Today marks the fourth anniversary of Green Day's 13th album Father of Album Motherfuckers! Released at the start of the pandemic, the album marked a departure from the band's traditional rock sound, incorporating elements of garage rock, soul, and glam rock for a record that Billie described as "somewhere between Prince and MC5." The album produced four singles: "Father Of All," "Fire, Ready, Aim," "Oh Yeah!," and "Meet Me on the Roof."

Though an ambitious record, it remains divisive among critics and fans for its lyrical content, short run time, and quality. Still, the FOAM era proved to be memorable with highlights being the weird promotional billboards, the controversy surrounding the Gary Glitter sample in "Oh Yeah!," the confusing artwork, and off-the-wall album descriptions from Billie Joe. And who can forget Billie's random cameo in Tyla Yaweh's "High Right Now" video? The album's release was also poorly timed. The pandemic was just starting and a month later the world would shut down. As a result, Green Day's massive Hella Mega tour was postponed.

It was certainly a strange and confusing time, but we can't forget the fun moments it brought: the band's redeeming performance at iHeart Radio Festival, Billie Joe's acoustic rendition of "Graffitia," and Green Day making pizza with Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.

Despite how you feel about FOAM, you gotta give Green Day credit for trying something different. They said "screw it" and just went for it, even if the final result was weird and questionable. That attitude is what drives Green Day. They always listen to themselves and do what they feel is best for the band, for better or for worse. FOAM is still their most divisive record, but everyone can agree it was a wild ride.

Revisit some FOAM era performances below.









What are your memories of the FOAM era? Are you a FOAM defender? Let us know on the Green Day Community forum!