Cyndi Lauper and the White Stripes Among 2025 Rock Hall of Fame Inductees

Please salute your new seven nation army. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled its inductees for the 2025 class, with Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes making the final cut. That’s exactly half of the artists on this year’s shortlist; apologies to fan-vote winners Phish for their loss. The Hall made sure to throw us some additional inductee curveballs, too. Joining the septet in backdoor categories are Warren Zevon (!!) and Salt-N-Pepa for the Musical Influence Award; Philadelphia soul pioneer Thom Bell, prolific session pianist Nicky Hopkins, and Wrecking Crew bassist Carol Kaye for the Musical Excellence Award; and Lenny Waronker for the non-performer Ahmet Ertegun Award. The ceremony will occur on Saturday, November 8 in Los Angeles. It will be live-streamed on Disney+ for immediate viewing and a condensed special will air later in the year on ABC.

The seven artists in the main performers category have used the Rock Hall campaigning period in different ways since the shortlist was revealed in February. While Bad Company, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden members, and 50 percent of OutKast have been outspoken about their desires to get the honor, the White Stripes and Chubby Checker haven’t acknowledged the organization or stated if they would indeed show up if inducted. (Cocker died in 2014, but his widow believes he would’ve been thrilled.) Zevon, who was previously nominated in 2023, has had a groundswell of posthumous support in recent years for inclusion. His induction remains the most unexpected one of 2025.

This year’s class further showcases the Rock Hall’s recent changes in how it defines the term “rock and roll.” In a recent conversation with Vulture, chairman John Sykes stressed that loosening the term was essential for the organization’s long-term success. “Rather than throwing the name out,” he explained. “it’s doing a better job of communicating to people where rock and roll came from and what it’s truly about.” Sykes also said the nominating committee is a “cross between an intellectual conversation and WWE,” which we envision as someone being body-slammed into the conference room lunch spread if they don’t agree about Jack White’s legacy.

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