and its Album Sales is 19,750,000.
Insomniac
Released on October 10, 1995, Insomniac – despite being less radio-friendly than the album, has good sales upon initial release. It went on to pick up Gold and Platinum certifications on January 8, 1996, and was certified double Platinum on February 27, 1996. Insomniac has sold over 2.9 million copies in the US, with its current Sales + Streaming being around 6,810,000 and its Album Sales over 5,800,000 worldwide. The singles released by Insomniac were Geek Stink Breath, Stuck with Me, Brain Stew/Jaded, and Walking Contradiction.
Nimrod
After a brief hiatus in 1996, Green Day began work on its next album – an experimental deviation from the band’s standard melodic punk rock. Released on October 14, 1997, Nimrod took six months to achieve Gold and Platinum certifications – they were awarded on April 6, 1998. The mainstream success of Good Riddance won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video. It even pushed the album sales, earning another million and a double Platinum certification on March 16, 2000. Its current worldwide Sales + Streaming are around 9,325,000, with Album Sales touching the 5.2 million mark.
Warning
Released on October 3, 2000, Green Days’ sixth album, Warning, was a hit from the start and earned Gold status on December 1, 2000. While the album’s single didn’t garner much attention from rock radio – aside from Minority, the presence of file-sharing services cannibalized the album’s record sales. Currently, Warning’s worldwide Sales + Streaming are around 4.482 million, and its Album Sales are approximately 3.450 million.
American Idiot
Released on September 20, 2004 – a decade after their smashing Dookie, American Idiot became the band’s second most successful album. The album achieved Gold and Platinum status in under two months – awarded on November 10, 2004, and sold 5 million copies over two years before topping out at 6x Platinum on January 24, 2013. The album has 23,336,000 Sales + Streaming and 15,250,000 Album Sales worldwide currently.
21st Century Breakdown
Released on May 15, 2009 – after a gap of five years, it didn’t live up to expectations; however, it managed to sell over a million copies in the US. As of today, it is the last Green Day record to have achieved this feat. The album was certified Gold on June 25, 2009, and Platinum on February 17, 2011. It has sold over 1.2 million copies in the US. Currently, the album’s worldwide Sales + Streaming stand at 6,356,000, with its Album Sales amounting to 3,800,000.
¡Uno!
Released on September 21, ¡Uno! was the band’s first album as part of its trilogy of albums in 2012. While it sold 139,000 copies in its first week, the lack of promotion – owing to singer Billie Joe Armstrong going to rehab, killed the momentum. Becoming the first Green Day studio album to not achieve a Gold certification, its sales in the US topped out around 330,000. The album currently has 1,495,000 Sales + Streaming and 1,050,000 Album Sales worldwide.
¡Dos!
The second album in the band’s 2012 trilogy of albums, ¡Dos! released on November 9 and became the band’s first time – since 1994’s Dookie, to not hit 100,000 sales in its first week. The album sold 69,000 copies in Week 1, with only ‘Stray Heart’ being released to promote the album. While it landed selling just 190,000 copies in the US, its current worldwide Sales + Streaming is 934,000, with Album Sales amounting to 650,000.
¡Tre!
The third and final album in the Green Day’s2012 trilogy of albums, ¡Tre! released a month earlier than expected – owing to a postponed tour, on December 7. With no promotions, the album’s sales remained dull, with just 58,000 first-week sales. With album sales topping out at just 170,000 in the US, it currently has 846,000 Sales + Streaming and 550,000 Album Sales worldwide.
Revolution Radio
Released on October 7, 2016, the band’s twelfth was received positively by fans and was considered a comeback after their trilogy failed to stick the landing. Revolution Radio became Green Day’s third album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Thanks to its lead single, ‘Bang Bang,’ the album sold 95,000 copies in the US during the first week. The album’s current total sales and Streaming are 1,230,000 worldwide.
Father Of All Motherfuckers
Released on February 7, 2020, this was Green Day’s thirteenth studio album and the lowest-selling one of their career. The album received mixed reviews upon release, resulting in it having the worst first-week sales total. The album debuted on the Billboard charts at #4, selling 48,000 copies in the US – almost half of what their previous album sold in Week 1. As of September, Father Of All Motherfuckers’ total worldwide sales and Streaming was 259,000
All said and done, how excited are you for Green Day’s 14 music album Saviors?
![Insomniac [Full Album]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0pXx8QxIzok/hqdefault.jpg)
![Green Day - American Idiot [Official Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ee_uujKuJMI/hqdefault.jpg)
![Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown [Official Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D4ZKlT1EvCA/hqdefault.jpg)
![Green Day - Father Of All… [Official Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eXv00PJ9IQM/hqdefault.jpg)