I found this list of explanations of some band names. It’s pretty interesting, especially the Blue Oyster Cult one…
Hot Tuna – they were originally called Hot Shit but their record company made them change the 2nd word to Tuna.
Pearl Jam – Eddie Vedder came up with the name in honor of his Aunt Pearl’s homemade jam which supposedly is a natural aphrodisiac and contains peyote.
Beastie Boys – Beastie is supposed to stand for Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence
Blue Oyster Cult – the name is an anagram of “Cully Stout Beer”. One band member came up with it one night when he was doodling at a bar with the band manager.
The Gin Blossoms – a gin blossom is slang for the capillaries in your nose and face that burst because of excess drinking
311 – the police code for indecent exposure in California.
Generation X – named after a book that Billy Idol found in his mother’s bookcase. It was a mid 1960’s sociological essay that featured interviews with teenagers in competing gangs in the UK.
Foo Fighters – World War II fighter plane slang for UFO’s
Counting Crows – comes from an old British poem that states that life is as meaningless as counting crows
Blind Melon – according to the bassist (Brad Smith) the name is slang for unemployed hippies in Mississippi
The Who – The band was originally called The High Numbers but one day they were sitting around thinking of a new name and each time somebody mentioned one, they would joke and ask, “the who?” Finally a friend said, “Why not just call yourselves, ‘The Who’?”
