Jack Wagner, Editor

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced 17 nominees for the prestigious honor of being inducted on Feb. 25, including both old and new names. 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was established in 1983 by Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records, to preserve and recognize important moments and artists that shaped music and the genre. The first class of inductees included musicians like Elvis Presley, James Brown, Fats Domino and Ray Charles as early influences who inspired many future generations of rock and roll.

In order to be eligible for nomination, an artist or band must have released their first commercial work at least 25 years prior to the year of their nomination. At the start of each year, the Nominating Committee, a group of roughly 40 people made up of industry professionals (journalists, academics, previous inductees), meet to decide which artists to nominate. The committee then sends out ballots to over 1,000 voters consisting of musicians, historians and music industry veterans. The top five to seven nominees become that year’s class and are officially inducted in a ceremony sometime in autumn.

This year, of the 17 nominees, 10 are appearing on the ballot for the first time. This includes bands spanning genres from hip hop to R&B. The first-time nominees are:

• Jeff Buckley
• Phil Collins
• Melissa Etheridge
• Lauryn Hill
• INXS
• New Edition
• P!nk
• Shakira
• Luther Vandross
• Wu-Tang Clan

The remaining seven nominees have all been nominated at least once, some as many as three times. The returning nominees include:

• Iron Maiden
• Billy Idol
• Oasis
• The Black Crowes
• Sade
• Joy Division + New Order
• Mariah Carey

While the official voting is all done by industry professionals, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame runs a fan vote on their website and social media to allow the public to put in their opinion on their five to seven top choices for induction. This year, at the time of this article, Phil Collins is in the lead, followed by New Edition, Luther Vandross, P!nk, Billy Idol, Sade and INXS. While fans may not have the final say, their opinions are taken into account by the voters and the committee when deciding who to nominate again next year.

Of course, the nomination list was not without snubs to fan-favorite and influential bands. The band Phish, who won the fan vote in 2025 but was not inducted, was not even nominated this year. Styx, a classic late 70s’ rock band with hits like “Come Sail Away” and “Babe” has garnered attention for being an influential act that has never been nominated for the honor. Alice in Chains was another snub, the Seattle-based band being the only remaining member of the big four grunge bands (the others being Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden) to not be inducted, never having even received a nomination.
Which nominees will get in and which will have to hope for better luck another year remains to be seen, but if you would like to share your opinion, you can vote here at vote.rockhall.com.