For those of us in our twenties and thirties, the golden age of music was the ’80s and ’90s (and, okay the ’00s as well). We lived for anthems derived during this time, proof of which extended from our iPod shuffles to our school talent shows; (raise your hand if you’ve done at least one choreographed dance routine or five to something off the Backstreet’s Back album). Rock and punk pumped through our blood streams and our Discmans and showed us (and our poor parents) the true meaning of attitude. And just like that bus driver who still rocks her frosted mullet with pride and conviction, we remain dutifully attached to our ’80s and ’90s jams. This golden age of music was chock-full of one-hit-wonders but also talented musicians who pioneered modern music trends and made the burgeoning industry what it is today. Lucky for us, some of those bands and artists are still around, still touring, still producing killer music and still sporting that black eyeliner that nobody really understood… but you keep doing you, Billie Joe. Check out these six bands and artists who have achieved the ultimate pop culture success: staying relevant.
Green Day
In 1986, Green Day was formed by Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt. Complete with tattoo sleeves, leather vests, arbitrary chains and hair your mother would hate, this punky pair became a punky trio, who gave us anthems like, “When I Come Around” and “Good Riddance,” songs that would later go on to define the ’90s. The band topped charts and raked in Grammy’s until the late ’90s when they saw a decline in their commercial success. (But gun to your head, who doesn’t know every single word to “Boulevard of Broken Dreams?) In 2016, the band is still dutifully putting in studio time, hinting at some new music to be released this year, according to Billie Joe’s Instagram. But a rock star’s Instagram is a reputable source, right?
