Editing Avril Lavigne (section)

===Musical style and songwriting===
During the 2000s decade, most critics and publications identified Lavigne's first three albums as a mix of [[pop punk|pop-punk]], [[alternative rock]] and [[pop rock]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Avril Lavigne Essentials |url=https://music.apple.com/za/playlist/avril-lavigne-essentials/pl.8504e182e47a4668970d44586c0e6be3 |website=Apple Music |access-date=September 20, 2018 |quote=Alt-rock upstart Avril Lavigne came crashing into the charts in 2002 with a sound that stuck up a black nail-varnished middle finger at the hyper-polished world of classmates Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. From the chugging, three-chord pop-punk of "Sk8er Boi" and "My Happy Ending" to the country-hued, catchy melody of "Complicated" and the twinkling balladry of "I'm With You," the Canadian singer proved herself a crossover star, garnering legions of both mainstream and fringe fans with her Cali punk-indebted sound. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920084428/https://itunes.apple.com/za/playlist/avril-lavigne-essentials/pl.8504e182e47a4668970d44586c0e6be3 |archive-date=September 20, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{r|www.musicmight.com|music.ign.com|www.popmatters.com|www.nytimes.com|www.rollingstone.com|www.rollingstone.com-2}} influenced by a [[post-grunge]] sound.{{r|www.thebiographychannel.co.uk|www.allmusic.com|www.allrovi.com|www.musicmight.com|www.fanpop.com-2}}<ref name="hotpresssoon" /> ''Let Go'' was classified as a pop rock and alternative rock album with a slight [[grunge]] influence. Meanwhile, the singer was compared to other female artists with the same sound, mainly [[Alanis Morissette]].<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=457
| title=Outstanding guitar-pop debut from sassy teenage skateboarder
| website=Blender
| author=John Perry
| date=4 June 2002
| archive-url=https://archive.today/20041027002113/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=457
| archive-date=October 27, 2004
| access-date=July 21, 2022
| url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/let-go-mw0000222043
| title=Let Go – Avril Lavigne – Songs, Reviews, Credits
| author=Christina Saraceno
| website=AllMusic
| access-date=18 August 2019
| archive-date=December 8, 2011
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208022136/http://allmusic.com/album/let-go-r591514
| url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/dbxm/
 |title=Review of Avril Lavigne – Let Go
 |author=Nick Reynolds
 |work=BBC
 |year=2003
 |access-date=23 August 2019
 |archive-date=July 21, 2022
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721142459/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/dbxm/
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> The album ''Under My Skin'', was noticeably darker musically, with heavier production that showcased ballads and rocker songs which incorporated a more [[post-grunge]] sound that verged on [[nu metal]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pop-buzz.com/just-music/avril-lavigne-8-best-deep-cuts/ |title=Avril Lavigne: 8 Best Songs That Should've Been Singles |access-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006123204/http://www.pop-buzz.com/just-music/avril-lavigne-8-best-deep-cuts/ |archive-date=October 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/9jp2 |title=BBC – Music – Review of Avril Lavigne – Under My Skin |first=Annabel |last=Leathes |access-date=February 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813085705/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/9jp2/ |archive-date=August 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/review/avril-lavigne-emunder-my-skinem-11438 |title=Avril Lavigne: Under My Skin |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=May 28, 2004 |access-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807113028/http://www.avclub.com/review/avril-lavigne-emunder-my-skinem-11438 |archive-date=August 7, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2004/05/28/under-my-skin |title=Under My Skin |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=May 28, 2004 |access-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807113731/http://ew.com/article/2004/05/28/under-my-skin/ |archive-date=August 7, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> while keeping pop punk power chord influences.<ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Neil |first1=Tim |title=AVRIL LAVIGNE Under My Skin |url=http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/l/lavigneavril-under.shtml |website=PopMatters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923235335/http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/l/lavigneavril-under.shtml |access-date=21 July 2022 |archive-date=September 23, 2008 |quote=The album's defining sound is that of crunching punk guitars playing mighty power chords, all mixed with the same flawless elan that has characterized pop-punk ever since Green Day dropped Dookie.}}</ref> The album was seen as anticipating the "emotional intensity and theatrical aesthetics" of [[emo-pop]] music before it came into the mainstream.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Bradley |first1=Jonathan |title='It's Not Like We're Dead': The Fascinating Evolution & Non-Linear Maturation of Avril Lavigne, Motherf—king Princess |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8480753/avril-lavigne-career-retrospective |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 1, 2019 |date=2018 |quote=While emo crossover acts such as Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance would remain an underground concern for at least another six months, Under My Skin anticipated that scene's emotional intensity and theatrical aesthetics in the mainstream. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190303181937/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8480753/avril-lavigne-career-retrospective |archive-date=March 3, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Critics compared the album with similar works by contemporary acts at the time like [[Linkin Park]] and [[Evanescence]], due to its nu metal influence.<ref>{{cite web
| url=https://www.omelete.com.br/musica/avril-lavigne-gotica
| title=Avril Lavigne gótica?
