Rock bands have a long history of coming up with weird names. From the nonsensical to the downright offensive, there are plenty of bands out there who have chosen weird band names for themselves. Here’s a list of rock bands with weird names and why they chose them.
Limp Bizkit
TL;DR: The band wanted a name people would hate. After considering Bitch Piglet, Split Dickslit, and Blood Fart, they settled on Limp Bizkit.
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. They were formed in 1994 by vocalist Fred Durst, bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto, and guitarist Wes Borland.
Durst chose the usual band name himself. He purposely wanted a band name that people would hate. According to Durst, “The name is there to turn people’s heads away. A lot of people pick up the disc and go, ‘Limp Bizkit. Oh, they must suck.’ Those are the people that we don’t even want listening to our music.”
Before settling on the name Limp Bizkit, the band also considered other strange band names. In an AMA session on Reddit, Durst listed other potential names including Bitch Piglet, Gimp Disco, Split Dickslit, and Blood Fart.
Despite their weird band name, Limp Bizkit have sold over 40 million records worldwide and won several awards, including two Grammy nominations.
Porno For Pyros
TL;DR: The 1992 L.A. riots inspired a band name.
Porno for Pyros was created in Los Angeles in 1992 by Perry Farrell and Stephen Perkins, after their last band, Jane’s Addiction, broke up.
The band’s name was a reference to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which were mentioned throughout the songs on their debut album, Porno for Pyros (1993). Farrell said that he wanted to create a name that would “shock people and get their attention.”
Butthole Surfers
TL;DR: The band name “Butthole Surfers” is one of the most ridiculous and offensive band names in history.
The experimental rock band, Butthole Surfers, formed in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band name came from a magazine called Strange V.D. that Haynes and Leary made in the 1980s. The magazine featured images of uncommon diseases. The name was meant to be provocative and attention-grabbing, and it certainly succeeded in that goal.
The Butthole Surfers members are clearly not afraid to be weird or unconventional, and their name is a testament to that. However, just imagine how much more successful they could have been with a different name.
Stone Temple Pilots
TL;DR: The band Stone Temple Pilots was inspired by STP Motor Oil stickers and chose a combination of random words to match the STP acronym.
An American rock band from San Diego, California, Stone Temple Pilots formed in 1989 and became one of the most popular rock bands of the 1990s.
Originally called Swing, the band had to change their name when their new guitarist Dean DeLeo joined. He didn’t like the name Swing. So, they settled on Mighty Joe Young but had to switch again when their lawyer informed them that another musician already had that name. They thought of different initials during the recording of their first album with producer Brendan O’Brien. Eventually, the band chose “Stone Temple Pilots” because it reminded them of STP Motor Oil stickers, which made them feel nostalgic.
Aerosmith
TL;DR: Aerosmith’s drummer, Joey Kramer, suggested the band name “Aerosmith”. He came up with the name after listening to the Harry Nilsson album Aerial Ballet.
Aerosmith‘s drummer, Joey Kramer, suggested the band name Aerosmith after listening to the Harry Nilsson album Aerial Ballet. The other members were hesitant at first, thinking he was referring to the Sinclair Lewis novel Arrowsmith. Kramer clarified that he meant “A-E-R-O… Aerosmith.” Without a better option, they chose the name.
The Presidents of the United States of America
TL;DR: The band picked the name “Presidents of the United States of America” because it was “just stupid enough to work.”
The alternative rock band Presidents of the United States of America (PUSA) was formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1993. The band’s name came about as a joke, when Chris Ballew (guitar, vocals) was singing songs at a party. In between each song, he would re-introduce himself as a different band name.
“One of the band names I blurted out without thinking was The Presidents of the United States,” Ballew told American Songwriter. “When I said it out loud… at the next PUSA practice we all smiled broadly and knew it was just stupid enough to work.”
The Presidents of the United States of America are one of the most successful alternative rock bands of the 1990s. The band’s most popular songs include “Lump”, “Peaches”, and “Mach 5”. They are known for their catchy, nonsensical lyrics and have won numerous awards, including a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for “Peaches”.
