Countless rock icons have been inducted into the famous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but perhaps none quite as deserving as Californian punk legends, Green Day. For their 2015 induction performance, Green Day performed their timeless 1994 hit, “Basket Case” from their groundbreaking third album, “Dookie,” with a nostalgic energy burning fresh and reckless through their black-tie finesse, amped up in American award-show style.
Dookie was the band’s breakthrough and “Basket Case” a supersonic hit, followed by hit singles “Welcome To Paradise” and “When I Come Around”. After dwindling record sales near the century’s turn, the trio went from being ’90s trailblazers to walking the precipice of dissolution. However, their biggest commercial success — 2004’s “American Idiot” — blazed with post-9/11 disenchantment, heartbreak, and anarchy, cementing Green Day in rock music history after executing the biggest U-turn imaginable.
Their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction was a long time coming. This band went from sleeping on hundreds of people’s floors (according to drummer Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt’s HoF award acceptance speeches) to selling out stadiums across the globe. “Basket Case” was the song that saw them through it all and has inspired countless A-grade artists ever since, including Fall Out Boy, Lady Gaga, Blink 182, Billie Eilish, and Sum 41.
To this day, “Basket Case” remains among Green Day’s most viewed music videos, boasting 347m YouTube views, while its 2015 Hall of Fame induction performance has garnered over 16m. With one Brit Award, four Grammys, three AMAs, five MTV Video Music Awards and countless more wins and nominations under their belt, Green Day’s once-in-a-lifetime rendition before the star-studded audience of the 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame encapsulates everything that makes this band phenomenal.
Lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, kicks the glitz of Hollywood in the teeth by wielding a cruddy, old turquoise guitar named “Blue” — an original icon of Green Day’s image which featured in the Basket Case music video back in ’94. Battered, faded, wallpapered with layers of stickers reading “NO ONE FOR PRESIDENT,” and painted with the large initials “BJ,” Green Day’s old-school punk roots are at the soul of their induction gig. This song and war-battered guitar make way for a full-circle moment, an organic punk touch to their black tie attire.
Rebellion against Hollywood, celebrity, and idealism are what keep Green Day forever relevant. Their latest album, 2024’s “Saviors,” carried streaks of authentic ‘90s-style apathy to the next generation of teen outcasts with hit tracks like, “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” “Look Ma, No Brains” and “Dilemma.” And with over 6.64m YouTube subscribers, 5.1m Instagram followers, and 1.4m TikTok followers, it’s clear the next gen are scrapping for Green Day’s sound, captivated by those undying punk rock trademarks Green Day stream straight into the 21st century.
If you love the punk rock energy of Green Day, celebrate their legacy by subscribing to their YouTube Channel or following them on Facebook or Instagram. You can enjoy their timeless hits like “Basket Case” and “American Idiot”, reflecting on the band’s journey from underdogs to rock legends, a journey immortalized by their 2015 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Dive in and explore the world of these punk icons.