
For more than 30 years Green Day has been churning out three chord pop-punk gems that make you feel like you’re fifteen years old again (and if you’re 15 and reading this you’ll understand one day). They do it really well. Sometimes TOO well. There’s a good reason why some of those catchy riffs cut right into your brain – you’ve heard them before.
I’m not here to accuse Green Day of intentionally stealing musical ideas but it just so happens that Green Day comes up quite a lot when looking at these comparisons. This might be the biggest compilation on this site to date! There are even some cases where the scenario is reversed. Let’s have a listen!
One Eyed Bastard (2024)
I also couldn’t help hear something else in the Green Day song. The Offspring “Self Esteem” maybe? I dunno, there’s probably a hundred pop punk songs that this part could be compared to. Have a listen!
Oh Love (2012)
21 Guns (2009)
Chorus:
Verse:
What about the guitar solo? I found something interesting 🙂
Jesus of Suburbia (2004)
She’s a Rebel (2004)
American Idiot (2004)
I have no idea what this is!! Start at :45
“Korean Idiot”
What is this????
Pokemon Game Music (2006?)
Hold On (2000)
Warning (2000)
Brain Stew (1995)
Basket Case (1994)

Great post! For Jesus of Suburbia, there’s a part of All the Young Dudes (Mott the Hoople) that sounds similar, too.
Which part of Jesus of Suburbia and which part of All the Young Dudes? Jesus of Suburbia sounds like a lot of songs.
Here’s another: Brain Stew also sounds like 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3HZvGN0qs
Thanks Bill! I totally forgot about that one. I actually wrote that one up on the site a while back here https://www.thatsongsoundslike.com/2009/07/22/led-zeppelin-chicago-green-day-white-stripes/ … I’ll have to update this post!
Yeah, large as this post is, you just know that it’s only scratching the surface.
Aerosmith-Fly Away From Here (2001): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xzDj-XOX2U#t=47s
Green Day-Murder City (2009): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3B8k8wzwZ8
Also, Oh Love sounds like the Great Pretender, and it’s not the first time a Green Day song did. Jinx did, back in 1997.