Pop star Avril Lavigne stole the thunder from rival Justin Timberlake by taking two top prizes at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday.

The 23-year-old won Most Addictive Track for "Girlfriend" and the coveted Solo Artist of 2007 category while Timberlake, who dominated the event in 2006 and was the most nominated artist in 2007, came away empty-handed.

Britain's Amy Winehouse collected the Artists' Choice award but her live performance of "Back to Black" at the packed OlympiaHalle in Germany will have done little to allay concerns after drug-related problems.

She accepted her award with a brief "Thanks" before walking off stage. Minutes later she stumbled through her song with a thin, wailing voice instead of the rich growl that has won her so many fans.

The Foo Fighters kicked off the show, one of the music industry's biggest nights, with a thrashing medley comprising their new single "The Pretender."

They also wove in a short musical homage to the Sex Pistols' classic track "God Save the Queen."

Lavigne bounced through a burlesque performance of "Hot" while Mika brought the crowd to its feet with "Grace Kelly."

Underlining a good night for Canada, Album of the Year went to Nelly Furtado for "Loose" which has sold around 7 million copies to date.

30 Seconds to Mars triumphed in the Rock Out category and Linkin Park took home the award for Band of 2007.

MTV said over 50 million votes were cast across Europe, with the public deciding most of the main awards for the first time.

The Video Star prize went to Justice for the second year in a row for "D.A.N.C.E," beating out competition from acts including Kanye West.