So you're driving down the road with your girlfriend when you see a hitchhiker. "Hey, that's Bono," you say. Come on, who hasn't pulled that one on their girlfriend? But this time it really was Bono, and the drivers were Edmonton Oilers hockey player Gilbert Brule and his girlfriend, Kelsey Nichols. They turned the car around and picked up Bono and his assistant, who had been caught in the rain on a walk in Vancouver, British Columbia. U2 was heading for a June 1 Edmonton, Alberta, date on their 360° tour. "I like ice hockey because people who like ice hockey are the kind of people who pick up hitchhikers," Bono told the Edmonton crowd. He also said he wanted to be Brule, while describing Adam Clayton as U2's Grant Fuhr, Larry Mullen Jr. as Mark Messier, and the Edge as akin to "The Great One," Wayne Gretzky. How does a rock superstar get lost in the rain? Sometimes that's the problem when there's no line on the horizon.

While AC/DC may drive an arena full of rock fans to pump their fists in the air and bang their heads back and forth, the band is reportedly causing a lot less ruckus out in the great blue ocean. According to Australian boat operator Matt Waller, great white sharks find a soothing therapy in "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)," a cut from the band's 1979 hit album Highway To Hell. "The [sharks'] behavior was more investigative, more inquisitive and a lot less aggressive," said Waller. "They actually came past [on] a couple of occasions when we had the speaker in the water and rubbed their face along the speaker, which was bizarre." But don't fear, you won't find a great white at an AC/DC show anytime soon. "Sharks don't have ears," Waller noted. "They don't have long hair, and they don't headbang past the cage doing the air guitar." With summer on the horizon, beachgoers may want to consider throwing in some classic rock along with their beach towels and sunscreen.

Like kids, sometimes musicians say the darndest things, and this week was rich with quotable moments. First, electronica artist Moby told Spinner.com that music by the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Ke$ha and Britney Spears isn't music. "It's manufactured," said Moby. "I appreciate it as pop culture phenomenon and some of the songs I like if I hear them in a shopping mall or something, but it doesn't function as music for me. It's advertising for ringtones." Next up was rocker Avril Lavigne, who chose the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field for a profanity-laced tirade after fans booed her set because of technical problems, which seemed a little off the mark in front of the Rays' family-oriented fans. But Lady Gaga may have dropped the biggest bomb when she uttered the a-word to The Wall Street Journal. "No. I absolutely do not," responded Gaga when asked if she thought her new album Born This Way was worth more than the 99 cents Amazon.com sold it for on May 23 and again on May 26. "Especially for MP3s and digital music," she continued. "It's invisible. It's in space." Maybe her response wasn't a surprise at all for those who saw her proclaim "I hate money…." during her recent live HBO concert special. Hey Lady G, we're happy to take some off your hands.

With Gaga selling a whopping 1.1 million albums this past week, a few new releases were bound to get lost in the monster shuffle. Such may be the case for classic rockers Journey, who released their latest studio album, Eclipse, on May 24. But fans looking for songs reminiscent of classics "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms" and "Faithfully" may be in for quite a surprise. "It's an album that is not a one-listen record. You need to listen through it a few times," said longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "It's very complex musically." Cain also described the creative process in writing the album's songs with guitarist Neal Schon, with themes exploring "physical, spiritual and metaphysical ideas which go really deep, without being too 'heavy' about it. I said, 'This is what we should be singing about, not about chasing women around,'" said Cain. Metaphysical ideas seem a long way from lyrics such as "Just a small-town girl/Living in a lonely world." Will fans be up for this new spiritual Journey? Eclipse debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and fans will be able to get a taste of the new songs live when Journey hits the road in the States with Foreigner and Night Ranger starting in July.

If you didn't make it out to the Southern California desert this year for the annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, don't worry — your chances of scoring a pass will be doubled for the 2012 extravaganza. After the festival pulled in a record attendance in April, concert promoter Goldenvoice announced the extraordinarily popular festival will take place over the course of two weekends next year, starting April 13–15 and concluding April 20–22. "We will attempt to produce two identical festival weekends," the company said via a statement. "That means same lineup, same art, same place, different people." Tickets for this year's three-day festival in April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., sold out in a record six days with 75,000 paid attendees, grossing $23 million, up from $21.7 million last year. Will Coachella organizers be able to match a robust attendance for both weekends? While that remains to be seen, the good news is if Morrissey decides he doesn't want to sing because he smells burgers cooking, he can always come back the next weekend.

