Avril Lavigne has returned with her seventh album LUV SUX in the midst of a pop/punk renaissance that she created way back in the early '00s. Lavigne has finally returned to her pop/punk roots on this project teaming up with Travis Barker for a project that rarely takes its foot off the accelerator. It feels like somewhat of a full circle moment given that she's now back in the game with a new generation that credit Lavigne as a major source of inspiration.

From Olivia Rodrigo's pop/punk anthems to Rico Nasty's rebellious sense of dress, Lavigne has quietly become one of the most influential popstars to this generation. Here are the artists who are currently flying the flag in the Lavigne fan club. 

Olivia Rodrigo

Where you can hear the inspiration: Good 4 U

Rodrgio may be this generation's pop/punk queen but she owes a lot to Lavigne in terms of her sound. The pair have crossed paths a number of times in Rodrigo's short career and the admiration has been very much mutual. "I am such a massive fan of you I look up to you so much," she told Lavigne while accepting an award from her at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch. Lavigne said that Rodrigo had heralded "a major return for rock ‘n’ roll in the charts."

Billie Eilish

Where you can hear the inspiration: Happier Than Ever

There are a lot of similarities you can draw between Eilish and Lavigne. They both broke through as teenagers, they both have a punk-inspired way of dressing and they both defied the popular sound of the time. It should come as no surprise then that Eilish credits Lavigne for a lot. There are few interviews that go by where Eilish doesn't gush about growing up with Lavigne's music in some way but she perhaps put it best on her Instagram. In 2019 when she met Lavigne, she posted a picture writing, "THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME WHAT I AM."

 

 

 

 

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Snail Mail

Where you can hear the inspiration: Madonna

As a generation of artists who grew up with Lavigne start to take their moment, Avril's influence seems to seep in to more and more genres. Snail Mail is an alt-rock hero who last year released her excellent sophomore record Valentine. She's also not shy about shouting out Lavigne's influence. In a piece with Billboard she talked about the pop/punk idol saying, "I just wanted to be her so badly.” Snail Mail's music moves to a slightly different beat than Lavigne's but it's hard not to hear the inspiration in the unapologetic outpouring of emotion on songs like Benjamin Franklin or Madonna.

Willow

Where you can hear the influence: Grow

Over the past few years Willow has become one of the biggest champions of the pop/punk return. On last year's lately I feel EVERYTHING she tapped Lavigne for the track Grow which also features Travis Barker of Blink-182. It felt like a nod to the root of Willow's inspirations and she confirmed that to Alt Press saying that Lavigne's album The Best Damn Thing is one of her favourites. In particular, she called out the song I Don't Have To Try.

Rico Nasty

Where you can hear the influence: STFU

Rico Nasty has carved her own lane with a pop/punk-inspired sound that holds absolutely nothing back. She effortlessly bridges a gap between punk and hip-hop with a sense of style that is completely unique to her. As it turns out, she owes a lot of that fearlessness to Lavigne. The pair were put together for a recent Alt Press cover story and Nasty took the opportunity to thank Lavigne for breaking down barriers. After Lavigne spoke about how much she had to fight to dress like she did, Nasty said, "Now you’re on the fucking mood board. You’re who people want to dress like. You created legendary shit."

Doja Cat

Where you can hear the inspiration: Bottom Bitch

Doja Cat is the only one on this list who hasn't spoken publicly about Avril Lavigne but the internet heralds Doja as this generation's Lavigne. She's one of the most boundary-breaking, experimental mainstream artists out there right now dressing how she likes and crossing genres like it's absolutely nothing at all. When she does arrive at a pop/punk intersection, she gives heavy Lavigne vibes particularly on the Hot Pink album where she served rock moments like Bottom Bitch and Rules. 

Ashnikko

Where you can hear the inspiration: L8r Boi

Ashnikko was one of the first pop names to bring punk into the mix and she hasn't been shy in shouting out Lavigne for that. She sampled Lavigne's Sk8r Boi on her debut mixtape DEMIDEVIL, interpolating the song for L8r Boi. In an interview with BBC, she called the song her favourite on the mixtape and said she "screamed so loud" when Lavigne's team cleared the usage of the song. "When I was younger, I thought Avril Lavigne was a bad bitch," she further told Apple Music. 

Avril Lavigne's new album LUV SUX is out now.