| author=Luciana Maria Sanches
| website=Omelete
| date=5 April 2004
| access-date=25 August 2019
| archive-date=July 21, 2022
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721142500/https://www.omelete.com.br/musica/avril-lavigne-gotica
| url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine
| url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/avril-lavigne-under-my-skin/
| title=Avril Lavigne: Under My Skin
| author=Sal Cinquemani
| magazine=Slant Magazine
| date=20 May 2004
| access-date=25 August 2019
| archive-date=July 21, 2022
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721142459/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/avril-lavigne-under-my-skin/
| url-status=live
}}</ref><ref name="ums">{{cite magazine
| url=https://ew.com/article/2004/05/01/early-word-avril-lavignes-new-album-2/
| title=Early word on Avril Lavigne's new album
| author=Brian Hiatt
| magazine=Entertainment Weekly
| date=1 May 2004
| access-date=3 July 2019
| archive-date=August 13, 2018
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813075101/https://ew.com/article/2004/05/01/early-word-avril-lavignes-new-album-2/
| url-status=live
}}</ref> In contrast, ''The Best Damn Thing'' abandoned the alternative and post-grunge style in favour of pop punk tunes. The songs were described as sounding like [[Toni Basil]] cheerleading for [[Blink-182]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blender.com/2007/01/shamelesslyanticipatingavrilsnewalbum/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118075542/http://www.blender.com/2007/01/shamelesslyanticipatingavrilsnewalbum/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 January 2013 |title=Shamelessly Anticipating Avrils New Album |work=Blender |date=18 January 2007}}</ref> with Lavigne praised for her ability to combine [[bubblegum pop]] melodies with [[punk rock]] riffs.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dunk|first1=Marcus|title=AVRIL LAVIGNE: THE BEST DAMN THING|url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/4945/AVRIL-LAVIGNE-THE-BEST-DAMN-THING|access-date=31 January 2017|publisher=Express|date=20 April 2007|quote=... the perpetual teenager who manages to combine bubblegum pop with punk riffs in pretty much every song.}}</ref> [[Teen pop]]'s impact on Lavigne's music of this decade was noted, since most of her lyrics were from an adolescent perspective. This made some critics describe her music as ''alternateen'' or ''teen punk''.{{r|www.rollingstone.com}}

Later on in the 2010s, her sound went softer and poppier, characterized more by acoustic pop-rock songs and less loud grungy guitar-driven songs that were the signature of her earlier works.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Callwood |first1=Brett |title=AVRIL LAVIGNE'S HEAD IS FINALLY ABOVE WATER |url=https://www.laweekly.com/avril-lavignes-head-is-finally-above-water/ |access-date=September 12, 2019 |date=September 11, 2019 |quote=After three albums of the quirky, bouncy skater-punk and post-grunge that saw her build a huge international fanbase, she began the new decade with the pop-rock Goodbye Lullaby in 2011 and followed that with the ultimately pop Avril Lavigne in 2013. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923230537/https://www.laweekly.com/avril-lavignes-head-is-finally-above-water/ |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> With the [[Pop-punk#Mainstream resurgence (2020s)|2020s pop-punk mainstream resurgence]], Lavigne went back to her pop-punk roots, embracing [[emo-pop]] angst,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wang |first1=Steffanne |title=THE MOST EMO LYRICS FROM AVRIL LAVIGNE'S LOVE SUX |url=https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/avril-lavigne-love-sux-emo-lyrics |website=Nylon |date=February 25, 2022 |access-date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805130742/https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/avril-lavigne-love-sux-emo-lyrics |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Arias |first1=Mateo |title=Avril Lavigne despierta el sentimiento emo-punk con 'Love Sux' |url=https://revistadiners.com.co/cultura/100528_avril-lavigne-love-sux/ |website=Revista Diners |date=March 2022 |access-date=5 August 2022 |language=Spanish |quote=Lavigne returns with a very emo sound loaded with nostalgia and roughness |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805130816/https://revistadiners.com.co/cultura/100528_avril-lavigne-love-sux/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Yang |first1=Katrina |title=Avril Lavigne "Love Sux" |url=https://thepunkhead.com/pop/review/album/avril-lavigne-love-sux |website=Punk Head |access-date=5 August 2022 |quote=Avril Lavigne is back with her aughts emo pop-punk aesthetic. |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226093843/https://thepunkhead.com/pop/review/album/avril-lavigne-love-sux |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Franco |first1=Kai |title=Avril Lavigne Brings Emo Back with "Love