Green Day released the album American Idiot in 2004. Its official release date was September 21, 2004, through Reprise Records.
American Idiot was Green Day's seventh studio album and followed the 2002 compilation Shenanigans. The band recorded it between 2003 and 2004 with producer Rob Cavallo. Framed as a punk-rock opera, the album follows interconnected characters including Jesus of Suburbia and St. Jimmy while addressing political disillusionment, media influence, and suburban alienation.
The record became a major commercial and cultural comeback for Green Day. It was the band's first album to reach number one in the United States and produced well-known singles such as "American Idiot," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Holiday," and "Wake Me Up When September Ends."
The year can be confused with 2005 because the album's success continued strongly into that year, including major awards attention and touring. However, the album itself was released in 2004; the stage musical adaptation premiered later, in 2009.