Green Day's Dookie wasn't the first pop-punk record, but it was the most important one. It's still the most important one.

There aren't many genres in which it's possible to make such a claim without inspiring major debate. But in this genre, it's simple: Dookie made it acceptable to put pop-punk on the radio. It introduced an entire type of music to the masses, inspiring a domino effect of sorts over the past two decades that has helped shape the way this genre grew. Without Dookie, we might not have the Vans Warped Tour. Your mall's Hot Topic would be totally different.

PHOTOS: Check out rare shots of Green Day around the time Dookie came out

Of course, you can't say that without crediting artists like the Ramones, the Descendents, Screeching Weasel and the Vandals, who all influenced Green Day immensely and laid the groundwork for a pop-infused punk-rock sound. But Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool's classic 1994 LP can be pointed at for rekindling the mainstream's interest in anything resembling a punk song.

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We asked musicians to explain Dookie's importance in today's world of punk rock and reminisce about how it affected their own bands. Members of Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard, New Found Glory, The Wonder Years, Bayside, Silverstein, Modern Baseball and more provided personal recollections of their relationship with Dookie and talked about the larger-scale impact the record has had.

Since everyone who contributed had quite a bit to say, we've broken up their responses over the next few slides – we suggest listening to the album while you enjoy their stories.