This year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, unveiled live on American Idol, span seven decades and a kaleidoscope of styles—from punky pop provocateurs to raucous grunge gods. Set your calendars for November 8 in Los Angeles, when Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes will take their rightful place among rock’s immortals.
Performer Inductees
Bad Company: Kings of arena-ready hard rock, they defined the swaggering ’70s with hits like “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” Chubby Checker: The Twist pioneer whose dance craze reshaped pop culture—twisting into the Hall at long last. Joe Cocker: The gravel-voiced soulman who turned covers into unforgettable anthems, honored posthumously for a lifetime of passion. Cyndi Lauper: From “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to soulful ballads, her boundary-breaking pop anthems remain relentlessly fresh. Outkast: André 3000 and Big Boi trailblazed Southern rap, and their hall-crossing albums still feel revolutionary. Soundgarden: Seattle’s dark, heavy grunge architects, whose riffs still send shivers down your spine. The White Stripes: Jack and Meg White showed how two people and a guitar can blow the roof off the world—Detroit’s rawest export.
Special Awards
Musical Influence: Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon, honored for their seismic impact on hip-hop and rock songwriting, respectively. Musical Excellence: Legendary session pros Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, and Carol Kaye, whose behind-the-scenes artistry shaped countless hits. Ahmet Ertegun Award: Industry titan Lenny Waronker, celebrated for steering artists to creative heights.
From Cyndi Lauper’s fearless reinventions to Outkast’s sonic alchemy, the 2025 class proves that “rock & roll” isn’t a genre so much as a spirit—one of reinvention, resistance, and raw joy. Whether you fell in love with The Twist, moshed in Pioneer Works, or spun Jagged Little Pill, this lineup honors the soundtrack of our lives. Tune in November 8 on Disney+ (and later on ABC and Hulu) to relive rock history in the making.