Toad The Wet Sprocket
TL;DR: The band got their name from a Monty Python skit.
Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Barbara, California in 1986. They got their name from a sketch titled “Rock Notes” by the Monty Python comedy troupe. In the sketch, a journalist delivers a nonsensical music news report:
Rex Stardust, lead electric triangle with Toad the Wet Sprocket, has had to have an elbow removed following their recent successful worldwide tour of Finland. Flamboyant ambidextrous Rex apparently fell off the back of a motorcycle. “Fell off the back of a motorcyclist, most likely,” quipped ace drummer Jumbo McClooney on hearing of the accident. Plans are already afoot for a major tour of Iceland.
The Dead Milkmen
TL;DR: The Dead Milkmen got their weird band name from a character named “Milkman Dead” in Toni Morrison‘s novel Song of Solomon.
The American alternative rock band, The Dead Milkmen, formed in 1979 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band’s name comes from a character named “Milkman Dead” in Toni Morrison‘s novel Song of Solomon. They thought the name The Dead Milkmen sounded both funny and shocking, and embodied their satirical approach to punk rock.
The band is known for their irreverent and humorous lyrics and gained a cult following with songs like “Punk Rock Girl” and “Bitchin’ Camaro.”
Hoobastank
TL;DR: Hoobastank’s band name is a made-up word that has no meaning. It’s an inside joke from high school.
Hoobastank is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California. The band’s name is a nonsense word that was created by lead singer Doug Robb when he was a teenager. Robb has said that he came up with the name while he was trying to think of a word that sounded “cool” and “different.”
Goo Goo Dolls
TL;DR: The “Goo Goo Dolls”‘ is a childhood nickname. It’s a bad band name, but it could have been worse. The band was originally called the Sex Maggots. So, which is worse: Goo Goo Dolls or Sex Maggots? Let us know in the comments.
The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1986. The band consists of guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer Mike Malinin.
The band’s name came from a childhood nickname given to Rzeznik by his mother. The nickname was a combination of the words “goo” and “goofus,” which is a term for a clumsy or foolish person.
Enuff Z’Nuff
TL;DR: The weird band name Enuff Z’Nuff contains a weird spelling, unnecessary apostrophe, double rhyme, and a loose connection to a made-up stage name.
Enuff Z’Nuff is an American hard rock band from Blue Island, Illinois, formed in 1984 by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z’Nuff. The band’s name is a sensational spelling of “enough’s enough”, and it was inspired by Chip Z’Nuff’s own name, which rhymes with “enough”. BTW Chip’s real name Gregory Rybarski.
The band’s name is often ridiculed for its misspelling, unnecessary apostrophe, and implication of impatience. However, the band has embraced their ridiculous name. It’s unique and memorable, and might even sum up the band’s over-the-top, glam rock style.
Puddle Of Mudd
TL;DR: The band Puddle Of Mudd found inspiration for their name from… a puddle of mud. Bonus points for the minimal creativity of adding a second D to the word mud.
Puddle of Mudd is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1991. The band released two independent albums in the early 1990s, but it wasn’t until they signed with Fred Durst‘s record label in 2000 that they achieved mainstream success. Their debut album, Come Clean, was a huge hit, spawning the singles “Blurry,” “She Hates Me,” and “Control.”
The band’s name was inspired by the mud-caked Missouri River levee that was adjacent to their rehearsal space.
Nickleback
TL;DR: Nickelback got their weird band name from bassist Mike Kroeger’s job at Starbucks. At the time, coffee was $1.95 and if someone paid $2, he would frequently say, “Here’s your nickel back.”
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in Hanna, Alberta, in 1995. The band was originally called Village Idiot until they changed names to Nickleback.
The band’s name is a reference to the $0.05 nickel coin that bassist Mike Kroeger would frequently give customers as their change when he worked at Starbucks. The story goes that singer Chad Kroeger was having trouble coming up with a name for the band, so he asked his brother, who worked at Starbucks, for help. His brother suggested the name “Nickelback” because it was something he said all the time at work.