For some, the name Tower Records may be synonymous with the Leaning Tower of Pisa — you've heard a lot about it (especially when news of the store's shuttering broke in 2006), but maybe you've never been. But for others, Tower Records was (as film director Colin Hanks puts it) "'the place' to escape for a few hours; a sanctuary, a haven." Whichever category you fall into, you can help bring to fruition a film that will tell the story of the once venerable music retailer. The son of actor/producer Tom Hanks is soliciting donations via Kickstarter.com to help fund his directorial debut, All Things Must Pass: The Rise And Fall Of Tower Records. For a pledge of just $5, you'll get a special "thank you" in the film credits, and for the big spenders who make a donation upward of $500, you'll travel to Sacramento, Calif., for the world premiere. "We feel that there's no one better suited to help bring this documentary to life than the people that loved and cared for the company the most," said Colin Hanks. What does daddy have to say? Tom Hanks responded via Twitter, "This will make a great docu, and I'm a fan of the filmmaker! Do U miss LP's? I do." Yes Tom, we do. Almost as much as we miss your walking piano scene in Big.

Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" is tops on both the Billboard Hot 100 and iTunes singles chart.

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Last Week In Music

Summer may be slowly edging toward fall, but the red-hot streak of this summer's musical output shows no signs of slowing down.

This New Music Friday (Aug. 16), Post Malone goes country with his sixth studio album F-1 Trillion, Meghan Trainor adds four songs (and rearranges the track list) to the deluxe edition of her latest LP Timeless, and global girl group KATSEYE unveil their debut mini-album SIS (SOFT IS STRONG). Plus, Muscadine Bloodline share their fourth full-length The Coastal Plain and Nikka Costa drops Dirty Disco, her first album in eight years.

When it comes to singles, there's just as many new songs to explore — from superstar collabs like ROSALÍA and LISA's empowered "NEW WOMAN" to the latest releases from Hozier and Peggy Gou. 

Below, dive into eight more new releases from pop and K-pop to rap, rock, country, dance, and more.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars gave the world just 12 hours notice that they were dropping "Die With a Smile" this week, sending Little Monsters and Hooligans alike into a tizzy as they braced themselves for the surprise duet.

Mars' sensual vocals lead off the moony, apocalyptic love song, which marks Mars' first release since his GRAMMY-winning work with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic. Strumming an electric guitar, the 15-time GRAMMY winner vows, "I, I just woke from a dream/ Where you and I had to say goodbye/ And I don't know what it all means/ But since I survived, I realized/ Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow." 

As for Mother Monster's oeuvre, "Die With a Smile" lands somewhere between Joanne and "Shallow" as her fans wait impatiently for LG7. Not to be outdone, Gaga takes over on the second verse, supported by Mars' swooning harmonies as the duo crescendo the intensity of their devotion to meet the literal end of the world.

On New Music Friday eve, BLACKPINK member LISA added to her blossoming collection of solo bangers with "NEW WOMAN," an empowering shapeshifter of a duet that sees her joining forces with ROSALÍA.

"Hit it when I serve/ B—, you better swerve/ Revving up my aura/ Focus on my mind/ Taking my time/ I'm a new woman, woman," the K-pop star proudly announces on the chorus of the song before Rosalía slams on the brakes to sing and rap her way through a sultry verse in her native Spanish that translates, in part, to "I was born pure, yes/ Not an era will be a flop in my future/ W—, I'm Rosalía, I only know how to serve."

The accompanying Dave Meyers-directed video is filled with high-fashion looks (thigh-high boots on fire, that massive, floor-sweeping pearl necklace…or is it made of ball bearings?), Y2K nostalgia (flip phones!) and a bevy of quirky, genuinely off-beat moments that will be sure to help drive the conversation as LISA continues to establish herself — and her nascent LLOUD partnership under RCA Records — as a global force in control of her musical destiny.

Fresh off "Death Wish Love" — his folksy contribution to the Twisters soundtrack — Benson Boone uses his newest single "Pretty Slowly" to celebrate his sudden rise as one of pop music's shiniest new stars.

The deceptively upbeat track's lyrics reflect on the dissolution of a relationship lost to all the recent, stratospheric changes in his life as he croons, "Oh, how come all the best things fall apart/ And it started pretty slowly/ When you asked about the old me/ Oh, is he gone? Oh, is he gone/ Oh, I don't know/ I think I left him somewhere I no longer go."

However, the song's accompanying music video acts as a both a victory lap in the wake of his debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblade, from earlier this summer and and energetic peek into the "Beautiful Things" breakout's high-octane live show — complete with thousands of ecstatic fans and his signature, onstage backflips.

YG — 'Just Re'd Up 3'

More than a decade after his 2013 mixtape Just Re'd Up 2, YG adds to the series with the long-awaited Just Re'd Up 3.

The Compton native has released six other albums and a litany of other mixtapes and collaborative projects in the interim, and his decade-plus in the spotlight allows him to recruit a wide array of contemporaries for the two-disc LP — from Saweetie ("SHE PRETTY") and Ty Dolla $ign ("IT'S GIVIN," "RESCUE ME") to Tee Grizzley and G Herbo ("MALIBU") and Lil Yachty and Babyface Ray ("STUPID").

