Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G, F, Am, G#
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to D,A,G keys to play this song with easier chords.

CBornintoNixonIGwasraisedFinhell.
CAwelfarechildwhereGtheFteamstersdwelled.
CThelastonebornandGthefirstoneFtorun.
CMytownwasblindfromGrefineryFsun.
AmMygenerationFiszero,
AmInevermadeitasFaworkingGclasshero.
C21stGcenturyFbreakdown,IConcewaslost.
ButGneverFwasfound,ICthinkI’mlosing.
GWhat’sleftFofmymindtotheC20thGcenturyFdeadline.
CIwasmadeGofpoisonFandblood
CCombinationGiswhatIFunderstood
CFromMexicotoGtheFBerlinWall
CHomelandsecurityGcouldkillFusall
AmMygenerationFiszero,
AmInevermadeitasFaworkingGclasshero.
C21stGcenturyFbreakdown,IConcewaslost.
ButGneverFwasfound,ICthinkI’mlosing.
GWhat’sleftFofmymindtotheC20thGcenturyFdeadline.
GWearethecriesoftheclassofC’13.
GBornintheyearofChumility.
GWearethedesperateintheCdecline.
GRaisedbythebastardsofC1969.
CMynameis‘Noone’,yourFlongGlostCson.
CBornonthe4thofGJuly.
CRaisedinthebarnyards,ofFheroesGandCcons.
CLeftmefordeadorGalive.
CThereisawarthat’s Finsidemyhead.
ThatCquestionstheresultsandGlies.
I’mCbreakingmyback,tillI’mFbetterGoffCdead.
WeareCnotpayed,enoughtoGsurvive.
CIamanengineFGCG#G#
MyCdebttotheGstatusquo.
TheCscarsonmyhandsandaFmeansGtoCanend.
It’sCallthatIhaveGtoshow.
I’mCtakingaloanonmyFsanity.
FortheCredemptionofGmysoul.
WellCIamexemptfromthisFtragedy.
AndtheC21stGcenturyfall.
IFpraiseGlibertyCtheFfreedomGtoCobey.
It’saFsongthatGstranglesCme.
WellFdon’tCcrossGtheline.
Oh,Cdream,GAmericanAmdream.
IGcan’tevenFsleepfromGrainstormsCtilldawn.
Oh,Cbleed,GAmericaAmbleed.
GBelievewhatFyoureadfromGheroesandcons.
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistGreen Day
Album21st Century Breakdown
GenresAlternative, Indie, Punk, Rock
Year2009
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play 21st Century Breakdown on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown on guitar requires 5 chords and 6 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

21st Century Breakdown uses these transitions most often: C → G (30), G → C (26), and G → F (19). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - G chord transition.

1. C → G chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 30 times.

C to G

2. G → F chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to F:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 19 times.

G to F

3. F → C chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Switching from F to C:

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 14 times.

F to C

4. F → Am chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

Here's how to move from F to Am:

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

F to Am

5. C → G# chord transition

To move from C to G#:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 4.

This transition appears in the verse.

6. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

21st Century Breakdown chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 21st Century Breakdown.

  • 21st Century Breakdown includes 130 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • 21st Century Breakdown contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how 21st Century Breakdown connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.