Right after the release of their new album SUPERCHARGED, The Offspring have reached another milestone: “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” a song off their 1998 album Americana and one of the band’s biggest hits to-date, has reached 1 billion streams on Spotify.
“The Kids Aren’t Alright” marks the second song by The Offspring to join the Spotify Billion’s Club after their 2008 hit “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid” achieved the accolade this summer. The band celebrated the milestone this past weekend at San Diego’s Punk in the Park festival, announcing the achievement onstage and having fans send in their congratulations to the band. Watch their celebratory video below.
Now over 25-years-old, “The Kids Aren’t Alright” has been one of The Offspring’s best-performing singles for years, officially reaching platinum status from the RIAA in September 2021. Written about the disillusionment and failures of a generation of young adults who once showed promise and ambition, the song is still performed regularly at football games and sporting events by the marching band at the University of Southern California (frontman Dexter Holland’s alma mater).
It’s been a big year for turn-of-the-millennium rock songs joining the Spotify Billion’s Club. Green Day’s “American Idiot” just reached the accolade in September ahead of its 20th anniversary, and even Hoobastank’s smash 2004 hit “The Reason” garnered a billion streams this year.
The Offspring unveiled their 11th studio album SUPERCHARGED on October 11th. Revisit our interview with Holland and Noodles, the band’s lead guitarist, where we dive deep into the new album and their lengthy career. You can also check out our edition of Crate Digging with Noodles, where he names 10 Southern California punk albums that everyone should own.