"Die For Me," Jean Dawson's new collaboration with Lil Yachty, blends the experimental leanings of the L.A.-based polymath (and musical arranger on Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER) with the bubblegum trap rapper's one-of-a-kind flow — and the result is magnetic.

Sonically, the swirling track feels like a logical follow-up to Bad Cameo, the "Poland" rapper's recent collaborative album with James Blake. After Dawson warbles the hook ("Don't show up at my funeral/ If you won't die for me"), Lil Yachty grabs the mic for a blunt-force eulogy that demands repeated listening.

Morgan Wade — 'Obsessed'

Morgan Wade preceded her fourth album, Obsessed, with delicate, heart-on-her-sleeve singles like "2AM in London" and "Time to Love, Time to Kill." Arriving almost a year to the day since her previous full-length Psychopath, the country upstart — and occasional Real Housewives of Beverly Hills guest star — is just as vulnerable on the rest of the album.

Showing off her aptitude for laying bare emotional storytelling and heart-crushing nostalgia, Wade cleverly exposes her fragilities and regrets across the album's 14 tracks — whether she's gender-flipping Shakespeare and competing with Romeo on the forbidden "Juliet," finding somber inspiration in fairy tales on the wistful "Hansel and Gretel," or duetting with Kesha on the repentant "Walked on Water."

Seven years since 2017's Coming Home, Falling In Reverse are back with their fifth studio album, Popular Monster. The LP's rollout has been spread across nearly half a decade, with the title track being released as the lead single way back in November 2019. Six additional singles have followed in the lead-up to the long-awaited project, including collaborations with Tech N9ne and Slaughter to Prevail vocalist Alex Terrible ("Ronald") and Jelly Roll ("All My Life"), as well as a reimagined cover of Papa Roach's "Last Resort."

And while Popular Monster's cover art is plastered with frontman Ronnie Radke's 2012 mugshot for alleged domestic assault, the release is hardly a solo project. In fact, it's the first Falling in Reverse album to feature Max Georgiev on guitar, Tyler Burgess on bass and Luke Holland on drums. (Derek Jones, the band's late rhythm guitarist, also contributed to the title track before his untimely death in 2020 from a subdural hematoma.)

Fridayy is practically begging to keep things simple on "Complicated," his yearning, pulsating new collaboration with DJ Snake. "Tell me what you want/ Girl, I want to know/ Please don't make it complicated/ We ain't gotta complicate it," he repeats over the DJ's hypnotic rhythms filled with Spanish guitar and distant jungle sounds.

Eventually, the three-time GRAMMY nominee's desperate pleas morph into an atmospheric echo as DJ Snake's handiwork takes center stage, plunging the track into a spellbinding synth breakdown that dances all the way to the finish.

This year’s Lollapalooza in Chicago may have been a particularly humid one, but that didn’t deter perspiring attendees from making the most of the four-day event. Held Aug. 1-4, the international festival’s flagship midwest iteration showcased a variety of talent — both revered and rising.

Among Lolla 2024's highlights, Chappell Roan drew an expectedly enormous crowd to Grant Park on Thursday, while GRAMMY winner Tyla captivated audiences with a lighthearted and entertaining anglicism. Friday offered a diversity of artists, from K-pop boy group Stray Kids, to electronic vet Zedd and GRAMMY-winning Icelandic jazz singer Laufey, who performed with the Chicago Philharmonic. J-pop stars YOASOBI and the Killers closed the festival on Saturday, and Blink-182 brought their ‘90s humor and hits to the main stage on Sunday.

Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell was onhand in a rare sighting to partake in the weekend’s festivities, which in addition to various stages featured Toyota Music Den’s retro summer camp vibes, Coke Studio’s roller rink, House of Dunkin’s newly renovated setup and Kidzapalooza for the festival’s youngest attendees.

Though thunderstorms threatened throughout the weekend, it only materialized as light rain and was a welcome reprieve from the balmy temperatures. As Lollapalooza attendees recuperate from one of the summer's biggest parties, relive seven of the most exhilarating sets from Lollapalooza 2024.

Kesha has never been someone to shy away from controversy, and the GRAMMY-nominated singer made some interesting choices during her Lolla set on Thursday. The singer delivered some of her biggest hits — from "Cannibal" and "Die Young," to "Take It Off," and "Your Love Is My Drug" — in front of her most loyal fans at Lolla. While performing "Backstabber" from 2010's Animal, Kesha and her scantily-clad male dancers doused themselves in fake blood while the star herself brandished a knife as a prop. Kesha later revealed on X that the knife shockingly turned out to be real.

In addition to her theatrical dramatics, Kesha also played a clip of Vice President Kamala Harris saying "You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" as she began "Blow" (Kesha brought out a marching band for the song as well).  "Women do run this country," Kesha told the crowd, proudly standing in her power.

When she wasn’t waving pride flags and encouraging onlookers to "support local drag, Kesha paused to thank her fans for "standing by me through the hardest time of my entire life."

