Who Were the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees?

On November 8th, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted a new batch of honorees. The induction ceremony, as usual, featured renowned names, poignant moments, and captivating performances from both inductees and guest artists. 

With such an elaborate ceremony, people are bound to miss some of the inductees or people who showed up. Here’s a round-up of every inductee, their influence, and the people who were there to see them receive one of music’s highest honors. 

Bad Company

Bad Company was a supergroup formed in England in 1973. The band was made up of vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke of Free (of “All Right Now” fame), guitarist Mick Ralphs (former guitarist in Mott the Hoople, glam rock band behind “All the Young Dudes”), and bassist Boz Burrell (previously of progressive rock legends King Crimson). 

Through hits like “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” as well as albums such as 1974’s Bad Company and 1975’s Straight Shooter, Bad Company became a staple amongst classic rock listeners. 

The group also fits a mold that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tends to love. Radio-ready classic rock bands from the 70s are the Hall’s bread-and-butter. Just like previous inductees such as Foreigner and The Doobie Brothers, Bad Company’s influence has been put into question. However, their commercial success is undeniable. 

They were inducted by Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood, and Simone Kirke was joined by Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, and Canadian hitmaker Bryan Adams for performances of “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Can’t Get Enough.” 

Carol Kaye

Inducted under the Musical Excellence category (a category that seems to be used progressively more loosely with each passing year), Carol Kaye is one of the most heavily recorded bassists in history. 

Often associated with the Los Angeles-based session recording group The Wrecking Crew, Kaye has played on numerous iconic songs. Beloved tracks with her bass on them include The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” and Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.” Unlike the primary Performers category inductees, she did not have a presenter induct her. 

Chubby Checker

Who would’ve thought that a man behind an innocent dance song would be so controversial? For the uninitiated, Chubby Checker is nothing more than the man behind “The Twist.” For those unnaturally obsessed with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Chubby Checker has been one of the most bizarre yet inevitable inductions in the Hall of Fame’s history. 

Even though he’s been eligible since the Hall’s beginning in 1986, Checker was not nominated until this year. However, he has been campaigning for his induction for decades. In 2001 and 2002, he published two separate letters in Billboard, attempting to make the case for his induction. 

Taking a more extreme step, Checker protested outside the Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland to promote his induction and to fight against the lack of radio airplay for “The Twist.” No one joined him. 

Despite such a long wait for a nomination and induction, Checker did not show up to the ceremony. He merely received a brief video package that was almost entirely made up of Checker listing his accomplishments with little to no input from anyone else. 

Checker also received no presenter to induct him (a first since Dire Straits’ induction in 2018). 

Cyndi Lauper

In the 1980s, few women were more prominent in pop music than Cyndi Lauper. While she wasn’t a musical chameleon in the way that Madonna was, 1983’s She’s So Unusual was a smash success. Songs like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” created a superstar. 

In the decades since, Lauper has become somewhat of an icon for women in music. As someone whose biggest hits are about female empowerment, her impact on almost every woman in pop since her debut is worth taking note of. 

Lauper performed “Time After Time,” “True Colors,” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” alongside several noted women from several generations of artists. This included Avril Lavigne, The Go-Go’s Gina Schock, and RAYE. She was inducted by modern pop icon Chappell Roan.

Joe Cocker

A name perhaps only familiar to those tapped in with their inner hippie flower child, Joe Cocker was a true interpreter of songs. 

Cocker’s most iconic tracks are predominantly covers. His versions of The Box Tops’ “The Letter,” The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” and Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright?” are often cited as the defining songs of his career.

Joe Cocker’s performance at the legendary Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 is arguably the most well-discussed moment of his career. His iconic gruff voice made him one of the most easily recognizable performers at what is often considered to be the most noteworthy music festival in American history. 

Since Cocker passed away in 2014, a tribute was given by the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Teddy Swims as they performed “The Letter” and “Feelin’ Alright?”. They were joined by Chris Robinson and Cyndi Lauper for a rendition of “With a Little Help From My Friends.” Cocker was inducted by Canadian stadium rock star Bryan Adams. 

Lenny Waronker

The only inductee placed in the Non-Performer category this year, Lenny Waronker is best known as a label president and A&R man for DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Records. 

Working with other music industry legends like Mo Ostin, Waronker played an integral role in pushing the careers of artists like Prince, R.E.M., and Randy Newman forward. 

Nicky Hopkins

Another inductee in the Musical Excellence category, Nicky Hopkins is the embodiment of the phrase “heard but not seen.” 

One of the most recorded rock pianists of all time, Hopkins is perhaps best known as an honorary member of The Rolling Stones. While he was not an official member of the group (and thus was not inducted with them when the Stones received the same honor in 1989), he played piano on iconic songs such as “Sympathy for the Devil” and occasionally toured with them. 

Hopkins can be found on records from other Hall of Famers, including The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and The Kinks.

Outkast

Arguably the most commercially successful act inducted this year, Outkast is one of the most famous duos in the history of rap. 

