Billie Joe Armstrong started testing and recording material in Otis, the studio he built in Oakland, California, in 2014.

[15] On August 28, the band announced on its website that the single would be released on CD for sale exclusively at Best Buy in the US only,[16] and would include a live version of "Letterbomb" (2004) as the B-side.

Inspired by the rise in gun violence in the US,[18] it depicts a trio of criminals, wearing face masks of Green Day's members, robbing a bank during the first half.

During the bridge and final chorus, the robbers make their way through the crowd and approach the band, before tossing money from the robbery into the air as the video fades out.

The blonde woman of the three criminals, who disguises herself as bassist Mike Dirnt, is portrayed by Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno.

[20] Thomas Smith at NME observed: "Musically, it's classic Green Day; limited power chords used to furious effect, a maelstrom of abrasive punk rock that's aided by Mike Dirnt's rumbling bass and Tré Cool's on-point drumming.

[22] Craig Mclean for Q described the song as a "jolt of frantic, melodic hardcore", and further added that "it's an appropriate trailblazer for an album on which Armstrong again taps into the societal and political frustration".

[23] Maria Sherman of Spin felt the band is at "their heaviest" on the track and compared it to American Idiot saying it is "both insensitive and hits close to home".

[25] Brad Nelson of Pitchfork similarly criticized the track, observing how, lyrically, the song contained "incoherent combinations of social media jargon and historical violence".

Green Day also became the fourth band in the history of the US Alternative Songs chart to reach the number one spot in three separate decades; the others being U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Foo Fighters.