I may not have chosen the right term, but what I am trying to define is loosely defined. To illustrate what I am saying, here are two examples. Notice in both photos there is a flower at the bottom. The first flower is very traditional american. two colors, red green, standard outline. In the next photo has a stylized twist, lots of color, bolder outline, but still maintains the shape and form of the original american classic flower.
Now one may say " oh thats just the difference between a good and bad tattoo. But this is only to people like us who are constantly observing tattoo form/ style/ etc. So ultimately how would one define the style in the second photo, which is what I meant by "american modern?"