Pop
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reveals 2026 nominees, including Oasis, Mariah Carey and Wu‑Tang Clan
Pink, The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, INXS, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, New Edition, Sade, Luther Vandross, and many more have been nominated.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has confirmed its nominees for the Class of 2026, with Oasis, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Shakira and Lauryn Hill among the artists in contention.
This year’s ballot spans genres and generations, featuring Pink, The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, INXS, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, New Edition, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu‑Tang Clan.
Inductees will be announced in April, alongside the recipients of the Musical Influence, Musical Excellence and Ahmet Ertegun awards.
Rock Hall chairman John Sykes said the 2026 line‑up reflects the shifting landscape of the genre, noting that the nominees “recognise the ever‑evolving faces and sounds of rock and roll and its continued impact on youth culture.” He added that induction remains “music’s highest honour,” with celebrations planned for the autumn.
Eligibility requires an artist’s first commercial release to be at least 25 years old, meaning all acts on the ballot debuted in 2001 or earlier.
Collins, already honoured as a member of Genesis, appears as a solo nominee for the first time.
First‑time nominees include Buckley, Etheridge, Hill, INXS, New Edition, Pink, Shakira, Vandross and Wu‑Tang Clan. Carey returns after two consecutive years on the ballot, while Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order and Oasis each receive their third nominations. The Black Crowes, Billy Idol and Sade are all back for a second attempt.
Oasis’ inclusion arrives despite Liam Gallagher’s long‑running disdain for the Hall. After last year’s nomination, he dismissed the institution on X with a string of insults, though he later admitted he would still attend if the band were inducted, joking he’d call it “the best thing ever.”
Liam has criticised the Hall before, telling The Sunday Times in 2024 that he didn’t want to be involved with “anything that mentally disturbed,” adding that he’d “done more for rock n’ roll than half of them clowns on that board.”
Noel Gallagher has been equally blunt, recalling in a 2017 Rolling Stone interview that he shut down a Hall representative mid‑pitch, later quipping that if anyone deserved a place, it was him — ideally in the form of a “tiny little thing with a wobbly head.”
Last year’s inductees included Cyndi Lauper, Bad Company, The White Stripes and Soundgarden.
