Avril Lavigne

At age 16, Lavigne signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut album, Let Go (2002), became the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist for over a decade, until surpassed by Drake and then The Weeknd. The album featured the singles "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi," which emphasized a skate punk persona and earned her the title "Pop Punk Queen" from music publications. She is considered a key musician in the development of pop punk music, having paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. Her second album, Under My Skin (2004), was her first to reach number one on the Billboard 200, selling 10 million copies worldwide.

Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing (2007), reached number one in seven countries and produced the international hit "Girlfriend," her first single to top the Billboard Hot 100. Her fourth and fifth albums, Goodbye Lullaby (2011) and Avril Lavigne (2013), were both certified gold in Canada, the United States, and other territories. She released her sixth album, Head Above Water, in 2019, and her seventh, Love Sux, in 2022. Beyond music, she voiced a character in the DreamWorks Animation film Over the Hedge (2006) and made her screen acting debut in Fast Food Nation (2006). She has accumulated 14.1 million followers on Instagram. Her style, career, and influence have made her an enduring figure in pop punk and beyond.