2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Gen X celebrated its heroes at the ceremony, where Soundgarden, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper, The White Stripes and Salt-N-Pepa were honored alongside Chubby Checker, Bad Company, Joe Cocker and Warren Zevon.

Returning to the City of Angels for the first time since 2022, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ushered in a new class of inductees during its 40th annual induction ceremony on November 8, 2025.

The Rock Hall honored Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes in the performer category, Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon for musical influence; Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye for musical excellence, and Lenny Waronker with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Sly Stone

The evening got off to an electrifying start with a salute not to a current inductee but to 1993 honoree Sly Stone, who died in June. Launching with the undeniable bass-heavy thump of 1967’s “Dance to the Music” courtesy of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and Stevie Wonder on vocals, the band, which also included Beck, Questlove and Leon Thomas III, then flowed into “Everyday People” with Maxwell, who also sang “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” before Jennifer Hudson came out for “Higher,” hitting ear-shattering high notes. It set the bar almost impossibly high for any performance coming afterwards.

Brian Wilson

Sly Stone wasn’t the only past honoree given his own segment: Elton John took to the stage for a tender tribute to Brian Wilson, who was inducted in 1988 with his band, The Beach Boys, and who died in June two days after Stone. He recalled meeting Wilson in 1970 when he and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin went to his house. “We were scared s—tless,” John said. “He was my idol. He influenced me more than anyone else when it came to writing songs on the piano. Throughout my career and my life, we became friends, we sang on each other’s records, we loved each other, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather pay tribute to.” Backed by Benmont Tench and Don Was, John then played a delicate, languid version of Wilson’s finest tune, Pet Sounds’ “God Only Knows.”

Warren Zevon

The presence of the artists inducted posthumously loomed large throughout the night, as David Letterman gave a moving tribute to his friend Warren Zevon and brought with him the blue electric guitar that Zevon gave to him 22 years ago after Zevon’s last appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman. Zevon, who knew he was dying of lung cancer, told Letterman, “Take care of this for me,” Letterman recounted, before adding, “By god, tonight, it’s going back to work.” And sure enough it did, with The Killers’ Dave Keuning playing it on a solid version of “Lawyers, Guns and Money.”

The White Stripes

The White Stripes were inducted by Iggy Pop, with Jack White accepting the honor on behalf of the duo. Meg White was not present, having left the music industry and public eye after the band’s 2011 breakup.

White also used the moment to thank a long list of artists who inspired the White Stripes, none of whom are currently included in the Rock Hall: The Gories, the Gun Club, Loretta Lynn, Fugazi, the Misfits, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Love and Arthur Lee, the Flat Duo, Jets and Dexter Romweber, the Hentchmen, Dick Dale, Beck, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Tampa Red, the Sonics, Pavement, the Strokes, Black Flag, Sleater-Kinney, Death, Jethro Tull, the Creation, the Breeders, the Cramps, Merle Haggard, the Hives, Them, the Damned, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Troggs, Minor Threat, the Rats, and Captain Beefheart.

Jack White did not participate in the group’s tribute performance. Olivia Rodrigo and Feist performed the duo’s song, “We’re Going to Be Friends.” Meanwhile, rock duo Twenty One Pilots covered the group’s iconic track, “Seven Nation Army.”

Outkast

Outkast’s Big Boi and Andre 3000 shared the stage for their acceptance speech, but, unfortunately, no musical reunion was forthcoming as only Big Boi participated in the musical tribute. But it was gloriously high-octane, nonetheless. Backed by a 13-piece band including a vibrant horn section, Big Boi and guests raised the roof as they ran through a medley of Outkast’s greatest hits, starting with “ATLiens,” where Big Boi was joined by J.I.D.

A graceful Doja Cat joined for “Ms. Jackson” before Tyler, The Creator bounced around the stage delivering a ferocious “Bombs Over Baghdad.” Janelle Monáe turned the segment into a full-on dance party with “Hey Ya!,” accompanying herself on an acoustic guitar, before Sleepy Brown joined for a group sing-along for “The Way You Move” that had the crowd on its feet.

Cyndi Lauper

In perhaps the most fitting pairing of the night, Chappell Roan inducted Cyndi Lauper into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, taking the stage in an extravagant outfit fitting for a Lauper tribute. The “Pink Pony Club” singer got some of the biggest laughs of the night when she admitted she wasn’t wearing contacts and clearly couldn’t see the Teleprompter well.

Roan didn’t participate in the musical tribute; however, Lauper came out to perform her hit, “True Colors,” which became an anthem in the LGBTQ community — the inductee even displayed an inclusive pride flag, stopping the song to highlight the message. Lauper was later joined by British singer RAYE to sing her classic, “Time After Time,” and pop-rocker Avril Lavigne and fellow inductee Salt-N-Pepa for “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

Soundgarden

Soundgarden were officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with actor-comedian Jim Carrey leading the tribute in a heartfelt, deeply personal speech that recalled his first experience seeing the grunge pioneers perform live.

The surviving members of Soundgarden — Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto — were present for the induction. Yamamoto, who reunited with the band for the occasion, referenced his family’s internment during World War II: “That affected my life greatly,” he said. “And it really echoes strongly today. Let’s not add another story like this to our history.”

The members of Soundgarden were then joined by The Pretty Reckless’s Taylor Momsen, who has performed with the band a number of times over the last six or so years, for a howling, bone-rattling version of “Rusty Cage,” before Brandi Carlile joined for a driving take on their signature hit, “Black Hole Sun.” Like Momsen, Carlile has played with the band several times, including at a Cornell tribute concert in 2019. The ceremony concluded with Chris Cornell’s younger daughter, Toni, performing “Fell on Black Days” alongside Nancy Wilson of Heart.

Bad Company

Bad Company were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood. After Fleetwood sang the praises of the band during his speech, founding Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke was joined onstage by the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry for a performance of “Feel Like Makin’ Love” that started out with a little technical glitch.

Bryan Adams then took over the mic for “Can’t Get Enough,” and while Robinson and Adams both gave it their all, it’s hard to match the powerhouse vocals of legendary Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers.

Salt-N-Pepa

Salt-N-Pepa threw on the multicolored leather jackets from their "Push It" video and brought the crowd at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony to its feet with a romping rendition of their 1987 breakthrough hit.

"This is for every woman who picked up a mic when they told her she couldn't," Cheryl "Salt" James said while accepting the musical influence award that made her, Sandra "Pepa" Denton and DJ Spinderella members of the hall. Spinderella became the first female DJ to enter the hall.

They took the stage for a medley of their hits. They opened with "Shoop" then slid into "Let's Talk About Sex" before En Vogue joined them for their joint hit "What a Man." "Push It" pushed the energy up another notch.

Joe Cocker

Even though Joe Cocker was obviously not in attendance, there was never really any doubt that the evening would conclude with his induction if, for no other reason than to be able to close the night with “With a Little Help from My Friends,” the Beatles’ tune he famously reinvented in 1969. Before the finale though, the Tedeschi Trucks Band were joined by Nathaniel Rateliff and Teddy Swims for rollicking, burly versions of “The Letter” and “Feelin’ Alright.”

Then, Cyndi Lauper, Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson and Bryan Adams (the latter two had taken part in the Bad Company tribute earlier in the evening), returned for the finale, which closed the evening on just the right note.

See more photos from the event on our Facebook page: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2025

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