Sux" |url=https://wonder.ph/popculture/avril-lavigne-emo-back-love-sux/ |website=Wonder |date=March 9, 2022 |access-date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=September 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926192031/https://wonder.ph/popculture/avril-lavigne-emo-back-love-sux/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[skate punk]] influences from [[NOFX]], [[blink-182]], [[Green Day]] and [[the Offspring]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Spanos |first1=Brittany |title=Avril Lavigne Gets Back to Her Aughts Emo Bubble-Punk Roots on the Absolutely Killer 'Love Sux' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/avril-lavigne-love-sux-1311145/ |access-date=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=March 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302001029/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/avril-lavigne-love-sux-1311145/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Avril Lavigne's New Album Love Sux is high energy Skate Punk Candy |url=http://indiemusicspin.com/avril-lavignes-new-album-love-sux-is-high-energy-skate-punk-candy/ |website=IndieMusicSpin |date=February 28, 2022 |access-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404020251/http://indiemusicspin.com/avril-lavignes-new-album-love-sux-is-high-energy-skate-punk-candy/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shutler |first1=Ali |title=Avril Lavigne on her new Green Day inspired album: "It's a love letter to women" |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/avril-lavigne-says-her-new-green-day-inspired-album-is-a-love-letter-to-women-3120075 |website=NME |date=December 16, 2021 |access-date=March 30, 2022 |quote=To the core, I'm a kid from a small town who listened to bands like Blink-182 and Green Day and NOFX in high school, and I tapped into that. |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602010925/https://www.nme.com/news/music/avril-lavigne-says-her-new-green-day-inspired-album-is-a-love-letter-to-women-3120075 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Tyler |title=Nine Songs: Avril Lavigne |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/avril-lavigne-nine-favourite-songs |website=The Line of Best Fit |access-date=March 30, 2022 |quote=I was really connecting with punk rock, aggression and rock and roll when I got into writing riffs. That was the style that I gravitated towards when I was picking up the guitar – I was listening to those distorted sounds as well as bands like The Offspring and blink-182 who were so influential. |archive-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503134249/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/avril-lavigne-nine-favourite-songs |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lavigne possesses a [[soprano]] vocal range.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://riverbeats.life/glitter-gold-keshas-new-sound-best-yet/|title=From Glitter to Gold: Why Kesha's New Sound is Her Best Yet|first=River|last=Beats|date=August 18, 2017|access-date=October 17, 2018|work=River Beats|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018082740/https://riverbeats.life/glitter-gold-keshas-new-sound-best-yet/|archive-date=October 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/avril-lavigne/news/avril-lavigne-theory-dead/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211021/https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/avril-lavigne/news/avril-lavigne-theory-dead/| archive-date=October 21, 2021|last=Meadway|first=Katie|date=May 15, 2017|access-date=October 18, 2018|title=There's Now So Much 'Evidence' For The 'Avril Lavigne Has Been Dead For 13 Years' Theory That We're Kinda Starting To Believe It|work=[[Capital London|Capital FM]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.spin.com/2019/02/avril-lavigne-head-above-water-reivew/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211021/https://www.spin.com/2019/02/avril-lavigne-head-above-water-reivew/| archive-date=October 21, 2021| title = Avril Lavigne's Tacky Head Above Water Fails to Do Her Legacy Justice| work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]| date=February 20, 2019| access-date=April 28, 2020| first=Zoe| last=Camp}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.stereogum.com/2032478/avril-lavigne-head-above-water-review/franchises/the-week-in-pop/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211021/https://www.stereogum.com/2032478/avril-lavigne-head-above-water-review/franchises/the-week-in-pop/| archive-date=October 21, 2021| title = Avril Lavigne's Disappointing Return| work=[[Stereogum]]| date=February 21, 2019| access-date=April 28, 2020| first=Chris| last=DeVille}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On a review for Lavigne's song ''Sk8er Boi'', Pat Blashill of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' described her voice as "equal parts baby girl and husky siren".