The 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class has been revealed. It’s somehow managed to be both completely predictable and wildly chaotic at the same time.
Leading the charge into immortality this November are The White Stripes, OutKast, Soundgarden, and Cyndi Lauper, with Bad Company, Chubby Checker, and Joe Cocker also punching their tickets to the Hall. Add in Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon getting nods, and you’ve got a genuinely stacked lineup. Even if it reads a bit like someone pressed shuffle on a jukebox at a truck stop.
It wasn’t all champagne corks and glory, though. Oasis, Joy Division/New Order, Mariah Carey, Phish, and Billy Idol were all left standing at the altar again. In particular, it’s a second straight snub for both Oasis and Joy Division/New Order, which, given Liam Gallagher’s subtle diplomacy on the matter (“Fuck the Rock n Roll hall of fame its full of BUMBACLARTS”), probably isn’t going to keep him up at night.
The 2025 ceremony will be streamed live on Disney+ for anyone who wants to watch rock legends awkwardly network with Disney executives in real-time.
For context: The White Stripes making the list feels like a no-brainer. OutKast’s induction is well overdue. Soundgarden finally getting their flowers also feels right after years of hand-wringing. And Cyndi Lauper? Absolutely.
Meanwhile, Mariah Carey who was overlooked again remains philosophical. After her 2024 snub, she joked that her own lawyer got inducted before she did, which is either very rock and roll or the plot of a bad sitcom.
For all the controversy (and there’s always controversy), this year’s class actually makes a weird kind of sense: genre-benders, outsiders, and pure arena-filling rock staples. Basically, the messy, glorious soup that keeps rock music alive. The ceremony will take place on November 8.
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