Read more: Kesha Reveals The 10 Most Important Songs Of Her Career, From "Tik Tok" To "Eat The Acid"

Megan Thee Stallion Got The Hotties In Formation

Three-time GRAMMY winner Megan Thee Stallion was tapped by the festival as one of the headliner’s after Tyler, The Creator pulled out of his slot earlier this year. The rapper, however, proved she was no "second best."

Fresh off of her performance at Vice President Kamala Harris’ Atlanta campaign rally, Megan Thee Stallion feverishly got her fans in formation with a spectacular performance. Donning a sexy, sequined pink ensemble, the Houston rapper plowed through a bevy of hits including: "Freak Nasty," "Cobra," "Big Ole Freak," "Mamushi" and "WAP."

She also addressed haters who were upset about her supporting Harris last month. "They was fake mad that I was popping it for Kamala. I don’t think they heard what she said," Meg explained. "Kamala said she wants a ceasefire. Kamala said she supports women’s rights. Kamala said y’all tired of high gas prices. Kamala said ‘I’m for the people.’" She shouted out "Hotties for Harris" before being surprised by Chicago Sky star Angel Reese onstage who took a selfie with the "Savage" artist.

Read more: 6 Takeaways From Megan Thee Stallion's 'Megan': Snakes, Shots & Self-Assurance

Deftones — the GRAMMY-winning rock facet from Sacramento, California — have For spent three decades perfecting their gnarly guitar riffs, airy vocals and thunderous percussion. Their most recent project, 2020's Ohms, served as a sauntering exploration of frontman Chino Moreno’s inner workings. This energy was on full display at Lollapalooza 2024.

The band’s electrifying energy was gleefully absorbed by the crowd, who moshed through heavier tracks such as "Lotion" and "My Own Summer (Shove It)." The audience was slightly more still but visibly bubbling over for slower, more sensual tunes like "Digital Bath" and "Change (In The House of Flies)."

Moreno — who said onstage he chipped his tooth during "Needles and Pins," from the band's self-titled 2003 LP — proved his performer prowess again and again. Even beyond the T-Mobile, Lolla attendees could feel the infectiousness of Deftones’ stellar set.

Learn more: 5 Essential Nu-Metal Albums: How Slipknot, Korn, Deftones & Others Showcased Adolescent Rage With A Dramatic Flair

Despite being 45 minutes late to their headlining set on Saturday, Future and Metro Boomin delivered a vigorous performance that celebrated their collaborative albums We Don’t Trust You (released in March) and We Still Don’t Trust You (which dropped a month later).

The pair ferociously fed off of each other’s energy, while simultaneously injecting that same enthusiasm into the crowd. From "Luv Bad Bitches" to "Type S—," "F— Up Some Commas" to "Low Life," there were no shortage of hits to feed the insatiable musical appetite of the packed crowd at the Bud Light stage.

Fans eagerly threw up two fingers in honor of Future's Dirty Sprite 2, per instructions from the duo, and Future x Metro Boomin Young Thug when "Relationship" played. "Like That" lost its potency when it was started for a second time as an attempt to reinvigorate the audience — but remained a thrilling track from beginning to end. The chemistry between Future x Metro Boomin was off the charts and seamlessly translated onstage.

Read more: Metro Boomin's Essential Songs: 10 Must-Know Tracks, From "Creepin" To "Like That"

SiR Savors "Summer" With Sensual R&B Set

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The Inglewood, California-based R&B singer used his time at Lollapalooza to reconnect with a city he hasn't performed in for nearly five years. On Sunday, the R&B crooner glided through his discography, performing "Karma" (from his March 2024 album Heavy) to "John Redcorn" — a track from his 2020 release Chasing Summer.

SiR, who was dripping in sweat from the intense Chicago heat, slowed things down a bit to celebrate his collaborators. First, he gleefully welcomed singer Zacari for "Mood" followed by his brother Davion Farris for "The Recipe." SiR’s bravado shined brightly on "Hair Down" where he felt his most confident, his most rambunctious, his most seen. He appeased fans’ requests for "D’Evils" and got emotional when reflecting on his struggles.

SiR has been candid about his journey to sobriety — a major theme on Heavy — and thanked his fans for their support throughout his set. When SiR performed "Life Is Good," he reminded attendees that nothing is sweeter than a well-earned victory lap.

Read more: On 'Heavy,' SiR Wants People To See The Weight Of His Humanity

Carmen DeLeon Basked In Being A Total Ray Of Sunshine

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The 23-year-old Venezuelan singer smiled from ear to ear as she enthusiastically gave her all during a short but powerful performance on Sunday at the BMI stage. She kicked off things with two of her most notable tracks: 2022’s "Mala Memoria" and "Mariposas" (which was released the year prior).  DeLeon was effervescent during "Wonderful," with its catchy chorus being as bright and brilliant as she was.

