Vern Avola is a composer and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon. She has been playing music for over 20 years, beginning her solo work in 2007. She currently releases music under the name Trigger Object; earlier iterations of her solo project include EMS, Avola, and Dirty Centaur. Her work combines bone-crunching beats, wailing electronics, and multi-layered noisescapes described as "fractured, warped, and beautifully deranged."

Avola has been part of several projects, including the duos Elrond and Bear Spray, the noise collective Shrew Florist, and bands Prizehog, Dead (Australia), and Cocaine DVD. She has performed internationally since 2006 and hosts a radio show on East Village Radio. She has also hosted shows on KRCB, KFFP, The Neon Hospice (UK), and Repeater Radio (UK).

She runs her own label, EMS Records. Her discography includes releases on EMS Records as well as other independent labels such as Sige Recordings, An Out Recordings, Accident Prone Records, Gravity Records, and Nadine Records.