Avril Lavigne, pop punk star and former wife of Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger, has confronted Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on his snide put-down of the rock group, saying he is “promoting bullying”.

The Canadian singer was prompted by a recent promotional video for an AI system called Jarvis. In the video, Zuckerberg asks Jarvis to play him “some good Nickelback songs.”

“I’m sorry, Mark, I can’t do that,” Jarvis replies. “There are no good Nickelback songs.”

Lavigne, who was married to Kroeger for two years, wrote that the social media entrepreneur was using his platform irresponsibly, stating that his “jab” at the band was “in poor taste”.

She posted the following message on Twitter:

Zuckerberg’s comments follow another year in which Nickelback have been the frequent butt of an internet-based gag.

As well as long running photograph memes and parody songs, last month, Canadian police made a jibe about the group, suggesting they would play their music as punishment: “On top of a hefty fine, a criminal charge and a year’s driving suspension, we will also provide you with a bonus gift of playing the office’s copy of Nickelback in the cruiser on the way to jail.”

However, when Brighton rock duo Royal Blood tweeted a Nickelback joke in October, the Canadians had the last laugh: “Nickelback jokes are like @royalblooduk, they were a lot cooler a couple years ago.”