Dookie won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 1995.
Released on February 1, 1994, Dookie was Green Day’s major-label breakthrough on Reprise Records. Produced by Rob Cavallo and recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, the album helped carry punk-influenced rock into the mainstream through songs including “Longview,” “Basket Case,” and “When I Come Around.”
At the 37th Annual Grammy Awards, Dookie won the alternative-album category over nominees including Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral. Green Day also received nominations for Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Hard Rock Performance, but Dookie was the band’s only win that night.
The year is an easy source of confusion because the Grammy year identifies the ceremony, while the nominated recordings generally come from the previous eligibility period. Another common mix-up is Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, which was nominated in the alternative-album category for the 1997 Grammys, not the 1995 ceremony.