OAKLAND — At Aftershock Festival in 2021, in the midst of his war of words with Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, many people booed and threw water bottles at Machine Gun Kelly. Kelly’s Oakland stop in support of Mainstream Sellout on Tuesday was an entirely different story; it was all love for the polarizing superstar.

The show had a loose storyline of escaping the “boxes” created by the internet and not letting the digital world define MGK.

“I don’t like what it tells you about me before you actually know me,” Kelly said early in his roughly 90-minute set. The night really wasn’t about his lightning rod status, instead giving him the space to play protagonist in front of 12,000 fans at Oakland Arena. Kelly packed just about everything he could during the performance: pyrotechnics, confetti, a tilting circular stage and a gigantic pink helicopter (with working cannons) that delivered Kelly to the stage to open the show.

The show was a little bit Blink-182 and a little bit Motley Crue; big, bold and bombastic. It was not a night for nuance. After opening track “born with horns” while hanging from a helicopter, Machine Gun Kelly launched into a trio of high-energy pop-punk like “god save me,” “mainstream sellout” and the exceptionally infectious “maybe.”

“The Bay Area has the best weee….” Kelly teased. “The best WeTransfer files. I’m kidding; the best weed.”

While it can easy to write Kelly off, the performance offered a glimpse into why he’s built a legion of fans. Whether he’s playing pop-punk or rap, MGK has a strong grasp of who he is as an artist and who his fans are. He surrounds himself with great musicians who help to elevate his sound. His backing band delivered a heavyweight performance. Kelly knows his strengths and weaknesses.

Guitarists Justin Lyons and newcomer Sophie Lloyd traded blistering solos while drummer JP “Rook” Cappelletty drove the rhythm section. Of course, there was also plenty of attention on someone not onstage.

“Hey you, over there, in the green hoodie,” Kelly said, looking over at girlfriend Megan Fox. “Can I get your number?”

The majority of tracks came from Mainstream Sellout and Tickets To My Downfall, though a handful of rap-heavy tracks from Hotel Diablo were also on the menu for the evening. He brought up tour mate Avril Lavigne to sing on her own track, the MGK duet “Bois Lie.” Oddly, Kelly performed “emo girl” without his other touring partner, Willow, instead opting for a backing track for her vocal.

One of the shows most thrilling moments came when MGK was elevated on a gigantic riser for a pyro-heavy performance of “Floor 13.” The combination of his tight delivery, the band’s heavy rock dramatics was compelling. Whether the tracks were emotionally heavy or self-deprecating, Kelly made sure to keep the mood light.

“I just bought these pants; sorry, but they’re probably going to rip a hole,” the pink-haired singer said of his tight black and white pants. Sure enough, they burst later in the show. “Good thing I’m wearing underwear tonight,” he said.

The helicopter, which had been supplying a spotlight through the night, returned to provide pyro thrills on the punk-heavy combo of “WWIII” and “WW4.” The final stretch was filled with raucous and infectious singalongs like “I Think I’m OKAY,” “forget me too” and “my ex’s best friend.”

Some rock artists forget to demonstrate the fun of the genre. Machine Gun Kelly did not.

Avril Lavigne managed to get a big rise out of the crowd during her nearly 50-minute set focusing on the hits. Opening with “Girlfriend” and the punky “Bite Me,” Lavigne engaged the crowd to sing the songs right back to her, which fans obliged.

Far into her career, Avril Lavigne still has the same shy and awkward stage presence as when she started, but it was part of the charm. Her terrific voice carried songs like “Complicated,” “My Happy Ending” and excellent ballad “I’m With You.” One has to wonder how the old the majority of the Gen Z crowd was when tracks like “Sk8er Boi” were released, but they still hung on every word. Lavigne kept the banter to a minimum, keeping up the pace between songs.

Willow dominated in just her 25-minute set. Wearing a jumpsuit and multicolored knit hat, Willow Smith took the stage performing tracks like “Gaslight” and “don’t SAVE ME.”

“This song is about the beautiful but tragic landscape that is our lives,” she said. “Sometimes all we can do is vibe it out.”

Her pop-punk was far more varied than the four-chord stomp of the past, but the message of individuality and youth counter culture still shined through.

Flanked by a trio, Willow rounded out her set with “Meet Me at Our Spot,” Wait a Minute!” and “<maybe> it’s my fault.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald. Follow Chloe Catajan at Instagram.com/riannachloe.