Whatever you do, if you use green DO NOT closely combine red with green, as these two colors vibrate against each other and make readability nearly impossible, as well as being difficult for the color blind to read. Gray is the most conservative of neutral shades, and represents practicality, sadness, security and reliability. It is a boring color, routine and lifeless. Unless you WANT to convey lackluster or conservatism in your site, you would do better to choose another neutral tone like beige or white as a background. Of course, if gray is used properly in a palette of cool tones like blues and purples, it can be quite successful, however staid.
Lavender is another color which most people have a strong feeling towards.
It is a pastel, properly used to generate feelings of romance, nostalgia and daintiness, and it is also a favorite color for the creative, different and unusual. If your intent is to stand out and be noticed, lavender might be just the choice, depending on what your site is for. It works nicely with other pastels, for a feminine feel, as well as other cool tones like blue, green and even as a highlight for neutral gray. No matter how evolved we would like to be, pink , like lavender, is considered a frilly, tender, feminine color. It can be used with care on sites for which that feeling is appropriate.