Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong explains why he wants "to destroy the phrase 'pop-punk'"

October 5, 2016

In December of 2015, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong took to Twitter, announcing his “mission” for 2016: “destroy the phrase ‘pop-punk’ forever.”

Fast forward almost a year, Green Day have a new album on the way, and Armstrong has clarified the tweet.

According to NME, Armstrong told Kerrang, “I've always hated the phrase 'pop-punk'. I think it's a contradiction in terms. Either you're punk, or you're not. [The tweet] was not directed at any of the band, it's just that it's too singular a term for my tastes.”

He continued, “I come from a scene where every band was different from the others; it was all so diverse.

“No two bands sounded the same. No-one was jumping on one particular sound. We were all different. Every good band was into what other good band were doing, and it didn't matter that these bands were very different from one another. In fact, it was important that we were different from one another.

“And now we have pop-punk. And I hate that phrase. It lacks diversity,” he concluded.

Green Day are releasing Revolution Radio on Oct. 7 via Reprise Records. Listen to the title track, “Bang, Bang” and “Still Breathing” now, and check out the band's upcoming tour dates here.