How to effectively allocate system resources to meet service level objectives (SLOs) is a challenging problem for Web services providers. In this paper, we propose a scheme for autonomous performance control of Web applications. It uses a queueing model predictor and an online adaptive feedback loop that enforces admission control of the incoming requests to ensure the desired response time target is met. The proposed queueing-model-based adaptive control approach combines both the modeling power of queueing theory and self-tuning power of adaptive control. Therefore, it can handle both modeling inaccuracies and load disturbances in a better way. To evaluate the proposed approach, we built a multi-tiered Web application testbed with open-source components widely used in industry. Experimental studies conducted on the testbed demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach