Green Day’s American Idiot is the UK’s biggest rock album of the 21st century

Green Day’s American Idiot is the UK’s biggest rock and metal album of the 21st century, according to the Official Charts.

Announced on this year’s National Album Day (October 18), it’s been revealed that Billie Joe Armstrong and co.’s classic seventh record beat out the likes of Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Muse and Red Hot Chili Peppers to take the title of number one, having sold 2.6 million units in the UK since its release in 2004.

“We made American Idiot as a protest album – against fear, against lies, against apathy,” the band say. “But also a character driven concept album. It was risky, it was loud, it was personal – and it changed everything for us. Twenty years later, the fact that it still resonates means the world and we’re very proud that it continues to inspire people everywhere.”

In a 2005 interview with Kerrang!, bassist Mike Dirnt explained of Green Day’s mindset going into American Idiot, and its subsequent success: “We just wanted to prove we weren’t a flash in the pan. We’ve proved that. Back then I thought we had something to prove; now I think we’ve proved something.”

“The difference between Dookie and American Idiot is pretty simple,” added drummer Tré Cool. “The first time, the success was an accident; the second time it was on purpose.”

Hot on Green Day’s heels in this list is Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory in second place, followed by The Darkness’ Permission To Land, Evanescence’s Fallen and Muse’s Black Holes & Revelations. My Chemical Romance, Nickelback, Linkin Park (again!), Nickelback (again!) and Limp Bizkit complete the Top 10. See the full round-up here.

Read this next:

• Green Day: “We’re not going anywhere… and we’re just getting better!”
• “It created a new future for us”: The story of Green Day’s American Idiot
• “We didn’t have stars in our eyes, we just wanted our records to get out there”: How Green Day’s Dookie captured the spirit of a generation