DeLeon became visibly emotional while paying  homage to Lady Gaga and her BMI stage legacy by covering "Always Remember Us This Way" from the A Star is Born soundtrack. She attached her native flag to the mic stand and emphasized the importance of speaking up against injustice, which hit especially close to home for her given the unrest following recent elections in Venezuela.

DeLeon quickly switched gears and tackled the complex nature of love with "El Vecino." Though the singer is longing to be noticed on the track, its live rendition feels more empowering than dejected. One of the show’s most heartwarming moments came when the singer brought her clearly proud dad onstage.

Moments after viral TikTok sensation Benson Boone took the stage at Lolla, he shared that this was the first U.S. music festival he has ever performed at. The former "American Idol" contestant used his performance on the IHG Resorts & Resorts stage to sing — and backflip — his way into the hearts of fans.

Boone's performance ranged in both sound and emotion. The singer basked in the sweetness of "Coffee Cake" from his 2023 album PULSE, then dug deeper with a formidable performance of "What Was." Before going into "My Greatest Fear," the singer shared that he is terrified of being alone and was devastated by the passing of his grandmother.

He used "Friend" as a springboard to talk about the importance of camaraderie and, before launching into "Beautiful Things," shared amazement at how one song dramatically changed his life.

Read more: Benson Boone Declares "Beautiful Things" Is No Fluke: "I've Tapped Into How I'll Write For The Rest Of My Life"

The 2024 Paris Olympics came to life today as the Parade of Nations glided along the Seine River for the opening ceremony. The opening spectacular featured musical performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, and more. Earlier in the week, some of music’s biggest names were also spotted in the city for the Olympics, including Olympics special correspondent Snoop Dogg, BTS' Jin, Pharrell Williams, Tyla, Rosalía, and Ariana Grande.

Read More: When The GRAMMYs & Olympics Align: 7 Times Music's Biggest Night Met Global Sports Glory

Below, see a full breakdown of some of the special musical moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Lady Gaga

In a grand entrance, Lady Gaga emerged behind a heart-shaped plume of feathers on the golden steps of Square Barye, captivating the audience with her cover of the French classic "Mon truc en plumes." Accompanied by cabaret-style background dancers, she flawlessly belted out the song, executed impressive choreography, and even played the piano.

Lady Gaga’s connection to the song is notable, as Zizi Jeanmarie, the original artist, starred in Cole Porter’s musical "Anything Goes," which was Lady Gaga’s debut jazz release.

"Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music — I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth — Paris," Lady Gaga shared on Instagram.

Closing out the ceremony with her first performance in four years since being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, Celine Dion delivered a stunning rendition of Edith Piaf’s everlasting classic, "L’Hymne à l’amour" from the Eiffel Tower. Her impressive vocals made it seem as though she had never left.

This performance marked Dion’s return to the Olympic stage; she previously performed "The Power of the Dream" with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and composer David Foster for the 1996 Olympics.

Axelle Saint-Cirel 

Performing the National Anthem is no small feat, yet French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel knocked it out of the park.

Dressed in a French-flag-inspired Dior gown, she delivered a stunning rendition of "La Marseillaise" from the roof of the Grand Palais, infusing the patriotic anthem with her own contemporary twist.

With the stirring lyrics, "To arms, citizens! Form your battalions. Let’s march, let’s march," Saint-Cirel brought the spirit of patriotism resonated powerfully throughout the city. 

Gojira 

Making history as the first metal band to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony is just one way Gojira made their mark at the event.

The French band took the stage at the Conciergerie, a historic site that once housed French kings during medieval times and later became a prison during the French Revolution, famously detaining Marie Antoinette – Creating a monumental moment as the first metal band to perform at the ceremony, but also stirring the pot as they used the chance to nod toward politics. 

Performing a revamped version of "Ah! Ça Ira," an anthem that grew popular during the French Revolution, the artists aren’t new to using their songs as a vehicle for political messages. The GRAMMY-nominated group are outspoken about issues concerning the environment, particularly with their song, "Amazonia," which called out the climate crisis in the Amazon Rainforest. Using music to spread awareness about political issues is about as metal as it gets. 

Aya Nakamura

Currently France’s most-streamed musician, Aya Nakamura went for gold in a striking metallic outfit as she took the stage alongside members of the French Republican Guard. As there were showstopping, blazing fireworks going off behind her, she performed two of her own hit songs, "Pookie" and "Djadja," then followed with renditions of Charles Aznavour’s "For Me Formidable" and "La Bohème." 

Although there was backlash regarding Nakamura’s suitability for performing at the ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the criticism. "She speaks to a good number of our fellow citizens and I think she is absolutely in her rightful place in an opening or closing ceremony," Macron told the Guardian.

