Despite its USA-centric title, Green Day‘s American Idiot still did big numbers across the pond.
The punk outfit’s 2004 opus has been named the best-selling rock album of the 21st century in the U.K., according to the Official Charts Company.
“We made American Idiot as a protest album – against fear, against lies, against apathy. But also a character driven concept album,” Green Day says. “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.”
The list of the U.K.’s best-selling rock albums of the 21st century was unveiled in conjunction with the 2025 National Album Day celebration, which took place Saturday. Linkin Park‘s Hybrid Theory came in at #2, followed by The Darkness‘ Permission to Land at #3, Evanescence‘s Fallen at #4 and Muse‘s Black Holes & Revelations at #5.
The top 10 was rounded out by My Chemical Romance‘s The Black Parade, Nickelback‘s Silver Side Up, Linkin Park’s Meteora, Nickelback’s All the Right Reasons and Limp Bizkit‘s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.
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