| 100% | TOP | 3 | ZZ ___, band with the song "Gimme All Your Lovin'" whose name was inspired by ZZ King and BB Hill |
| 42% | DEEP | 4 | ___ Purple, "Smoke on the Water" band whose name was inspired by a Peter DeRose song |
| 42% | ROLLING | 7 | The ___ Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" band whose name was inspired by a Muddy Waters song |
| 41% | ALLTIME | 7 | ___ Low, "Monsters" band whose name was inspired by lyrics from the song "Head On Collision" by New Found Glory: 2 wds. |
| 40% | VAST | 4 | Alternative rock band with the song "Touched" whose name is an abbreviation and also the title of their first album |
| 38% | RADIOHEAD | 9 | "Paranoid Android" band whose name was inspired by a Talking Heads song |
| 37% | MEN | 3 | Of Mice and ___, "Restoring Force" band whose name is inspired by a John Steinbeck novel |
| 37% | NSYNC | 5 | Band with the song "Bye Bye Bye" whose name is an acronym of the last letters of the members' first names |
| 37% | RADLEYS | 7 | The Boo ___, "Wake Up Boo!" band whose name is inspired by Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" |
| 37% | ACDC | 4 | Australian rock band with the song "Highway to Hell" whose name is an abbreviation referring to types of electricity |
| 37% | MODEST | 6 | ___ Mouse, "Float On" band whose name is inspired by Virginia Woolf's novel "The Mark on the Wall" |
| 36% | MGMT | 4 | Rock band with the song "Kids" whose name is short for their original name, "The Management" |
| 35% | AWAY | 4 | "Gouge ___," song by rock band Pixies that is inspired by the story of Samson and Delilah |
| 34% | ABBA | 4 | Swedish pop band with the song "Chiquitita" whose name is an acronym of the first letters of the members' first names |
| 34% | NEONTREES | 9 | Band whose name was inspired by In-N-Out Burger signage |
| 33% | LADY | 4 | ___ Gaga, "Poker Face" singer whose name was inspired by a Queen song |
| 33% | BADGUY | 6 | Hit song by the 1-Across winner whose name is spelled out by the final three letters of 21-, 25-, 47- and 52-Across |
| 33% | SUNBIRD | 7 | A feathered creature whose name is inspired by the centre of the solar system |
| 33% | AETNA | 5 | Insurance company in the Fortune 100 whose name was inspired by an Italian volcano |
| 33% | OLYMPIANS | 9 | Indianapolis ___, extinct NBA team from Indiana whose name is inspired by the Greek Gods |
| 32% | GLASS | 5 | With 27 Across, 2022 film whose title was inspired by a Beatles song |
| 32% | ABBA | 4 | Swedish band whose name is spelled the same backward and forward |
| 32% | ROMANCE | 7 | My Chemical ___, "Helena" band whose name is inspired by a collection of novellas by Irvine Welsh |
| 32% | STEELY | 6 | ___ Dan, "Do It Again" band whose name is inspired by William S. Burroughs' novel "Naked Lunch" |
| 32% | ZZTOP | 5 | Rock band whose name is suggested by the first row of this puzzle |
| 31% | STARBUCKS | 9 | Coffeehouse chain with a siren logo, whose name was inspired by Melville's best friend in "Moby Dick" |
| 31% | CAVALIERS | 9 | With 15a, it's the name of the NBA team whose mascots are Moondog and Sir C.C. and which is part-owned by Usher |
| 31% | PITCHFORK | 9 | Music review website, whose name was inspired by the tattoo design on Al Pacino's right arm in "Scarface" |
| 31% | DEBORAHKERR | 11 | "The King and I" star whose songs were dubbed by Marni Nixon (1930-2016) : 2 wds. |