The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled its 2026 inductees, a class that leans heavily on legacy while opening the door, cautiously, to new arrivals. Among those set to be honoured this November are Oasis, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Queen Latifah, Sade and the dual legacy of Joy Division / New Order.
The list also includes first-time nominees Wu-Tang Clan and the late Luther Vandross, marking a shift toward broader recognition across genres that have long existed just outside the Hall’s traditional centre of gravity.
For Phil Collins, the induction arrives as both recognition and repetition. Already enshrined as a member of Genesis, his solo work now receives its own acknowledgement — a reminder of just how far his catalogue extends beyond the band that first carried him into the mainstream.
As always, the process reflects a mixture of consensus and omission. More than 1,200 artists, historians and industry figures cast votes to determine the final list, working within the Hall’s long-standing rule that artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to induction. It’s a system that tends to reward longevity over immediacy, consolidation over disruption.
The omissions, however, are just as telling. For Australian audiences, the absence of INXS stings, their influence somehow falling short of formal recognition. Elsewhere, names like Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, New Edition and Shakira are left on the outside, reinforcing the sense that the Hall’s definition of “rock and roll” remains both expansive and selective in equal measure.
The induction ceremony will take place on November 14 at the Peacock Theater, where this year’s class will formally enter the canon.