André 3000 and Big Boi’s debut as Outkast, 1994’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, made a commercial splash that immediately shot them into popularity. In turn, they helped put the southern United States on the map for rap fans. After an extensive period of the East Coast and West Coast battling it out for commercial dominance of the then-recently mainstream genre, Outkast broke regional barriers. This quickly paved the way for Southern rappers like Lil Wayne, Ludacris, and Three 6 Mafia. 

Outkast soon became major hitmakers. Songs like 2000’s “Ms. Jackson” and 2003’s “Hey Ya!” ended up finding critical acclaim and massive cultural staying power alike. 

Outkast had one of the most expansive performances of the ceremony. While André chose to stay out of the limelight and not perform (an unsurprising choice considering his spiritual jazz experimentations of recent years), Big Boi was joined by several guests. This includes the likes of J.I.D., Killer Mike, Tyler the Creator, and Sleepy Brown. They performed several Outkast classics, including “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad),” “The Way You Move,” and “ATLiens.” They were inducted by Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino. 

Salt-N-Pepa

Inducted as Early Influences (a category that has been thrown around wildly in recent years to give a backdoor induction to anyone from southern folk-blues artists who were born in the 19th century to 20th-century German electronic music pioneers), Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton were among the first commercially successful female rappers. 

Salt-N-Pepa’s innovations primarily came in how they expressed themselves. They were among the first women in rap to write songs about sexuality and self-empowerment while reaching mainstream success. 

The duo’s biggest claims to fame include “Push It,” “Shoop,” and the En Vogue collaboration “Whatta Man.” Inducted alongside the duo is their longtime beatmaker, DJ Spinderella.  

Salt-N-Pepa performed “Shoop,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Whatta Man,” and “Push It.” The duo was inducted by fellow Hall of Fame inductee Missy Elliott. 

Soundgarden

Soundgarden are grunge pioneers and legends behind songs such as “Black Hole Sun” and “The Day I Tried to Live.” They have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2013.  

While bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam (inducted in 2014 and 2017, respectively) popularized grunge and made the gloomy genre the definitive sound of the early 90s in the United States, Soundgarden predates them by several years. The Chris Cornell-led band set the stage for the grunge boom of the decade and created some of the genre’s most iconic songs in the process. 

In lieu of Chris Cornell (who passed away in 2017), The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen took over vocal duties. Momsen joined the band for “Rusty Cage” and “Black Hole Sun,” alongside Brandi Carlile, Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. Cornell’s daughter, Toni Cornell, ended their induction with a haunting rendition of “Fell on Black Days” alongside Heart’s Nancy Wilson. The group was (somewhat strangely) inducted by comedian Jim Carrey. 

Thom Bell

The final of the three Musical Excellence inductees, Thom Bell played an integral role in defining 1970s R&B. As a songwriter and producer, Bell worked with numerous acts that would go on to become legendary. This includes The Delfonics and Hall of Fame inductees The Spinners. 

Thom Bell passed away in 2022, but his induction is seen as unsurprising by some. With many of his associates being recognized by the Hall, it isn’t shocking to see Bell finally honored. 

Warren Zevon

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame loves its singer-songwriters, and that is no secret. As such, it feels somewhat surprising that it took so long for Warren Zevon, the cult-favorite songwriter behind “Werewolves of London,” to finally be inducted. 

Zevon was originally nominated as a performer in 2023 but failed to make the cut that year. Rather than returning to the ballot, he was inducted this year as an Early Influence. Considering Zevon was predominantly active in the 70s and 80s, this has only deepened the confusion of what purpose the Early Influence category serves besides being able to slip in a few more notable names without clogging up the ballot. 

Nonetheless, Zevon was given a reasonably sized segment of the ceremony to himself. He was inducted by late-night television host and friend David Letterman. Zevon, who passed away in 2003, was honored by The Killers via a performance of “Lawyers, Guns and Money.” 

The White Stripes

Finally, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted beloved duo The White Stripes. Jack and Meg White helmed garage rock into the 21st century. The White Stripes remain one of the most commercially successful rock acts of the century thus far. Songs like “Fell in Love with a Girl” and the eternal sports anthem “Seven Nation Army” have ensured their place in the genre’s history. 

The ever-elusive Meg White was unsurprisingly absent from the ceremony. However, Jack White was on hand to deliver a speech, although he chose not to perform. Olivia Rodrigo and Feist performed a cover of “We’re Going to Be Friends.” Meanwhile, Twenty One Pilots delivered a rendition of “Seven Nation Army.”

What’s next for the Hall?

It’s nearly impossible to tell what will come next for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Every year is filled with surprise nominees, ceremony controversies, and hundreds of people complaining about their favorite bands not being nominated. 

Whether Bryan Adams or the Butthole Surfers are on next year’s list of nominees, one thing can be said for certain: this year’s honorees are in there for good, and nothing can take that honor away from them.