What does REM stand for in the band named REM?

RAPID EYE MOVEMENT; (REM) in psychology the periodic rapid jerky movement of the eyeballs under closed eyelids during sleep, usually a sign associated with REM dream sleep.

The band REM chose this monikor themselves.

They decided upon the name REM after randomly flipping through the dictionary. Their origially were named the Twisted Kites.

Rapid Eye Movement

THAT WOULD BE RAPID EYE MOVEMENT

rapid ear movement

Rapid eye movement.

Rhythmic Emotional Men

Rectum emitting motorcycle.


No, actually it's rapid eye movement.

1) "After considering names like "Twisted Kites", "Cans of Piss", and "Negro Wives", the band settled on "R.E.M.", which Stipe selected at random from a dictionary."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.


2) REM or R.E.M. stays for Rapid Eeye Movement
"Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_eye_movement_sleep


3) "They had to have a name and the legend goes, I’m not exactly sure how true this is, but I’m told that they locked themselves in a room with some refreshments and a dictionary. And they agreed they weren’t gonna come out until they picked the name they were gonna go with. And evidently I believe it was Michael’s finger went on REM and they decided that would be a good name.

Now I’m told by another band member that it wasn’t necessarily the first one they pointed at in the dictionary. If they were gonna play a show and have a concert, they had to have a name. And so they ended up getting the name REM. They considered various other ones, but they decided on REM because it didn’t pigeon hole them any particular way. This was a time when there was all this new wave. There was punk. There was southern music. There were all kinds of genres of music. And some names you would just know that band was a certain kind of band. REM seemed a little more vague to them and they figured it would probably let them be whoever they wanted to be. It was almost irrelevant to the music they wanted to make."
Source and further information:
http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/rem

The band chose the name at random from a dictionary. I can't think of any other R.E.M. in the dictionary except for rapid eye movement, so logically there is a good chance that this is indirectly what the name stands for. I guess.