Following a US tour promoting their debut studio album 39/Smooth (1990), drummer John Kiffmeyer left to attend college and was replaced by Tré Cool, formerly of the Lookouts.

In May 1991, they decamped to Art of Ears Studios in San Francisco, California, to record their next album with Andy Ernst, who co-produced the sessions with band.

Six songs were recorded until the proceedings stopped in order for Green Day to resume touring, returning to the studio in September 1991 to finish the work.

The artwork for the album was created by Chris Applegren and Pat Hynes, based on a story written by Lookout founder Larry Livermore.

[7] Though the trek was seen as a success by the band, drummer John Kiffmeyer did not want to go through it again and decided to enroll in Humboldt State College in Arcata, California later in the year.

"[16] Myers, in his book Green Day: American Idiots & The New Punk Explosion (2006), wrote that the album's title, Kerplunk, was a reference to the skill game of the same name,[2] while Spitz said there was a higher possibility that it alluded to the noise stemming from when a person defecates from an elevated position.

[1] Myers said Armstrong created a type of "youthful street poetry" with the lyrics, commenting on difficult topics of "alienation and disappointment in an accessible and empathetic manner in songs that may sound inordinately simple, yet contain a sense of style and intelligence.

[30] The band wrote almost all of the music for the album, except for "2000 Light Years Away", where it is credited to by Green Day, Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy, Pete Rypins of Crimpshrine and Dave E.C.

[16] PopMatters contributor Chris Conaton explained this as Armstrong's guitar work being straightforward "but catchy, and Dirnt echoes them without exactly doubling them.

[35] Gaar noted that during the instrumental break, there was a descending riff which "built in intensity each time it repeated, cracking with all the force of a tightly controlled whip.

"[1] Partridge said Armstrong's idea of "paradise" is intended as being both "sincerely and facetiously," and he added that the break served to represent a "mix of fear and excitement.

[37] Myers saw it as an observation on streetlife, where Armstrong summarized living in Oakland, "in what sounds like a sequel to the 'Dear Mother ...' letter-writing tone of 'Welcome to Paradise.

[1] Nina Corcoran of Consequence said that loitering around tracks was typically a way of staving off boredom, but for Armstrong, it felt like the choice of a person seeking a "place of solace, where loneliness switches to intentional solitude and the drone of daily life complements the sunset.

[1] Billboard writer Kenneth Partridge read "One of My Lies" as being about mortality and questioning the existence of God,[36] while Conaton saw it as dealing with the "invincibility of youth and realizing that [Armstrong's] actually vulnerable.

[36] "No One Knows" is a slower song that touches on melancholy, with a higher emphasis placed on Armstrong and Dirnt's vocal harmonies during the chorus sections.

"[40] Myers said Livermore's story connected to the theme of alienation found on the album and in The Catcher in the Rye, while its exaggerated mood was an obvious criticism of a frenzied fanbase.

[46] The "thanks" credit list named various individuals connected with the music scene in the East Bay,[40] such as the Gilman club, photographer Murray Bowles, Nesser and the members' respective parents.

[49] Livermore had put Green Day in contact with two promoters located in the UK, Christy Colcord and Aidan Taylor, both of whom booked the shows for it.

The venues they played ranged from music clubs to squats,[48] with the band borrowing gear from the acts they were performing alongside; attendance figures bounced between 50 and 500 people.

[54] Livermore was unsure of the album's exact release date, thinking it was early 1992, until Armstrong reminded him that he had shown up to the December 1991 UK tour with 300 copies of Kerplunk in tow.

[55] At this stage, Nevermind (1991) by Nirvana had become a major success, and as Myers notes, it made the "seemed to make the melodic Beatles-conscious punk rock that Green Day had been defiantly pursuing for years extremely marketable.

He went on to list Green Day, Jawbreaker, NOFX, among other punk acts, as artists that issued classic albums that same year, releases which bolstered a music scene that was regarded as declining.

[23] Due to the royalties from the sales of Kerplunk, Green Day were able to get a better vehicle for transport, a converted Bookmobile, and both Armstrong and Dirnt acquired new gear.

On a few occasions, the resident fire marshal shut down the shows, while in other instances, more prominent promotes took control of the gigs and stole the band's money.

[66] "Welcome to Paradise" was re-recorded for Green Day's major label debut, Dookie (1994);[67] on the same album, "Sassafras Roots" evoked the sound of Kerplunk!.

"[78] Pitchfork contributor Jess Harvell commented that the band learned that they altered the tempo during the bridge sections and "strip things back to just Dirnt and new drummer Tre Cool, it makes the push of the final chorus that much more exciting.

Keenly underscored by gleeful, chiming vocals and hurdle-jumping basslines, Green Day's tunes stick in your head like cat hair.

Armstrong had already mastered the Taco Bell method of songwriting necessary for any great punk bandleader: He uses the same ingredients over and over to make stuff that has distinct flavors.

"[23] Dan Fidler of Spin remarked that their "downright pretty sound reminds you at times of early new wave, until the band slaps you in the face with furious choruses and fast-paced rhythms.

[4] CD bonus tracks – Sweet Children (1990) EP All lyrics by Armstrong and music by Green Day, except "My Generation" by Pete Townshend.