Considered a highlight in the pop-punk and alternative rock scene, Canadian singer and songwriter Avril Lavigne net worth helped pave the way for the success of female-driven punk-influenced pop artists. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, Let Go (2002), is the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. It yielded 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, since she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. Her second studio album, Under My Skin (2004), became Lavigne's first album to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, going on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.

Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007), reached number one in seven countries worldwide and saw the international success of its lead single "Girlfriend", which became her first single to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Her next two studio albums, Goodbye Lullaby (2011) and Avril Lavigne (2013), saw continued commercial success and were both certified gold in Canada, the United States, and other territories. After releasing her sixth studio album, Head Above Water (2019), she returned to her punk roots with her seventh studio album, Love Sux (2022).

Lavigne possesses a soprano vocal range. Themes in her music include messages of self-empowerment from a female or an adolescent view. 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." She earns a reputation as the greatest female representative of pop-punk music, and has been called one of the female singers who best represent 2000s rock music. Lavigne also was seen as a fashion icon for her skatepunk and rocker style. "Sk8er Boi", "He Wasn't" and "Girlfriend" are frequently listed among the best pop-punk songs of all time by critics.