Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2025: Inductees, Performers & How To Watch

by

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is happening next week, and everyone is excited! After months of anticipation, the event will honor artists who truly changed music and pop culture by pushing boundaries and blending different styles. This year’s class, including Outkast, shows just how diverse and evolving the spirit of rock and roll can be. Here’s a guide to everything you need to know before the ceremony in Los Angeles.

When And Where To Watch

The 40th annual event will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. You can watch it live starting at 5 p.m. Pacific Time / 8 p.m. Eastern Time, and it will also be available to stream later. A special featuring highlights and exclusive performances will air on television on Thursday, January 1, 2026, and will be available to stream the next day, January 2. This is the second year the show will be streamed on Disney’s platforms, after a successful launch last year that reached a broader and younger audience.

This year’s ceremony is special because it’s back in Hollywood, a city that’s always been central to rock and pop music. The event will celebrate the past while also showcasing how the Rock Hall has changed and grown, with performances that blend different styles and artists.

The 2025 Inductees

This year’s inductees represent artists who’ve greatly influenced popular music from the 1960s through the 2000s. The performers selected – Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes – come from a wide range of genres, including rock, soul, pop, hip-hop, and alternative music.

This year’s inductees represent a great mix of musical styles. OutKast honors the history of Southern hip-hop, and Soundgarden and The White Stripes keep the spirit of gritty alternative rock alive. Cyndi Lauper’s long-awaited induction confirms her status as a truly groundbreaking pop artist, and Bad Company is finally recognized for shaping the sound of classic arena rock.

Alongside the main inductees, Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will receive the Musical Influence Award, while Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, and Carol Kaye will be honored with the Musical Excellence Award. Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which recognizes contributions from those not typically performers. This year’s honorees represent a wide range of musical styles, reflecting the Hall of Fame’s ongoing effort to define “rock and roll” more broadly, encompassing genres like R&B, hip-hop, and new wave.

Presenters & Performers

This year’s presenters are a huge group of well-known names! Confirmed stars include Elton John, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Questlove, Twenty One Pilots, Missy Elliott, Beck, Brandi Carlile, Iggy Pop, Flea, and David Letterman. Recently added to the list are Chappell Roan, The Killers, Jim Carrey, Janelle Monáe, Bryan Adams, Avril Lavigne, Donald Glover, En Vogue, Nancy Wilson, Joe Perry, Jerry Cantrell (of Soundgarden), Mike McCready (of Pearl Jam), plus exciting up-and-coming artists like Teddy Swims and RAYE.

The Hall of Fame ceremony is famous for its amazing musical collaborations, and next year’s event promises even more memorable moments. We can anticipate surprising pairings, like Doja Cat performing in the style of Cyndi Lauper, or Olivia Rodrigo rapping with Salt-N-Pepa. Twenty One Pilots has already announced they’ll cover The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” as a tribute. These kinds of performances, bringing together legendary artists and today’s rising stars, have become central to what makes the ceremony special – a unique meeting of musical generations and influences.

Why This Year Matters

Jen Maler/INFevents.com

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is actively redefining what “rock & roll” means. The class of 2025 is remarkably diverse, demonstrating that the spirit of rock isn’t limited to a specific sound or style—it’s a feeling that has resonated across all time periods and types of music. Including Outkast is a landmark moment for hip-hop’s recognition within the Hall, and honoring Carol Kaye and Thom Bell finally acknowledges the influential, yet often unseen, creators of popular modern pop and soul music.

Partnering with Disney+ is a smart decision for the Hall. To attract a wider audience, it needs to connect with people where they are, and this year it’s finally doing that. Bringing the show to a streaming service recognizes how people listen to music today – through playlists, suggestions, and sharing online. While preserving the history of rock music remains important, linking that history to modern music discovery and enjoyment will help secure the Hall’s future.

This year’s ceremony feels truly important, not just like another repeat event. For the first time, the Rock Hall is ahead of the curve, recognizing change as it happens instead of always trying to catch up. It’s finally acknowledging that challenging the status quo and constantly innovating are both core to rock’s history—that a music style born from breaking rules should always keep growing. The artists chosen for 2025 demonstrate that the future of rock & roll is here, and it’s more vibrant, diverse, and welcoming than ever before.

Read More

2025-11-01 20:30