Kerplunk

Originally released on December 17, 1991, Green Day’s second studio album, Kerplunk, was the first to feature drummer Tré Cool. Completing the band’s lineup and rhythm section along with Mike Dirnt, AllMusic praised the pair, saying that

together the two throw in a variety of guitar-less breaks that would later help to define the band’s sound for many – warm and never letting the beat go.

Kerplunk marked Green Day’s last release on indie label Lookout! Records, and received acclaim for being among the best selling independently released albums of all time. Though no official singles accompanied the album, versions later released on CD and cassette included the tracks from 1990’s Sweet Children EP, featuring songs written before the band changed its name to Green Day.

At the time of Kerplunk’s release, a number of stores refused to stock the album due to the violent imagery featured on the covers; the front cover features an illustration of a high school girl after having just fired a gun, while the back cover shows a boy lying on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound on his back. Despite this, successful album sales and live performances in support of the album generated interest from major labels, including Reprise Records, who eventually signed Green Day ahead of their first major label release, Dookie, in 1994.