“Cleveland – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” by glokbell is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame officially unveiled its 2025 inductees last night, culling its initial ballot of 14 candidates down to just seven acts. These honored performers are joined by six more musicians and music professionals named by the hall’s board of directors for the Musical Influence, Musical Excellence and Ahmet Ertegun Awards. The institution’s class of 2025 reflects its widening range of consideration, featuring artists that diverge dramatically in their origins and styles.

The seven entrants into the Performer category, which enshrines acts of outstanding “originality, impact, and influence,” are Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, The White Stripes and Chubby Checker, this year’s oldest inductee who popularized “The Twist” and famously protested the Hall of Fame in 2002 for his lack of recognition. To be eligible for induction into the storied institution, performers must have released their first recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Lauper, Soundgarden and The White Stripes have been nominated for the award before, while Cocker, Checker, Bad Company and Outkast were first-time nominees.

The other 2025 recognized artists in the Rock Hall’s new arrivals are Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon with the Musical Influence Award, which focuses on the cultural impact of artists, and Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye with the Musical Excellence Award, which enshrines artists, musicians, songwriters and producers alike for the groundbreaking originality of their work. This year’s recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which recognizes non-performers who have had a significant impact on the music industry. Former Warner Bros. Records and DreamWorks Records President Lenny Waronker earned the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which recognizes non-performers who have had a significant impact on the music industry.

The seven acts that were under consideration for this year’s performer category and did not make the final cut are The Black Crowes, Maná, Billy Idol, Mariah Carey, Oasis, Joy Division/New Order and Phish, who won the fan vote with 330,000 votes. That total was more than the bottom four acts–the White Stripes, OutKast, Oasis and Maná–combined, and just shy of 50,000 more than the second biggest turnout of Bad Company, who raked in 281,000 nods. While the fan ballot by no means guarantees entry (and, in fact, adds only one vote alongside roughly 1,200 in the official voting body), this marks only the second time that the artist most demanded by fans failed to secure a seat in the Hall of Fame. Notoritously, the prior exception was Dave Matthews Band, who raked in more than 1 million votes in 2020 only to go without even a nomination for three years–though in 2024, they finally got their due.

“Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Nov. 8. Learn more about the event and inductees at rockhall.com.