| 100% | ARTIE | 5 | With 18-Down, '30s-'40s band leader |
| 55% | RAH | 3 | With 18 Down, gung-ho |
| 49% | LIL | 3 | With 18-Across, “Turn Down for What” rapper |
| 47% | PANIC | 5 | With 18-Across, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" emo band |
| 46% | MODERN | 6 | With 18-Down, life today |
| 46% | ALL | 3 | With 18-Down, listening closely |
| 45% | MASON | 5 | With 18-Down, home canning items |
| 45% | ONE | 3 | With 18-Down, distribution limitation, informally |
| 45% | OLD | 3 | With 18-Down, 1957 Disney tearjerker |
| 45% | ITS | 3 | With 18-Down, exclamation in "Frankenstein" |
| 44% | KORN | 4 | Band with the multi-platinum album "Follow the Leader" |
| 44% | ONTHE | 5 | With 18-Down, like some corrupt officials |
| 44% | DALAI | 5 | With 18-Down, Tibetan V.I.P. |
| 44% | JAY | 3 | With 18-Down, former "Tonight Show" host |
| 43% | ARCH | 4 | With 33 Down, death metal band with an adversarial name |
| 42% | RELAY | 5 | With 18-Down, what has four legs and sprints? |
| 42% | CARDTRICK | 9 | Diversion with an 18 Down |
| 42% | ELO | 3 | Band with the 1979 hit "Don't Bring Me Down," for short |
| 41% | ALABAMA | 7 | Geographically named band with the 1982 hit "Take Me Down" |
| 41% | JENGA | 5 | With 18-Down, structure that gets less stable with time |
| 41% | MALBEC | 6 | Red wine that pairs nicely with 18-Down |
| 41% | DRTEETH | 7 | ___ and the Electric Mayhem (“Muppet Show” band with a grinning leader) |
| 40% | UNODOS | 6 | With 9-Down, Spanish leaders? |
| 39% | JUNEIS | 6 | With 4 Down, 26 Across, and 18 Down, "Carousel" song famously slaughtered by Leslie Uggams |
| 39% | DALAI | 5 | With 5-Down, Buddhist spiritual leader |
| 39% | OCTET | 5 | Band with 6-Down members |
| 39% | ELO | 3 | 1970s-'80s band with the hit "Don't Bring Me Down," in brief |
| 39% | ALPHA | 5 | With 11-Down, leaders |
| 39% | ONEMAN | 6 | Band leader |
| 39% | OOMPAH | 6 | Band leader? |