Green Day Electrifies Coachella 2025 With a Powerful, Hit-Filled Setlist

Green Day Brings Decades of Punk Spirit to Coachella 2025

So, who would’ve guessed the first Coachella to land Green Day on the bill would feel this explosive? On April 12, 2025, when the sun finally dipped at the Empire Polo Club, Billie Joe Armstrong marched onstage with his bandmates to kick off a wild 95-minute sprint through their entire musical history. This wasn’t just a nostalgia trip—Green Day made sure their Coachella 2025 debut pulled in both old fans and newcomers alike, all packed into a crowd buzzing with outrageous energy.

The night started in a quirky way: taped versions of Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody" and The Ramones’ "Blitzkrieg Bop" thundered from the speakers as the crowd screamed every word. Then, in a flash, the band charged on and let rip with "Holiday," launching the main event that spanned songs from their new record Saviors to the classic carnage of American Idiot, "Basket Case," and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)."

There’s no shortage of Green Day anthems, and they played plenty—"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" had phones raised high, while "Longview" and "When I Come Around" turned the whole field into a giant mosh pit. But the band knows how to throw curveballs: diehards got rewarded with deeper choices like "One Eyed Bastard" (a new favorite from Saviors), and "Hitchin’ a Ride." Billie Joe didn’t waste time telling long stories, either—they kept the music rolling, the energy up, and the crowd on its toes from start to finish.

The Coverups: An After-Hours Bonus for Ultra Fans

Most bands would take a breather between festival weekends—not Green Day. In a move that’s classic for them, Armstrong and company squeezed in a 31-song, anything-goes show at Pappy & Harriet’s in nearby Pioneertown. Instead of sticking to their hits, the group morphed into The Coverups for one night only. Under this alter-ego, the crew played a wild mix of punk, glam, and hard rock favorites. The list jumped from The Ramones and David Bowie to the hard-hitting riffs of Led Zeppelin. Old-school fans already know the deal: The Coverups shows are chaos, sweat, and pure fun, with the band tearing through other musicians’ greatest tracks like they’ve been playing them forever.

The side gig proved just how versatile Green Day really is. Punk roots? For sure. But they can turn on a dime and channel everyone from Bowie’s swagger to Zeppelin’s muscle. For fans lucky enough to snag a spot at the tiny desert venue, it was a chance to see rock legends up close, totally unplugged from arena expectations.

Out at Coachella, you could feel that same energy on the festival stage. After years off the festival circuit, Green Day’s first Coachella outing felt like the band was meeting the moment head on, still as hungry as ever. The singalongs were loud, the mosh pits looked classic, and nobody left without their voice a little sore. It was proof again that when Green Day shows up, punk’s heart is still pumping hard in the California desert.