25 "Favorite" Bands That Are Huge Red Flags

    These artists are basically harmless. Until a friend or loved one tells you that one of them is their FAV.

    Hazel Cills
    by Hazel Cills

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We recently asked Buzzfeed readers what "favorite" bands might serve as a warning for a sort of significant character flaw. Here are some of their responses.

    1. The Smashing Pumpkins

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    "I once broke up with a really hot guy because his favorite band was Smashing Pumpkins. I just didn't think Smashing Pumpkins was a good enough band to be, like, someone's FAVORITE favorite band. That hot guy literally married the next girl he got with, and is now a lawyer, and they have a really nice house, and I'm dumb."

    Submitted by Greer Elizabeth (Facebook)

    2. Train

    taylorswift.com

    "I *hate* Train. The worst is that damn 'Hey Soul Sister' song. It's like they licensed it to any company that sold any product. For a while there was no escaping that song."

    Submitted by Angie Weaver (Facebook)

    3. One Direction

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    "Something about five boys singing about a single girl is a bit weird to me. I don't know, that might be just me. Sorry."

    Submitted by Serena Mallavarapu (Facebook)

    4. Lady Gaga

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    "I immediately judge and avoid anyone who refers to themselves as a 'little monster.'"

    Submitted by Jacob Von Bird (Facebook)

    5. Anyone "Yung"

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    "Any rapper with a pretentious stage name. Pitbull, French Montana (what kind of crap name is that), and any name with the word 'young' misspelled."

    Submitted by Shannon Hammell (Facebook)

    6. Creed

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    "I'll give almost anyone a chance, but not if they like Creed. I just feel there is a fundamental difference in my soul and the soul of someone who likes Creed."

    Submitted by Sunny Webb (Facebook)

    7. Ariana Grande

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    "The girl sings like her nose is plugged or something."

    Submitted by Lindsay Ann (Facebook)

    8. Coldplay

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    "Coldplay gives me mono. So hellllllll no for them."

    Submitted by Lauren Galvez (Facebook)

    9. The Shins

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    "I like them well enough, but people who say that their favorite band is The Shins tend not to be the most pleasant human beings."

    Submitted by Calvin Phillips (Facebook)

    10. Katy Perry

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    "Katy Perry because her voice makes me angrier than any other musician has ever made me. The second she starts “singing” I start snapping at everyone around me. I wish she would vanish."

    Submitted by ArthurFortune

    11. Taylor Swift

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    "IF YOU'RE OVER 25 SAYING TAYLOR SWIFT IS YOUR FAVORITE GET IT TOGETHER."

    Submitted by Alec Joseph (Facebook)

    12. Dave Matthews Band

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    "I can totally get Dave Matthews as a red flag, b/c if someone's fav band is Dave Matthews Band, then the most important thing in their life is probably Dave Matthews Band. And will always be."

    Submitted by Dayna Bryant (Facebook)

    "Absolute rubbish. Boring whitebread music for boring whitebread people."

    Submitted by Jason Bunch

    13. Mumford and Sons

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    "HUGE red flag. Means he digs 'bro' music that doesn’t require a lot of thought or complexity."

    Submitted by serenam45c3f2d9a

    14. Robin Thicke

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    "If you don't find any problems with his songs, I don't want to be alone with you."

    Submitted by Kristy Thomas (Facebook)

    15. Insane Clown Posse

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    "The fans I've met are consistently crazy."

    Submitted by Jesse del Prado (Facebook)

    "I'm not saying this is right, but some of the shit that ICP fans do is so out there, that some police forces have actually classified Juggalos as gangs."

    Submitted by Greg Rubenstein (Facebook)

    16. Radiohead

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    "So often, people who tell me Radiohead is their favorite are pompous wankers with an overinflated sense of their own intelligence."

    Submitted by Hannah Fried (Facebook)

    17. Any Christian rock

    jesus-is-savior.com

    "People who listen to music played only on Christian praise stations and have no knowledge of regular music whatever. As someone who goes to church, I've honestly tried to listen to some of those bands but they are usually a pale imitation of normal music, and so repetitive. You don't need to sing a stanza of a song 16 or 17 times."

    Submitted by The T-Shirt Fort (Facebook)

    18. Carly Rae Jepson

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    "Who sang that 'Call Me Maybe' song... Carly Rae Jepson. I'm not familiar with her other musical endeavors, but I'm just going to go ahead and call it based on that one song. I want to put sharp things in my ears to disable my hearing whenever I'm stuck listening to it. I have a nightmarish vision of the type of person who would think that was their jam."

    Submitted by Jennifer Barger (Facebook)

    19. Kiss

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    "Anyone whose favorite band is Kiss will nauseate you trying to convince you that they're still relevant. They also force-feed it down their kids' throat since birth."

    Submitted by Livends Horrorpunk (Facebook)

    20. Nirvana

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    "Not that I wasn't a massive fan, and still love them occasionally, but anyone who says their favourite band is still Nirvana nowadays is either still at school or otherwise just incredibly immature."

    Submitted by Aimee Joesbury (Facebook)

    21. Rush

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    "Sorry, we can never be friends. Rush has such a distinctive sound that just grates on my nerves. I know tons of people love them, and their skill level in terms of technique makes them virtuosos... But I just can't. Plus I've found that the majority of people who listen to them can be quite pretentious."

    Submitted by Jess Tulumello (Facebook)

    22. Captain Beefheart

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    "All jokes about Nickelback and ICP aside, I would literally inquire about someone's mental stability if they're favorite band is Captain Beefheart."

    Submitted by Patrick Massell (Facebook)

    23. Fall Out Boy

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    "Any adult who still purchases and genuinely enjoys any post-[From Under the] Cork Tree Fall Out Boy album."

    Submitted by Rainie Johnson Evans (Facebook)

    24. Barry Manilow

    Arista

    "Might sound a little odd...but I do get slightly concerned when someone says that their favourite is Barry Manilow..."

    Submitted by Katie Songbird Haywood

    25. "Everything"

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    "Whenever someone says, 'I listen to everything.' No you don't. You just listen to the radio and don't really care about music at all. Essentially, you listen to nothing."

    Submitted by Jj Demon (Facebook)

    An earlier version of this post included a .gif of Justin Timberlake for #14.