While the name is certainly memorable, it’s also a bit ridiculous. After all, what kind of band gets its name from something as mundane as giving people change for coffee? But hey, it worked for Nickelback. They’ve gone on to sell over 50 million albums worldwide and become one of the most successful rock bands of all time.
The The
TL;DR: While brainstorming band names, keyboardist Keith Laws suggested the name ‘The The’ to vocalist Matt Johnson.
The The are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. They blend post-punk, new wave, and alternative rock into their music, earning acclaim for their ingenious lyrics and inventive musical style. Singer Matt Johnson is the only consistent member of The The.
When the band was just forming in 1979, keyboardist Keith Laws suggested the name ‘The The’ to vocalist Matt Johnson. Laws then left the band in 1981 and later became a professor of neuropsychology at the School of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.
As clever and ironic as the band thought the name The The was in the 1970s and 1980s, it’s a disaster in today’s modern world. Just typing this paragraph about “The The” is a spellcheck nightmare. “The The” is also hard to Google and impossible to play using voice technology like Siri or Alexa. When I ask Siri to “play The The”, she gets confused and just starts playing anything from my music library. What about you?
!!!
TL;DR: The band named themselves “!!!” after being inspired by the African tribe subtitles in the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy.
!!! (pronounced chick-chick-chick) is an experimental rock band from New York City. The band was formed in 1996 by Nic Offer, Matt Miller, and Mario Andreoni. They released their debut album, Louden Up Now, in 2001. The album was a critical and commercial success, and it helped to establish “!!!” as a leading force in the experimental rock scene.
Similar to “The The”, the band name “!!!” is a nightmare in the modern world. It’s both impossible to pronounce and type. Just writing this paragraph is annoying the hell out of my spellcheck. And go ahead and try asking Siri or Alexa to play a song by “!!!”. What would you even say? But it gets worse. You can’t use punctuation characters for website addresses or most usernames. So, guess what the official website address is for “!!!”? It’s chkchkchk.net. Their Twitter username? It’s @chkchkchk. By default, the band really named themselves Chk Chk Chk. Is that a weird band name or a lame band name? Maybe both?
At least when “The The” picked their stupid band name the World Wide Web hadn’t been invented yet. The band “!!!” doesn’t have that excuse. By the time they released their first album, the Dot-Com Bubble had already burst.
Matchbox Twenty
TL;DR: Paul Doucette, Matchbox 20’s drummer, saw someone wearing a softball shirt with the name Matchbox and the number 20 on it. He thought it would be a cool band name and the rest is history.
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band that formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The band consists of Rob Thomas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Kyle Cook (lead guitar, vocals).
The band’s name came from a softball shirt that Doucette saw while he was waiting tables. The shirt had the words “Matchbox” and “20” on it, and Doucette thought it would be a good name for the band. Is it too lazy to get your band name from someone’s shirt? Asking for a friend.
Mike + The Mechanics
TL;DR: When Mike Rutherford left Genesis, he assembled four other musicians and called them The Mechanics.
Mike Rutherford formed Mike & The Mechanics in the mid-1980s as a side project to showcase his songwriting skills. Rutherford is a renowned guitarist and bass player, but he wanted to explore his songwriting abilities. The band’s name referred to the collaborative nature of the project, as Rutherford gathered musicians from outside Genesis.
Archers Of Loaf
TL;DR: Archers Of Loaf got their unusual band name by randomly picking words in a dictionary.
Archers of Loaf were formed in Chapel Hill, NC in 1991, when all four members were attending the University of North Carolina. The band had a distinctive sound defined by their loud, guitar-heavy rock music and frequently drew comparisons to fellow indie rock acts from that era like Pavement and Superchunk.
Rock Bands With Weird Band Names
Although their names may seem unconventional, these bands with weird band names have gained attention and achieved some level of success. In fact, the uniqueness of a band’s name can sometimes become a part of their brand and image.
What are some of your favorite rock bands with weird names? What did you think of the images we created for this article? Please let us know in the comments?
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