When I Come Around

Green Day’s 1995 single is one of pop-punk’s catchiest anthems. “When I Come Around,” with its chugging opening riff and laid-back groove, finds Billie Joe Armstrong singing about needing space in a relationship but promising he’ll return. The song struck a perfect balance of punk attitude and melodic accessibility, helping it become one of the band’s biggest early hits (it was a #1 hit on the Modern Rock chart). Its simple, no-frills music video of the band wandering the streets of San Francisco echoed the song’s unpretentious charm. Decades later, “When I Come Around” remains a quintessential ’90s rock song — easy to sing along to, impossible not to nod your head, and still a highlight of Green Day’s live shows.