Where Are the Green Day Members Now? Inside Their Lives 40 Years After Changing Punk Rock
- - Where Are the Green Day Members Now? Inside Their Lives 40 Years After Changing Punk Rock
Emy LaCroixFebruary 7, 2026 at 8:00 AM
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Green Day band members
Lex van Rossen/MAI/Redferns
They may sing “American Idiot,” but the members of Green Day have proven that their music is nothing short of brilliant.
The American punk-rock trio featuring Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool was formed in 1986 in East Bay, Calif., and went on to become one of the most influential rock bands of their generation.
From the breakout success of their first major studio album, Dookie, in 1994, to the politically charged American Idiot in 2004, Green Day has won four Grammy Awards and earned 19 nominations over the past four decades.
The band’s catalog includes iconic hits like “Basket Case,” “When I Come Around,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Their impact has also extended beyond the charts and into the theater with the Tony Award-winning American Idiot: The Musical, which premiered in 2009.
Along the way, Green Day has celebrated major milestones. In May 2025, they were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a moment that Armstrong described to PEOPLE as feeling “like a fever dream” while Dirnt called it “very emotional” and a tribute not just to the band but to the fans who’ve supported them.
Today, Green Day continues to make music and perform. They released their most recent album, Saviors, in January 2024 and won an iHeartRadio Landmark Award for it. Most recently, in January 2026, they were announced as the openers of the 2026 Super Bowl.
“I still try to maintain that kind of [punk] spirit about what we do,” Armstrong told PEOPLE in January 2024. “Just being independent and free to express yourself the way that you want.”
Here’s a look into where the members of Green Day are now.
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Billie Joe Armstrong
Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong on June 10, 1994 in Mountain View, California. ; Billie Joe Armstrong performing onstage on July 2, 2025 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day; Paul Bergen/Redferns
Green Day lead vocalist and guitarist Armstrong was born on Feb. 17, 1972, in Oakland, Calif. His father, Andrew Armstrong, died when Armstrong was 10. It was a devastating loss for the singer, and he later opened up about it in their song “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
Armstrong met Dirnt in school the same year, and they formed a band called Sweet Children in their teens, which later became Green Day. They were joined by Tré Cool in 1990, solidifying the lineup that would take punk rock from local Bay Area clubs to international stadiums.
As a rising indie band with local success, Armstrong admitted they were “freaked out” to release their first studio album, Dookie. “You never know what is going to happen as far as what the public is going to think — and even our own fan base at that time was going to think,” he told PEOPLE in February 2024. “Because a lot of it was the controversy of us going from an indie to a major label.”
“It was also very exciting at the same time,” he continued. “All of a sudden, we're playing Lollapalooza and Woodstock, and our shows were getting bigger. We were on MTV. That was a lot of fun. But it was a double-edged sword, a little bit.”
The album saw massive success, even earning the band their first Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Alternative Music Performance.
Outside of Green Day, Armstrong has worked on side projects like the rock bands Foxboro Hot Tubs and The Longshot.
Armstrong married his longtime partner Adrienne Armstrong in 1994, and they became parents when they welcomed sons Joey and Jakob in 1995 and 1998, respectively. Both are now adults and have performed alongside their dad.
Armstrong has been open about personal struggles over the years, including entering rehab in 2012 and getting sober.
“For me, alcohol gets in the way of everything, from my relationship with my family to just trying to get a good night’s sleep. It gets in the way of my happiness," he told PEOPLE in January 2024. "So that's why I wanted to quit, and I was done.”
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Mike Dirnt
Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt playing in 1994. ; Mike Dirnt at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 12, 2025 in Indio, California
Marc Steifel/WireImage; Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty
Green Day bassist Dirnt was born Michael Ryan Pritchard on May 4, 1972, in California. After a difficult start to life, Dirnt found stability in his friendship with Armstrong, whom he moved in with.
“We were 10 years old, first time I met [Billie],” Dirnt told Consequence of Sound in December 2024. “One of the first conversations we ever had was about songwriting."
He continued, "We were just pointed into something that we thought was cool, ’cause at the time we were each struggling to mitigate our own home lives and things like that."
Dirnt has performed in side projects such as The Frustrators and played with bands, including Screeching Weasel and Armstrong’s Foxboro Hot Tubs.
Outside of his music career, Dirnt has worked on business ventures that reflect his punk roots, including co-owning Rudy’s Can’t Fail Café, a diner in the Oakland–Emeryville area named after a Clash song, and founding Punk Bunny, a coffee company, with his bandmates.
Dirnt is also a dad to three kids: Estelle, Brixton and Ryan.
The bassist told Ticketcorner in October 2017 that he was at his “happiest“ point. “I have a great family, and my band is still firing on all cylinders,” he said, adding that his kids “kept [him] young” while making him “mature earlier.”
In January 2026, Dirnt was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bass Magazine Awards, which was presented by Blink 182 bassist Mark Hoppus.
“I wouldn’t even be standing here right now if it [weren’t] for Billie and Tré, and we don’t say things like this to each other very often or ever, but ... I’m gonna say it to them,” he said in his speech at the event. “Thank you for trusting me to do my part correctly for the songs that we create. I love you guys.”
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Tré Cool
Green Day drummer Tré Cool playing in New York City in August 6, 1994. ; Tré Cool performing onstage on July 29, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Gary Gershoff/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty
Green Day drummer Tré Cool was born Frank Edwin Wright III on Dec. 9, 1972, in Frankfurt, West Germany, to American parents. When his family returned to the United States after his father’s service in the military, they settled in California.
Tré Cool joined Green Day in 1990, replacing original drummer John Kiffmeyer and completing the lineup with Armstrong and Dirnt that would go on to mainstream success.
“We were on tour in our yellow Ford Econoline that we called The Toot. We were playing punk clubs, squats, backyard parties. We were screen printing t-shirts on Billie Joe's guitar case and hanging them in people's backyards. Sleeping on floors, couches, wherever we could,” Tré Cool said of their early days as a band. “I didn't think back then that we'd be here now.”
The trio was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 — their first year of eligibility — and Tré Cool gave a touching speech at the special milestone event.
“Music is the force that gets us up in the morning. It's also the s--- that keeps us up all night,” he said. “It's overwhelming the amount of talent and love in the room. ... Being inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an enormous honor.”
Tré Cool is also a father, previously posting about his daughter Ramona and son Mickey.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
