The haircut gained much of its popularity because it was worn by many of Rock and Roll's biggest stars. At the time, many parents had negative views towards the music and its performers. Young men, eager to rebel, delighted in slicking their hair back with Brylcreem and a wide-tooth comb

The popularity of the haircut was accented by the fact that several versions of it were spun off in the United States and Great Britain, but faded with the coming of the British invasion of the United States in the early 1960s.