"Hey, hey, you, you!" There's simply no debate: when it comes to the world of pop-punk, Avril Lavigne has always been the people's princess. Bursting onto the scene with her 2002 debut Let Go, the then-teen singer/songwriter was dubbed an overnight sensation with hits like "Complicated," "Sk8er Boi" and "I'm With You."She soon became one of the primary artists driving the pop-punk explosion of the 2000s — and remains one of the genre's primary legends more than 20 years later.

Lavigne's appeal went far beyond the mass of skaters and suburban kids who devoured her early music. Within months of Let Go's release, she had earned five GRAMMY nominations (tying fellow newcomer Norah Jones for the most nods of 2003) and a year later, she racked up three more. 

As pop-punk's first wave began to crest, the singer broadened her sights beyond the genre she'd helped pioneer, exploring everything from power pop to confessional alt-rock to Christian rock, as well as collaborations with artists as varied as Marilyn Manson and Nicki Minaj. And when pop-punk's second wave hit at the start of the 2020s, Lavigne made a triumphant return to the genre with 2022's Love Sux and the 20th anniversary reissue of Let Go. 

Now, she's set to release her first-ever Greatest Hits compilation on June 21, spanning more than two decades, seven albums and nearly two dozen hits on the Billboard Hot 100. To commemorate the album (and its coinciding Greatest Hits Tour), dive into 15 tracks that assert Lavigne's undeniable title as the "motherf—in princess" of pop-punk — from hits like "Sk8er Boi" to deep cuts like "Freak Out."

What better way to begin than with the song that started it all? Released as her debut single in the spring of 2002, "Complicated" declared a then-17-year-old Avril Lavigne as a major talent to watch.

Eventually, the pop-rock ode to teenaged authenticity became one of the biggest songs of the year, and led to her debut full-length, Let Go, becoming the third highest-selling LP of 2002 in the U.S. (It's since been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA and sold more than 16 million copies around the world.)

It's hard to overstate just how influential Lavigne's breakout year was, starting with "Complicated." The track peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, helping the newcomer earn nominations for Best New Artist, Song Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album (for Let Go) at the 2003 GRAMMY Awards. Its runaway success also helped launch pop-punk's explosion into the mainstream, and the proliferation of artists and female-fronted bands that followed — from Paramore, Ashlee Simpson and Kelly Clarkson to Gen Z hitmakers like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Meet Me @ The Altar — are indebted to Lavigne's trailblazing success with the song.

Read More: Why 2002 Was The Year That Made Pop-Punk: Simple Plan, Good Charlotte & More On How "Messing Around And Being Ourselves" Became Mainstream

"He was a boy, she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious?" From those 15 words, Lavigne spun a pop-punk fairy tale for the ages.

If "Complicated" was an introduction to her talent, "Sk8er Boi" was the new star's real coronation as the reigning princess of the genre. Everything about Let Go's second single is nothing short of iconic, from the star-crossed love story between a skater destined for punk rock greatness and the ballet dancer who wasn't brave enough to love him, to the lip ring and striped tie Lavigne sported in the music video (the latter of which you can still purchase to this day from her official store). 

"Sk8er Boi" dispelled any notion that the teenage upstart would be a flash in the pan relegated to one-hit wonder status. In fact, the song notched Lavigne a second consecutive Top 10 hit on the Hot 100, and landed her a fifth GRAMMY nomination at the 2003 ceremony, for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. But the cherry on top of it all? The eleventh hour twist in the track's bridge that the ballet dancer's loss was Avril's gain.

After all the commercial success and critical acclaim showered on her in the wake of Let Go, Lavigne chose to forgo taking the easy road with another pop-infused mainstream win. Instead, she plunged into the darkness for 2004's Under My Skin, exploring post-grunge, nu metal and even hard rock influences on the punk-infused LP. The biggest hit from the album was second single "My Happy Ending," which became Lavigne's fourth No. 1 at Top 40 radio and spent four weeks in the Top 10 of the Hot 100, peaking even higher on the latter than "Sk8er Boi" had two years prior.

The downcast breakup anthem was the first time Lavigne put her broken heart on display ("All this time you were pretending/ So much for my happy ending," she lamented as the piano-driven verses swirled into a guitar-heavy chorus), and the result was an electric kiss-off delivered with equal parts anger, shock and a tinge of bitter sarcasm. 

The singer may not have gotten her happily ever after, but turning the doomed relationship into a scathing goodbye certainly earned her the last laugh: the song helped propel Under My Skin to becoming one of the top-selling albums of the year worldwide.

Read More: Loving Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire"? Check Out 15 Songs By Alanis Morissette, Miley Cyrus & More That Reclaim The Breakup Narrative

It wasn't all doom, gloom and angry tears on Under My Skin, however. Lavigne proved she was equally adept at bouncing back from a particularly disappointing Sk8er Boi with a devilish grin and a chip on her shoulder on the bouncing "He Wasn't."

While the brash ditty wasn't officially released as a single in the U.S. — instead being pushed to radio in Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and her native Canada — it quickly became a fan favorite from the album. Nearly 20 years on, the song and its rowdy music video (come for Avril wearing fairy wings and a bright pink tutu, stay for her shattering a camera with the butt of her guitar) rather perfectly encapsulate the singer's place as one of the rare female voices at the forefront of the second-wave post-grunge movement. 

"Freak Out," 'Under My Skin' (2004)

Giving authority figures the middle finger has long been a hallmark of Lavigne's brand, and nowhere is that more clear than on Under My Skin deep cut "Freak Out." "Try to tell me what I shouldn't do/ You should know by now I won't listen to you," she scowls before ratcheting up the lyrical drama on the booming chorus. 

The track's second verse serves as a veritable manifesto for an entire generation of emo kids, as Lavigne offers the following advice to her fans: "You don't always have to do everything right/ Stand up for yourself and put up a fight/ Walk around with your hands up in the air/ Like you don't care." When in doubt? "Just freak out, let it go."

In retrospect, Under My Skin is often rightfully credited as one of the defining albums of pop-punk's 2000s heyday. And it's clear Lavigne is proud of the album's impact on both her career and the genre she helped pioneer, considering four of its singles — including "Don't Tell Me" and "Nobody's Home" — are included in the 20 tracks featured on her upcoming Greatest Hits compilation.

Lavigne turned the power pop up to 11 for her third album, 2007's The Best Damn Thing, and traded the myopic grunge of her previous era for a blast of sugar-coated, self-confident sass. Lead single "Girlfriend" let the singer unleash her inner pop-punk princess like never before, as she played a mean girl with a flirtatious streak who somehow made stealing another girl's man seem lovable.

The unabashed bop was the first time Lavigne proudly declared herself "the motherf—in' princess," and the song's relentless sing-song hook was so addictive that it became the star's first single to top the Hot 100. Lavigne broke several records with "Girlfriend," which became one of the best-selling songs of 2007 and the most-viewed YouTube video of 2008 — as well as the first to ever reach 100 million views on the platform. 

Still can't get enough of "Girlfriend"? Hardcore fans know that the official remix with Lil Mama might even outdo the fizzy perfection of the original. 

"The Best Damn Thing," 'The Best Damn Thing' (2007)

For the title track off The Best Damn Thing, Lavigne doubled down on the bright and bubbly persona she'd donned on "Girlfriend." In fact, the song's opening rallying cry of "Let me hear you say hey, hey, hey!" and a call-and-response bridge are so downright peppy that it seems almost hard to believe they came from the same artist who thrashed her way through Under My Skin.

Released as The Best Damn Thing's fourth and final single, the song of the same name is more melodic than its chart-topping predecessor, with Lavigne unapologetically laying out the type of treatment she expects from a man in cheerleader fashion ("Gimme an A! Always give me what I want!/ Gimme a V! Be very, very good to me!"). After all, a pop-punk princess deserves a Cinderella story of her own. 

Riding high off the commercial success of The Best Damn Thing, Lavigne kicked off the rollout for her fourth studio album, 2011's Goodbye Lullaby, with "What the Hell," a playfully bratty banger that found her toying with a love interest and vowing, "All my life I've been good/ But now I'm thinking, 'What the hell!'"

Produced and co-written by pop impresarios Max Martin and Shellback, "What the Hell" melded Lavigne's snarky songwriting sensibilities and penchant for bucking authority with a catchy, singalong refrain. But the lead single actually proved to be something of an outlier on the pop-punk princess' fourth go-around, as the rest of the album utilized a stripped-back sonic palette to lay her heartbreak bare in the wake of divorcing Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley.

"Bad Reputation," 'Goodbye Lullaby' (2011)

Goodbye Lullaby may have been Lavigne's first foray into a more acoustic sound — complete with introspective lyrics and surprisingly sincere song titles like "I Love You" and "Everybody Hurts" — but she couldn't resist adding a little snarl to the album's softer, more sensitive proceedings. So for the deluxe edition of the album, she featured her take on Joan Jett's classic 1980 single "Bad Reputation" as a bonus track. 

Lavigne had originally recorded "Bad Reputation" for the soundtrack to the Japanese anime feature film One Piece Film: Z (it even reached the top 10 on Japan's Hot 100!). But she apparently liked the cover so much that it ended up on the track list of not one, but two of her albums, as the song was also included on 2013's Avril Lavigne.

Even as she approached her thirties, Lavigne wasn't about to give up her spot as pop-rock's resident wild child. Case in point: "Here's to Never Growing Up," the lead single off her fifth album, 2013's Avril Lavigne. Over a peppy stomp-clap rhythm, the singer shouts out an undying love of Radiohead, dancing on bar tops and making late-night memories with your best friends as the boombox blares all your favorite songs.

