LOS ANGELES — Eminem seemed humble when he claimed three Grammy awards amid protests over his furious lyrics, but he ultimately answered the accolades with his middle fingers.
The obscene gesture, which followed his duet with Elton John, was typical of the rapper known for rejecting and mocking his admirers.
He had been the target of protests from women's and gay-rights groups since he was nominated last month for four Grammy awards. About 100 protesters demonstrated outside Staples Center before Wednesday night's show.
Eminem — who derives his stage name from the initials to his real name, Marshall Mathers III — said fans should take his music "with a grain of salt."
He said he plays characters in his songs and that their over-the-top brutality is a satire on people he has known.
"First of all, I want to thank everybody who could look through the controversy and see the album for what it was — and also for what it isn't," Eminem said of "The Marshall Mathers LP" after winning for best rap album.
Some artists applauded his creativity and supported his right to free expression, even though they were repelled by his lyrics about knifing homosexuals, and raping and torturing women.
"He's very good at what he does and he's very clever, but he's also a homophobe, a racist and a misogynist, and I find that objectionable," techno dance artist Moby said backstage.
Critics and supporters have clashed over whether the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences should have recognized his work.
"People are mad and people are talking and that's a good thing because it's through dialogue and debate that social discovery and progress can occur," Michael Greene, president of the academy, said during the show.
The outrage over his lyrics seemed to have little sway over voters. Besides winning rap album of the year award, Eminem picked up awards for rap solo performance and rap performance by a duo or group for his work on "Forgot About Dre" with Dr. Dre.
"It showed that academy members were willing to place their stamp of approval on lyrics that promote hate, prejudice and violence," said Scott Seomin, spokesman for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
"The Marshall Mathers LP," which sold nearly 8 million copies in the United States last year, lost in the category for album of the year to Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature."
The rapper performed his song "Stan" at the Grammys with John, who is openly gay. The lyrics mostly are about letters from a fictional, deranged fan who takes Eminem's music too seriously.
The fan eventually lashes out and kills his pregnant girlfriend, and a response letter from Eminem advising him not to do something "crazy" arrives too late.
During the performance, Eminem subbed out many of the song's obscenities, although a few made it through.
Afterward, he and John embraced and raised their arms as they received a standing ovation. That's when Eminem raised both middle fingers to the audience.
Lauren Brooks, 18, of Ventura, Calif., attended the Grammys with a friend and said she thinks Eminem's wise-guy attitude is just an act for fans.
"He's just trying to get attention," she said. "That's what it's all about."
Gay activists lashed out at John for agreeing to perform with the rapper, but John responded there was "far more humor on the album than people think."
"I don't understand why the Grammys feel the need to honor this kind of 'artistry,"' said Lynette Sperber of the group Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays. She was among the protesters Wednesday night outside Staples Center.
During the rally, a busload of Eminem fans dressed in the rapper's trademark black ball cap and white T-shirt drove by, hooting and taunting the demonstrators.