Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees for 2026 Revealed (And Some Choices Are Divisive)

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for its 2026 class of inductees, with Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, and Shakira all making the list.

The iconic Rock Hall, which celebrates notable musicians across genres, announced its list of 17 nominees on Wednesday, which also includes INXS, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, New Edition, Sade, Wu-Tang Clan, The Black Crowes, Oasis, Joy Division/New Order and Billy Idol.

Mariah Carey, The Black Crowes, Oasis, Billy Idol and Joy Division/New Order were also nominated last year, but did not receive spots in the 2025 inductee class. Ten of the artists nominated this year are first-time nominees: Buckley, Collins, Etheridge, Hill, INXS, New Edition, Pink, Shakira, Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.

“This diverse list of talented nominees recognizes the ever-evolving faces and sounds of Rock & Roll and its continued impact on youth culture,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a statement on Wednesday.

Despite the Hall of Fame’s concentration on “diverse” musical talent across genres, the list of nominees still garnered backlash on social media, with one person quipping on X (formerly Twitter), “If Mariah Carey gets in to the rock n roll hall of fame over oasis It will be the start of my villain origin.”

Another wrote, “Parents, give your kids guitars, because Rock has been in trouble,” as a third suggested, “This is why the R&R Hall of fame should be named the Musical Performers Hall of Fame.”

To be eligible for nomination, artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to their induction. Nominees will be voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals before the 2026 inductees are announced in April.

There will also be inductees entering the hall under three special committee categories — musical influence, musical excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award.

Last year’s inductees were Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Soundgarden, Joe Cocker, Salt-N-Pepa, The White Stripes, Carol Kaye, Nicky Hopkins, Lenny Waronker, Thom Bell and Warren Zevon.