Is Green Day more popular than Charli XCX? The Coachella debate, settled

They’re calling it the biggest generational clash in modern musical history. At Coachella over the weekend, hackles were raised at seminal pop-punk band Green Day taking the Saturday headline spot, with Charli XCX relegated to a 7 pm supporting slot.

Charli then threw gasoline on the fire by appearing at a Coachella afterparty with a sash reading “Miss Should Be Headliner”, but does she have a point? Let’s crunch the numbers and examine their cultural impact, fanbase size, and current relevance.

Charli xcx wearing a “Miss Should Be Headliner” sash at her Coachella afterparty! pic.twitter.com/NVnvIfI5qS

— 🏁 (@concertleaks) April 13, 2025

Green Day, formed in 1987, is a punk rock institution. With over 75 million records sold worldwide, albums like 1994’s Dookie 2004’s and 2004’s American Idiot are generational touchstones. Their catalog includes anthems like ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’, and ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ which remain staples on radio and streaming platforms.

At Coachella on Saturday, their performance drew a massive crowd, with reports noting it dwarfed Charli XCX’s, despite her prime slot. Green Day also sold out stadiums during their 2024 Saviors tour, repeatedly underscoring their immense draw and continued popularity with everyone from young boomers to older Gen Z. Many will have grown up alongside the band and that level of emotional attachment can’t be understated.

But nobody can deny that Charli XCX is a modern-day juggernaut. Her 2024 album Brat ignited a cultural phenomenon, with its lime-green aesthetic and party-girl ethos dominating social media, though she began her musical career in the early 2010s.

Tracks like ‘360’ and ‘Guess’ (featuring Billie Eilish) have racked up hundreds of millions of streams, and her Coachella set, packed with guests like Lorde and Troye Sivan, was custom-designed to generate viral moments. Charli’s influence is undeniable: she’s a trendsetter for Gen Z and has roughly 30 million monthly Spotify listeners, (though that’s still less than Green Day’s 32 million per month). Yet, her sales (estimated at 1-2 million records) and chart history pale against Green Day’s four-decade career. Her fanbase, while extremely loud and incredibly fervent, is narrower, mostly thriving in online and amongst younger demographics.

Popularity isn’t just numbers—it’s context. Green Day’s Coachella crowd reflected their universal appeal, bridging ages and genres. Charli’s set, though awesome, heavily leaned on Brat’s zeitgeist, which may fade faster than Green Day’s catalog. While Charli is the moment, Green Day’s legacy means they’re more popular. And anyway, when it comes to Coachella 2025, Gaga left them both in the dust.