I was 18 when I first moved to New York. I lived seven stories above an NYU academic center cluttered with classrooms that were typically left unlocked for late-night study sessions. It was here that I would break into one of these chambers of academia and fill every chalk board with the lyrics of American Idiot. I was convinced I knew every line by heart, and I wrote the entirety of my favorite Green Day album in bright white chalk simply because I could. I’ve known since 2005 that American Idiot is one of my all-time favorite albums, but it wasn’t until I turned 18 that I realized why.

In American Idiot, there’s a lyrical sophistication that Green Day taps into seldom seen in any of their other records. They take lines like “I’m not part of your elite/I’m just alright” (“Stuck With Me,” Insomniac) and turn them into “And there’s nothing wrong with me/This is how I’m supposed to be/In a land of make believe/That don’t believe in me” (“Jesus Of Suburbia”).

Out of all of Green Day’s records, there’s a reason that this one has won a Grammy, had a documentary released on it, and had been adapted into a Tony-award winning Broadway musical.