Pink Floyd ranked No. 1 as the most popular tattoo choice for rock fans in new study.
A new study by tattoo artists at LLTattoo has revealed the rock bands that inspire the most tattoos worldwide. LLTattoo examined search volume data from Google Keyword Planner to uncover the volume of searches for tattoos of or inspired by the biggest rock artists of all time. And the study seems to align with New York rockers.
Pink Floyd took the number 1 spot as the rock band inspiring the most tattoo pieces. Guns N’ Roses tattoos were revealed as the second most popular. The top ten bands includes Nirvana, Metallica, and Slipknot.
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Pink Floyd is the band with the most fans keen on committing their imagery to skin. Tattoos of, relating to, or inspired by the band that emerged from London in the 1960s received a monthly average of 13,000 searches per month.
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In second place is Guns N’ Roses. Tattoos pertaining to Slash and the crew received an average monthly rate of 10,675 searches each month.
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German alt-metal giants Rammstein came in third place. An average of 10,558 searches for tattoos inspired by the Berlin band were carried out monthly.
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Metallica tattoos were subject to an average of 9,367 monthly searches, the fourth most of any rock band. Following in fifth were Nirvana, whose tattoo pieces averaged 9,150 searches monthly.
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In sixth, Linkin Park, nu-metal stars who came out of California in the mid-nineties, saw an average of 8,425 searches every month regarding tattoos dedicated to them. Next, Iowa’s mammoth heavy metal group Slipknot saw 7,900 monthly searches connecting to tattoos.
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In eighth is alt-rock band Twenty One Pilots. Tattoos related to the duo from Ohio were subject to 7,775 monthly searches.
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English heavy metal band Iron Maiden took ninth place, with tattoos reflecting them being subject to 7,125 monthly searches. The final top ten place was taken by progressive metal band Tool, subject to 6,200 monthly searches relating to tattoo pieces.
Mentor Dedaj of LLTattoo spoke on the study: “It’s very interesting to see which rock bands inspire the most tattoo pieces around the world. Rock music and ink are seemingly inseparable, and tats are almost obligatory to big rock heads.
“Having inked people in our studio with pieces influenced by some of these artists, some of the results are unsurprising. However, there are also a few interesting bands included in the top ten, as well as a few that surprisingly didn’t make the list.”
Trevor Eichler from the Townsquare Media of the Hudson Valley road crew proudly displays his Pink Floyd tattoo on his forearm. He represents New Yorker’s with the most popular tattoo choice among rock fans. Photo credit: Trevor Eichler
Table: Rock bands who influence the most tattoos
| Rank | Artist | Average monthly global search volume |
| 1 | Pink Floyd | 13,000 |
| 2 | Guns N’ Roses | 10,675 |
| 3 | Rammstein | 10,558 |
| 4 | Metallica | 9,367 |
| 5 | Nirvana | 9,150 |
| 6 | Linkin Park | 8,425 |
| 7 | Slipknot | 7,900 |
| 8 | Twenty One Pilots | 7,775 |
| 9 | Iron Maiden | 7,125 |
| 10 | Tool | 6,200 |
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci