| 100% | SUNBIRD | 7 | A feathered creature whose name is inspired by the centre of the solar system |
| 48% | ROMANCE | 7 | My Chemical ___, "Helena" band whose name is inspired by a collection of novellas by Irvine Welsh |
| 47% | MEN | 3 | Of Mice and ___, "Restoring Force" band whose name is inspired by a John Steinbeck novel |
| 46% | DEEP | 4 | ___ Purple, "Smoke on the Water" band whose name was inspired by a Peter DeRose song |
| 46% | ROLLING | 7 | The ___ Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" band whose name was inspired by a Muddy Waters song |
| 46% | RADLEYS | 7 | The Boo ___, "Wake Up Boo!" band whose name is inspired by Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" |
| 44% | AMTRAK | 6 | Nationwide rail system whose name is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track" |
| 42% | CARDIB | 6 | Rapper whose name was inspired by a rum brand |
| 42% | OLYMPIANS | 9 | Indianapolis ___, extinct NBA team from Indiana whose name is inspired by the Greek Gods |
| 42% | DOLPHINTALE | 11 | 2011 American drama film starring Nathan Gamble which was inspired by the true rescue story of a marine animal named Winter: 2 wds. |
| 42% | IPOD | 4 | Gadget whose name was inspired by "2001: A Space Odyssey" |
| 42% | PANDORA | 7 | Music-streaming service whose name is inspired by a Greek myth |
| 42% | KICKBALL | 8 | Game whose name is also a key step of the game |
| 41% | PAM | 3 | "Polythene ___," 1969 song by The Beatles whose title was inspired by the nickname of a fan |
| 41% | LADY | 4 | ___ Gaga, "Poker Face" singer whose name was inspired by a Queen song |
| 41% | RADIOHEAD | 9 | "Paranoid Android" band whose name was inspired by a Talking Heads song |
| 41% | DEUSEX | 6 | RPG whose name is derived from the name of a dramatic device |
| 41% | ZZTOP | 5 | Rock band whose name is suggested by the first row of this puzzle |
| 41% | AETNA | 5 | Insurance company in the Fortune 100 whose name was inspired by an Italian volcano |
| 40% | PITCHFORK | 9 | Music review website, whose name was inspired by the tattoo design on Al Pacino's right arm in "Scarface" |
| 40% | NAVY | 4 | Old ___, American clothing company owned by the clothing giant at 34a, and whose name is reminiscent of a military force |
| 40% | STARBUCKS | 9 | Coffeehouse chain with a siren logo, whose name was inspired by Melville's best friend in "Moby Dick" |
| 40% | COPERNICUS | 10 | Polish astronomer whose theory of the solar system was published in 1543 |
| 40% | MOUNTAINDEW | 11 | Citrus-flavored soft drink brand under PepsiCo, whose name was inspired by the term Tennesseans had for illicit liquor: 2 wds. |
| 39% | ALIENWARE | 9 | Dell gaming brand whose name was inspired by "The X-Files" |
| 39% | MODEST | 6 | ___ Mouse, "Float On" band whose name is inspired by Virginia Woolf's novel "The Mark on the Wall" |
| 39% | NORI | 4 | Food whose name spelled backwards is the name of a nutrient that it contains |
| 39% | TOP | 3 | ZZ ___, band with the song "Gimme All Your Lovin'" whose name was inspired by ZZ King and BB Hill |
| 39% | PET | 3 | Creature whose name is one letter off from the type of doctor who takes care of it |
| 39% | SUN | 3 | *Star at the center of our solar system, and a bright name for a newspaper |