Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes will all be inducted into the the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2025. Rounding out the slate of this year’s performer inductees are Bad Company, Chubby Checker, and Joe Cocker. The announcement aired on live TV during American Idol, where host Ryan Seacrest revealed the inductees during a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-themed episode.
Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are the recipients of this year’s Musical Influence Award, which celebrates artists whose music directly had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll or inspired some of the genre’s leading artists. Meanwhile, the Musical Excellence Award will go to legendary Philly Soul producer Thom Bell; session musician Carole Kaye, whose contributions include the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” and Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”; and studio keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, known for his work with the Rolling Stones, the Who, and other British Invasion acts. DreamWorks Records co-founder Lenny Waronker, who famously coaxed Elliott Smith into signing a major label deal, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on November 8 via Disney+, and be available to stream on Hulu the next day. It’s also set to re-air on ABC at a later date.
Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Bad Company, and Outkast have all made the Rock Hall on their first nominations. Cyndi Lauper, Soungarden, and White Stripes were all nominated in 2023—with Soundgarden also eligible for induction in 2020—but were ultimately passed over among the 2024 nominations.
There’s quite a few artists who were nominated for 2025 induction but did not make the final cut: Oasis, Mariah Carey, Joy Division/New Order, Phish, Billy Idol, the Black Crowes, and Maná. By comparison, the Rock Hall class of 2024 is comprised of Cher, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, Kool & the Gang, Peter Frampton, and Foreigner, making for one more performer inductee than this year.
