In a recent interview with Allison Hagendorf, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park talked about how much he hated Green Day in high school. The rock star remembered a moment when he observed someone else representing Green Day’s fan base, and it altered his perception of the band: “I used to really adore a band in high school, and I saw their patch on someone’s backpack—it was like a cheesy cheerleader. Upon noticing a girl wearing a Green Day patch on her bag, I thought, “First of all, she knows one song.” Second: I no longer like Green Day. I apologize, Green Day, but she’s destroying it. Then, Shinoda questioned the impartiality of his decision, stating: “I’d rather not go to the show and run into her.” She just gets to me. I have no idea how this society functions. I will no longer be your listener. Green Day is not at fault. We arrived at that situation. At our concerts, there are actually individuals I wouldn’t hang out with, and I think, “Is that fair of me to do that?” That isn’t hip. There’s nothing wrong with cheering someone on. Punk rock was elevated from underground to popular in the 1990s by Green Day, whose explosive live recordings and relatable lyrics expanded the subgenre’s appeal.
The younger generation of that age has also been greatly influenced by the band. Still, Armstrong disclosed in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone that the band members aren’t too concerned about becoming mainstream: Between 1991 and 1995, alternative bands and similar groups were able to be heard on the radio. In the grand scheme of things, though, the window of opportunity was not that large. In the end, we’re just a rock group. It doesn’t really matter to me what the mainstream thinks. There is nothing to give me by the mainstream. What could I possibly offer it? I am grateful for my world. I adore the kind of underground culture that Green Day embodies. On September 21, 2012, in Las Vegas, Green Day and Linkin Park, two of the biggest artists of the late 1990s and early 2000s, got the opportunity to perform together at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The full exchange is available to view below.
