Van Halen voted Utah’s ultimate ‘dad rock’ band in survey
Jun 16, 2024, 4:00 PM
(L-R) Bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, singer David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen perform during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Van Halen was voted Utah's favorite dad rock band. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — A recent study surveyed Americans all over the U.S., asking them what band they would dub the “pinnacle of dad rock.” The votes are in, and a handful of dad-worthy bands are charting for the top spots.
Dad rock breakdown
Based on the total number of votes, mid-90s Canadian rock band Nickleback was voted by 26% as the top dad rock band out there. Second place was tied for 70s guitar rock Van Halen and early 90s pop-punk band, Blink-182; both with 12% of votes.
Utah’s majority though, hailed Van Halen as its crown.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers snatched up third place overall by 10% of voters, and a list of other popular contenders follows:
- Nickelback (26%)
- Van Halen + Blink-182 (12%)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers (10%)
- Nirvana (10%)
- Linkin Park (8%)
- Guns N. Roses (8%)
- Coldplay (6%)
- Bon Jovi (6%)
- Limp Bizkit (2%)
A map of states who voted for their ultimate dad rock band, with Utah voting for Van Halen. (Merchoid)
The study, performed by “geek merchandise” online retailer Merchoid, said it “carefully selected” its volunteers to represent a balanced mixture of age, gender and geography.
The survey asked a few other opinions of volunteers as well. 57% of those asked said they think today’s music is worse than music from the past.
