"What the Hell" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby (2011). Lavigne wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. RCA Records released it as the album's lead single on January 10, 2011. Backed by an instrumentation of guitars, keyboards, and hand-claps, the pop song has lyrics about personal freedom and self-expression.