There's a thread of bittersweet nostalgia running through the midtempo jam — one that's sure to pierce the heart of any millennial listening as Lavinge sings, "Say, won't you say 'forever'?/ Stay, if you stay forever/ Hey, we can stay forever young." It's not that the singer's refusing to acknowledge the cruel act of getting older on the track, she's just rebelling against the notion that adulthood should be a dreary slog of, you know, taxes and laundry and all of those lame adult responsibilities. 

Lavigne once again put her middle finger to the sky and re-upped her rock star credentials on the appropriately titled "Rock N Roll," the second single off her self-titled album. The spirited singalong finds the singer reveling in her eternally bad attitude as she wails, "I don't care if I'm a misfit/ I like better than the hipster bulls–/ I am the motherf—in' princess/ You still love it."

Though "Rock N Roll" didn't make quite as much of an impact on the charts as some of the other hits on this list, it remains one of the most underrated bangers in her entire discography. Plus, the song gifted fans with the campy, comic book-inspired music video starring Lavinge, Danica McKellar, a drunk-driving Doberman and one very unlucky lobster as they race across a dystopian wasteland to save rock and roll from the clutches of an evil bear-shark. (Billy Zane shows up on a rocket-powered Segway at some point, too — just go with it.)

Proving that pop-punk doesn't always have to come with an in-your-face, "f— you!" attitude, Lavigne released "Head Above Water" — the lead single and title track to her 2019 album — five years into an often confusing, devastating and all-consuming battle with Lyme disease.

"One night I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die," she revealed at the time of the song's unveiling. "My mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed, 'God, please help to keep my head above the water.' In that moment, the songwriting of this album began."

Lavigne taps into a truly admirable well of resilience and hope on the spiritual ballad as she sings, "Yeah, my life is what I'm fighting for/ Can't part the sea, can't reach the shore/ And my voice becomes the driving force/ I won't let this pull me overboard." Unlike anything that's come from the singer's catalog either before or since, "Head Above Water" remains a powerful testament to the beloved pop-punk princess' inner strength.

As the 2010s gave way to a new decade, pop-punk made a surprise resurgence in popularity while Lavigne was making major moves of her own; she left BMG after just one album to sign with Travis Barker's DTA Records in 2021 (about which she fittingly declared, "Let's f— s— up!"). Partnering with the blink-182 drummer sparked some serious magic in the studio, as her seventh studio album, 2022's Love Sux was a wildly entertaining return to her pop-punk roots after the emotional catharsis of Head Over Water.

On lead single "Bite Me," Lavigne effortlessly dusted off her crown and reclaimed her throne with an octave-jumping vocal performance. Along with proving she still has the chops, the singer simply sounds like she's having a hell of a lot of fun as she snaps back at an ex-flame who made the mistake of crossing her. Pop-punk's reigning princess? Try queen.

Read More: How 'Love Sux' Led Avril Lavigne To True Love, Her First Fangirl Moment And An Album Process That Was 'Just Stupid Fun'

"All I Wanted" feat. Mark Hoppus, 'Love Sux' (2022)

Lavigne collaborated with plenty of special guests on Love Sux, from blackbear (on love-drunk single "Love It When You Hate Me") to eventual tourmate Machine Gun Kelly (on delicious battle of the sexes "Bois Lie"), but no other duet on the album holds a candle to "All I Wanted" featuring blink-182's Mark Hoppus. 

The supercharged deep cut features the two trailblazers rocking out in a whirling dervish of escapist bliss, playing a sort of pop-punk Bonnie and Clyde as they bust out of the town they're stuck in. And in doing so, they proved they're more than happy to show the new kids at the rock show just how it's done.

And finally, a proper celebration of Lavigne's status as pop-punk royalty wouldn't be complete without including the biggest song she ever gave to another artist. As the story goes, the singer/songwriter originally penned "Breakaway" for her debut album, but the hope-filled anthem didn't quite fit with the vibe of Let Go tracks like "Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," "Losing Grip," and "I'm With You." So instead, she gave it to a fresh-faced newcomer by the name of Kelly Clarkson, who had just come off of winning a little reality TV experiment called "American Idol." 

After being featured on the soundtrack to The Princess Diaries 2, "Breakaway" became the centerpiece and title track of Clarkson's 2004 sophomore album, which helped turn her into a bonafide superstar — and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Lavigne started performing the song live for the first time on her 2019 Head Above Water Tour, which naturally left fans clamoring for a studio version. Blessedly, the pop-punk icon gave them exactly what they wanted by revisiting "Breakaway" in the recording studio for the 20th anniversary edition of Let Go in 2022. She even reinstated her original lyrics in the opening stanza ("Grew up in a small town/ And when the snow would fall down/ I'd just stare out my window") for a personal touch that connected back to her roots in Greater Napanee, Ontario. 

Clarkson may have made the song famous, but the beating heart of "Breakaway" will always be Lavigne's story — one of a small-town girl who bet on herself, only to become a trailblazing artist whose legacy is forever cemented in the pop-punk history books. 

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