The Kids Aren't Alright
The Kids Aren't Alright is a punk rock song by The Offspring from their 1998 album Americana. It was released as the third single in 1999 (August 9 in the EU and August 23 in the UK) and became a top 10 hit on the US Modern Rock chart.
The lyrics tell stories of people from a California town who faced hard times after growing up—things like unplanned pregnancy, unemployment, drug addiction, and suicide. Dexter Holland wrote the song after visiting his hometown of Garden Grove and realizing that the surface image of “Happy Days” hid real trouble beneath.
The title nods to The Who’s The Kids Are Alright. The song is known for its catchy chorus and impact as a standout track on Americana.
The accompanying music video, directed by Yariv Gaber, uses rotoscoped animation. It features a room where scenes shift between past and present, with appearances by Bif Naked and Tom Lenk. The video got lots of MTV airplay and was nominated for Best Direction at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The Kids Aren't Alright has appeared in popular culture beyond the album: it played during the end credits of Woodstock 99, opened The Faculty film, and is available as downloadable content for Rock Band. It’s widely regarded as one of The Offspring’s best songs, with high rankings from Loudwire in 2012 and Kerrang! in 2021.
There are various versions and covers. Live versions were released with Want You Bad and Hit That. A Wiseguys remix appeared as a B-side to the single She’s Got Issues and was later included on The Offspring’s Greatest Hits. The 2003 Splinter download features The Kids Aren’t Alright (Island Style), an instrumental version with ukulele and steel guitar. Evergreen Terrace and MIT’s Logarhythms have covered the song, and Chris Webby later sampled its chorus in Fragile Lives.
The single’s artwork features two different designs: one with a scarecrow and tentacles, and another showing a young child reaching for a gun with ominous blood nearby.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:34 (CET).