"Punching up" a group's name is nothing new - symphonic orchestras have been doing it at least since the early part of the Romantic Age. Before the listener hears the music, they hear of the group, and any "hook" that can grab attention is worth the minimal effort to attach it to the public face put on by the printed word.
Pop groups have to deal with this in spades. Ranging from my relatively tame effort for my main group (Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra), on through some of the more extreme names used in the "cool young culture" world (see below), all seek to communicate without resulting to recordings or YouTube videos, since the main means of communication, even in this "connected" world we live in today is through the print medium.
With our name, I aimed for a generic sounding solution that described what type of music we play, as well as our general location in the physical world. I also aimed for a decent looking logo, one that was evocative of the tradition of performance music for entertainment and social purposes. I've gotten a few comments about same, but mostly it passes below the radar.
Modern groups (i.e., no more than five or six musicians accompanying a group of vocalists, with mostly "electric" music) aim even further with their naming conventions. Something like Lady Gaga or Madonna is pretty self explanatory, but Three Dog Night or Chicago are a bit more abstract. Just what does "Three Dog Night" denote to the reader? Maybe others know, but I haven't a clue.
Of late, "really modern" groups seem to aim for a usage that involves one or two terms that are often completely unrelated, and are deliberately aimed at shocking the reader, the better to attract attention. The more unrelated the two terms, and the more shocking the ultimate meaning, the harder that the name grabs the reader's focus, which in turn may lead to a decision to attend a performance.
Many years ago, I came up with what I think is the ultimate modern group name. Short, snappy, vulgar, and yet following the "unrelated terms" rule, it fits the "young modern" mould to a "T". Yet, I have yet to encounter any such group willing to embrace it (although my wife's grandson, who was the lead singer of a grunge type group named Spitjack (think about it) up in Burlington VT, has indicated that he has it under consideration for his projected new group out on the West Coast).
In the interests of delicacy, I have not included it here. If I knew the secret as to how to encode the text so as to change its color to white/blue background (so as to make it visible only through highlighting), I would have taken that route. But, I'm not that on top of browser technology any longer.
Should you deem yourself capable of being unshockable, feel free to email me to get the full value. I guarantee that your initial reaction will be one of "interest", even if that quickly turns to offence. I apologize in advance for any who may be so offended.
In any event, "What's in a name?" can span quite a spectrum, from the barest minimum ("Band" or "Philharmonic") through locale to various adjectives all the way down to the unspeakable. The ultimate goal remains to engage someone not familiar with the group, and to draw them in through the gate.