[pic=Green Day, 1994]101812_early1.jpg[/pic][note=Written By Tanya Elder from @GreenDayMind]

A few years ago, I was talking with a fellow Green Day fan about the countless arguments people have over whether Green Day is "punk," is "punk enough, is "power pop," is "pop punk," is "rock" or "punk sellouts." Musically difficult to place, whatever 'genre' you put them into, certainly doesn't stop people who attempt to place them into a neat and tidy box. Comments and conversations about the topic over the Interwebs and in person boggle my mind, as do the constant arguments people have over what defines punk (Unique lifestyle? Cutting-edge community? Extreme individualism? Blood, sex and booze? Straightedge? Distinctive political ideals, fashion?), who is eligible to be called punk (Live the lifestyle to its fullest? Is professing an affinity enough?), or who is qualified to listen to it or even attend shows. A punk once told me that punks don't even call themselves punk anymore!

I continued talking with my friend as I got hotter and madder and more animated about the topic, and I said: I don't understand why people dissed Green Day so much in regards to their "punkdom." The band professes love for an eclectic variety of music, but as people, it's obvious that they are Northern California punks at heart. I harped, "these guys are punk to their soul, and because of them, fans of Green Day are exposed not only to the band's back catalog--whose foundations are punk and pop--but also hundreds of bands that they express deep, undying 'bro-love' for. They're like... like... a gateway drug to the history of punk!!!" She chuckled at that phrase and I had to laugh because I said it so adamantly.

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