UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 01: CAMDEN Photo of VAN HALEN and Eddie VAN HALEN and Alex VAN HALEN and Michael ANTHONY and David LEE ROTH, L-R: Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Eddie Van Halen – posed, studio group shot (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns).

Ever wonder what your favorite band would feel like with a different name? Would they rock differently? Would they look or feel different…would they sound different? The name of a band can say so much about what you’re going to hear and how the music they create will sound. Or does it? Maybe the band name has nothing to do with the sound they produce. It’s a thinker! Turns out,

Van Halen was almost called Rat Salad. Nirvana almost went with Pen Cap Chew or Fecal Matter. KISS could’ve been walking around as Wicked Lester, and Queen was considering going with Smile. You’ve probably heard Baby Huey talk about this one, as Green Day momentarily was almost named Sweet Children. Pearl Jam was nearly Mookie Blaylock (after the NBA point guard), and The Black Crowes were almost called Mr. Crowe’s Garden. If you wanna dive into the stories behind these alternate names, click here and check out the full article from mentalfloss.com.