BY ASHLEY BANKS, Copyeditor

Arguably one of the most influential bands of the ‘90s and ‘00s was Green Day. Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed the band in 1987, and members Tré Cool and Jason White joined later in the early ‘90s.

The band saw their first breakthrough success in 1997 with their album “Dookie.” The album received airplay on MTV with music videos for singles like “When I Come Around,” “Basket Case” and “Longview.”

Apart from “Dookie,” the next major success that Green Day saw came from their sixth album, 2004’s “American Idiot.” This was the first of Green Day’s albums to reach number one on the Billboard music charts.

The album has been described by Billie Joe Armstrong as a “rock-opera,” and features much social and political commentary told through the story of “Jesus of Suburbia.”

The album also features singles like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and “Holiday.” These helped it win a 2005 Grammy award for Best Rock Album.

“American Idiot” saw so much success that in 2009, it was made into a musical bearing the same name. In 2010, the musical made it all the way to Broadway.

Although the actual band did not make an appearance in the musical, Armstrong would sometimes make an appearance on stage as the character “St. Jimmy.” Armstrong also acted as playwright for the musical alongside Michael Mayer.

The show was nominated for three Tony awards, including Best Musical, Best Scenic Design of a Musical and Best Lighting Design of a Musical. It won the last two awards, as well as a 2011 Grammy award for Best Musical Show Album.

In the years since “American Idiot,” Green Day has released four more albums. “21st Century Breakdown” came out in May of 2009, and the album has received positive feedback from critics. The album even reached number one in 14 countries.

In 2012, Green Day released a trilogy of albums called “¡Uno!,” “¡Dos!” and “¡Tré!” The three albums were released in September, November and December of 2012.

In 2013, the band released a documentary called “¡Cuatro!” that gave the audience a look into the making of the three albums. They also released another documentary called “Broadway Idiot” that shows how “American Idiot” was turned into a musical.

After their current Australian tour, the band will be taking a break before making any more new music.

The musical “American Idiot” will be playing at the Fox Theater in Atlanta this summer from May 1-4.