There was, unfortunately for them, already a band named Blink. An Irish outfit formed in Dublin in 1991, this band’s name is said to derive (per Let’s Sing It) from Barry Campbell, who played the drums for Blink, and his adoration of the Cocteau Twins’ “Iceblink Luck.” Neither group seemed to be aware of the other’s existence at first, and Cargo Music Inc. dropped DeLonge’s Blink’s debut album, Cheshire Cat, in 1995.

This record finally attracted the wrath of the Blink that was totally there first. Alerted to the danger of potential legal action, Cargo Music contacted DeLonge and Co. and insisted that they change their name. They weren’t quick about it, as Hoppus told Amy Schumer on Hoppus On Music (via Radio X): “…It finally got to the point where they said, ‘If you don’t change the name of your band on this phone call we’re gonna choose one for you.'”

Casting around desperately, they decided on Blink… 182. The number didn’t have any significance, Hoppus went on, with the mischievous group assigning a new meaning to it whenever the subject was broached: 182 has been everything from his ideal weight to the number of times Al Pacino said “f***” in Scarface.

Quite apart from the meaning of the name, its very pronunciation remains a bone of contention. On November 19, 2018, Tom DeLonge wrote on Twitter, “It’s actually- Blink eighteen-two. People have all gotten this wrong for years. Sometimes this can happen with very complex, thoughtful and elevated art.”