The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations for the class of 2025 have been announced, and 14 artists have received the honor.
This year’s nominees include 90s Britpop legends Oasis, R&B star Mariah Carey, arena rock band Bad Company, alt-rockers The White Stripes, post-punkers Joy Division/New Order, southern rockers The Black Crowes, 80s pop sensation Cyndi Lauper, old-timer Chubby Checker, new wave star Billy Idol, grunge icons Soundgarden, and Joe Cocker. Other nominated acts include the Latin band Maná, hip-hop pioneers Outkast, and jam band Phish.
Experts agree that Chubby Checker is the most surprising nomination, as he was not inducted alongside other rockers from the 50s and 60s earlier, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had seemingly moved on from nominating acts from those decades in recent times.
Artists can be nominated for the Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. Chubby Checker released his first commercial recording, “The Class”, in 1959. His most famous single is his 1960 cover of Hank Ballard’s “The Twist”.
Maná is the first Spanish-language Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee
Despite being one of the most successful Mexican acts of all time, experts agree that Maná’s inclusion is surprising given they are the first Spanish-language artist nominated to the Rock Hall.
This year’s list has also been criticized for the lack of women included. The only solo female artists in the 2025 class are Cyndi Lauper and Mariah Carey, who had previously been nominated and passed over in 2023 and 2024. The other two female nominees are Gillian Gilbert from the new wave band New Order and Meg White from the White Stripes.
Congratulations to the #RockHall2025 Nominees! Cast your ballot in the Fan Vote, sponsored by @AlliantCU: https://t.co/keewGnGnnD 🎉 pic.twitter.com/Z7JUwdHz3l
— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) February 12, 2025
Despite this, critics have agreed that this year’s lineup includes the most rock acts in years. Only two nominees, Outkast, and Mariah Carey, represent Hip-Hop and R&B, respectively. This suggests that the Hall has listened to fans and critics who claimed they were not nominating enough rock bands and solo artists.
Oasis also nominated
90s Britpop band Oasis has been nominated for a second consecutive year. This comes fairly recently after the Gallagher brothers announced a new reunion tour that will kick off this summer in the British Isles and Ireland.
These are the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 2025.
Thoughts? 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/VatCjyH3NB
— 🎸 Rock History 🎸 (@historyrock_) February 12, 2025
Soundgarden, another 90s rock icon, was also nominated. Besides Oasis, another band from Manchester, Joy Division/New Order, also received one.
Some notable snubs from this year’s nominees include the legendary Heavy Metal bands Iron Maiden and Motörhead, Irish rockers Thin Lizzy, and English post-punk band The Smiths.