<ref name=rollingstone>{{cite news|last=Blashill|first=Pat|title=Let Go &#124; Album Reviews &#124; Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/let-go-20020702|access-date=3 May 2014|newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=2 July 2002}}</ref>  Themes in her music include messages of self-empowerment from a female or an adolescent perspective.{{r|blossoming}} Lavigne believes her "songs are about being yourself no matter what and going after your dreams even if your dreams are crazy and even if people tell you they're never going to come true."{{r|girlauinterview}} On her debut album, ''Let Go'', Lavigne preferred the less mainstream songs, such as "[[Losing Grip]]", instead of her more radio-friendly singles, such as "[[Complicated (Avril Lavigne song)|Complicated]]", saying that "the songs I did with [[The Matrix (production team)|the Matrix]]&nbsp;... were good for my first record, but I don't want to be that pop anymore."{{r|teenspirit}} Lavigne's second album, ''Under My Skin'', had deeper personal themes underlying each song, with Lavigne remarking that "I've gone through so much, so that's what I talk about&nbsp;... Like boys, like dating or relationships."{{r|musicomhinterview}} In contrast, her third album, ''The Best Damn Thing'', was not personal to her. "Some of the songs I wrote didn't even mean that much to me. It's not like some personal thing I'm going through."{{r|scold}} Her objective in writing the album was simply to "make it fun".{{r|salva}} ''Goodbye Lullaby'', Lavigne's fourth album, was much more personal than her earlier records,{{r|musicmix}} with Lavigne describing the album as "more stripped down, deeper. All the songs are very emotional."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/entertainment/lavigne-gets-deep-on-new-record-487574.html| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211021/https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/entertainment/lavigne-gets-deep-on-new-record-487574.html| archive-date=October 21, 2021 | title=Lavigne gets deep on new record  | work=[[Irish Examiner]] | date=December 31, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Ian McKellen]] defined her as "a punk chanteuse, a post-grunge valkyrie, with the wounded soul of a poet and the explosive pugnacity of a Canadian" on ''[[The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson]]'' in 2007.{{r|www.fanpop.com|avrillavigneuk.tumblr.com}}

{{Quote box|width=30em|align=right
|quote=I know my fans look up to me and that's why I make my songs so personal; it's all about things I've experienced and things I like or hate. I write for myself and hope that my fans like what I have to say.|source = — Lavigne on her musical artistry{{r|girlauinterview}}}}

While Lavigne said she was not angry, her interviews were still passionate about the media's lack of respect for her songwriting. She said, "I am a writer, and I won't accept people trying to take that away from me", adding that she had been writing "full-structured songs" since she was 14.{{r|ledgermoody}} Despite this, Lavigne's songwriting has been questioned throughout her career. The songwriting trio the Matrix, with whom Lavigne wrote songs for her debut album, said that they were the main songwriters of Lavigne's singles "Complicated", "[[Sk8er Boi]]" and "[[I'm with You (Avril Lavigne song)|I'm with You]]". Lavigne said that she was the primary songwriter for every song on the album, stating that "[N]one of those songs aren't from me".{{r|teenspirit}}

In 2007, [[Chantal Kreviazuk]], who wrote with Lavigne on her second album, accused Lavigne of plagiarism{{r|kreviazuk}} and criticized her songwriting, saying that "Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself or anything."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/23/AR2007072300771.html |title=Singer-Songwriters, or Just Singers? |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Nekesa |last=Mumbi Moody |date=July 23, 2007 |access-date=February 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219170734/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/23/AR2007072300771.html |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lavigne also disclaimed this, and considered taking legal action against Kreviazuk for "clear defamation" against her character.{{r|yahoomusic}} Kreviazuk later apologized, saying that "Avril is an accomplished songwriter and it has been my privilege to work with her."{{r|kreviazuk}} Shortly after that, Tommy Dunbar, founder of the band [[the Rubinoos]], sued Lavigne, her publishing company, and [[Dr. Luke|Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald]] for allegedly stealing parts of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" for her song "Girlfriend".{{r|billboardstole}} Gottwald defended Lavigne, stating, "me and Avril wrote the song together... It has the same chord progressions as ten different Blink-182 songs, the standard changes you'd find in a [[Sum 41]] song. It's the [[Sex Pistols]], not the Rubinoos."{{r|yahoomusic}} In January 2008, a confidential settlement was reached between the parties.{{r|settle}}