They reestablished the rock opera format for this generation with their landmark works “American Idiot” and “21st Century Breakdown,” and unleashed punk rock on Broadway.

Now pop-punk trio Green Day, presumably to avoid swelled heads, have scaled back slightly for their newest work, three albums of new material released over a period of five months, titled “¡Uno!,” “¡Dos!” and “¡Tré!” 

All three albums promise different sides of Green Day for fans to enjoy. “¡Uno!” arrived in September, hailed by the band as a throwback to their classic major label debut “Dookie.” Now “¡Dos!” has appeared, and “¡Tré!” will follow in January.     

Musically, “¡Dos!” showcases the underground East Bay punk scene that Green Day was a part of before hitting it big, and the stripped-down garage rock of Green Day’s side project, Foxboro Hot Tubs. In fact, one of the songs on “¡Dos!,” “F*** Time,” has been previously played live by the Hot Tubs two years ago and was just recently recorded.

In keeping with this musical theme, each song flows into the next, and the fast pace of the album never lets up until the end, sounding like the world’s most well-rehearsed punk band playing straight through a live set. Personally, I do not find “¡Dos!” as great as “American Idiot” or “21st Century Breakdown.” It steps away from the depth and musical versatility those had, but getting swept up in its pure energy makes up for that somewhat, and Billie Joe Armstrong’s top-notch songwriting is not lost.

That is not to say there are not standout tracks, those being the Amy Winehouse tribute (and the softest song on the record), “Amy,” and the sexual beat of  “Nightlife,” which features a girl rapping on the verses, a radical step for Green Day.

Guitar solos, something that’s been missing from Green Day since their early days, and are extremely rare in both punk and pop music, appear frequently, a refreshing touch that proves Green Day is able to play their instruments at a high level.  

It would be worth re-visiting this album and “¡Uno! when “¡Tré!” comes out, so they can be heard together. But on its own, “¡Dos!” does pretty well as a breather from the rock operas and pop-punk that has been Green Day’s stock in trade.