The 2026 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 2026 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Rob Sheffield (Music Journalist, Rolling Stone contributor)
Date: March 3, 2026
Episode Focus: Dissecting and debating this year’s nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, exploring what goes into the selection process, and what these choices say about the evolving meaning of “rock and roll.”

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the freshly announced 2026 class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees. Host Alison Stewart speaks with Rob Sheffield, a longtime Rolling Stone music journalist and Rock Hall voter, to break down the list, examine the nominating and voting process, assess notable absentees, and debate what genres and voices the Hall is finally including—or still missing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Does the Rock Hall Nomination Process Work?

• The Hall’s process has two layers: a secretive nominating committee and a much larger voting body (~1,200 members).

• The eligibility rule: an artist’s first commercial release must have been at least 25 years ago (i.e., 2000 for this cycle).

• The secrecy and subjectivity of the selection process is a perennial controversy.

  "It's a very secretive committee ... under cover of total secrecy. Nobody really knows who they are, what decisions they make, what their criteria is." — Rob Sheffield (04:34)

  • Even the voting can bring surprises: last year, Phish won the widely publicized fan vote but didn't make the ballot this time.

  "It's always something mysterious ... nobody really understands the process." — Rob Sheffield (05:27)

2. A More Diverse and Contemporary Slate

• The 2026 nominees span genres and eras, from classic metal to ‘90s hip hop, soul, and modern pop.

• This year displays a tilt toward artists who started their careers in the '80s and '90s, including some long-overlooked icons:

  • Notable first-time nominees:
    • Wu Tang Clan (long eligible, finally nominated)
    • Luther Vandross (soul legend)

  "Luther Vandross nominated for the first time, which is long overdue. Same with the Wu Tang Clan from the 90s, who've been eligible for quite a few years and finally nominated ..." — Rob Sheffield (06:05)

• Full nominee list (06:55): The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins (solo), Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, Billy Idol, INXS, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, New Edition, Oasis, Pink, Sade, Shakira, Luther Vandross, Wu Tang Clan.

3. Who’s Missing?

• Rob expresses shock at the absence of hugely influential acts, pointing to a systemic dismissal of certain decades and subgenres:

  • The B52s: Never nominated, despite a huge influence and long career
  • Pixies: Only nominated once, dropped immediately
  • Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morissette: Not nominated at all

  "The hall of Fame has a real 90s problem ... they're still fast forwarding over the 90s." — Rob Sheffield (08:38)

4. The Fun of Oasis & the Drama of Legacy

• Oasis’s continuing eligibility fuels debate about drama and stage presence as factors in Hall selections.

  "They are fun personalities. They're two brothers who hate each other, always complained about each other, and yet ... it was the most beautiful live music experience you could possibly have." — Rob Sheffield (10:40)

5. Genres & the Expanding Definition of ‘Rock and Roll’

• Genre lines have blurred: acts like Mariah Carey, Pink, and New Edition spark debate about what qualifies as “rock and roll.”

• Rob asserts that rock has always encompassed a wide range—using the Beatles' genre-bending career as proof.

  "The Beatles would play anything and make it rock and roll. ... So why would pop music not be rock and roll when it's defined by the Beatles?" — Rob Sheffield (13:09)

6. Rock, Metal, and the Hall’s Blind Spots

• The Hall has routinely undervalued hard rock/metal (e.g., Iron Maiden) and bands that fundamentally shaped the genre.

  "The hall of Fame has a real metal deaf spot ... the gigantic size and stature of Iron Maiden makes it really kind of a fiasco for the hall that Iron Maiden aren't in yet." — Rob Sheffield (14:07)

7. Iconic Artists and Unique Cases

• Phil Collins: Already inducted with Genesis, now up solo. Rob recounts a beloved neighborhood "Phil Collins Day Parade" as a sign of his solo appeal.

• Lauryn Hill: Unique for having one classic solo album, then withdrawing from the industry. Her legacy looms despite (or because of) that abrupt exit.

  "There's no career that's quite like Lauryn Hill ... she just basically stopped wanting to have a music career." — Rob Sheffield (16:42)

• Luther Vandross: His legacy continues to expand, including recent Grammy attention and a celebrated documentary. Sheffield is confident this is Vandross’s year.

  "His stature just grows ... I predict Luther Vandross will be in on the first ballot, as he should be." — Rob Sheffield (17:32)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the secrecy of the nominating committee:

  “It's a very secretive committee that gets together in a smoke filled room in the dark of night under cover of total secrecy. ... The nominating committee is always shrouded in secrecy.”
  (Rob Sheffield, 04:34)

• On nostalgia and generational bias:

  “The Hall of Fame just cannot get over the 60s.”
  (Rob Sheffield, 06:05)

• On the B-52s’ exclusion:

  “What? Never nominated? ... It's just astounding.”
  (Alison Stewart & Rob Sheffield, 08:37)

• On the Hall’s ‘90s blind spot:

  “The Hall of Fame has a real 90s problem ... they're still kind of fast forwarding over the 90s.”
  (Rob Sheffield, 08:38)

• On Oasis and their persistent drama:

  “I think everybody hopes that one of them shows up and talks smack about the other one. Or even better, they both show up and talk smack about each other.”
  (Rob Sheffield, 10:40)

• On genre fluidity:

  “Why would pop music not be rock and roll when it's defined by the Beatles?”
  (Rob Sheffield, 13:09)

• On Lauryn Hill:

  “She made one classic album, then basically, for all intents and purposes, retired. There's no career that's quite like Lauryn Hill ...”
  (Rob Sheffield, 16:42)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [04:25] — Introduction of guest Rob Sheffield; discussion of nominating committee secrecy
• [06:05] — Reflection on how this year's class skews to recent decades, overdue nominees
• [06:55] — Alison reads the full nominee list
• [08:16] — Who's missing and the Hall’s 1990s problem
• [10:06] — Oasis: enduring popularity and the effect of intra-band drama
• [12:32] — Expanding the definition of “rock and roll”
• [14:07] — On hard rock/metal and the Hall’s critical blind spots
• [15:45] — Phil Collins’s solo nomination and fan love
• [16:42] — Lauryn Hill’s singular impact and absence from the industry
• [17:32] — Luther Vandross's odds for induction
• [18:21] — Episode wrap-up

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Flow & Tone

The conversation is brisk, witty, and laced with both affection and playful frustration for the Hall’s selection process. Rob delivers sharp insights, colorful anecdotes (like the Phil Collins Day parade), and a deep reverence for both pop culture and the quirks of music history debate. Alison keeps things lively and moves deftly between insider info, fan gripes, and big-picture implications for the music world.

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Conclusion

This episode provides an entertaining and insightful primer on the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees, the complicated selection process, and the perennial arguments around genre, legacy, and who “deserves” to be recognized. Even for listeners who aren’t deeply steeped in music fandom, the episode illuminates how institutional choices reflect—and at times resist—culture at large.

Transcript

[WNYC Studios Announcer]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC Studios in soho. Thank you very much for spending part of your day with us. I'm grateful you are here. A quick reminder about two upcoming events this Thursday, March 5th, we'll have a Snow Day makeup event for our February Get Lit with all of it book Club event. Author Angela Flournoy will be here here at the Green Space to talk about her novel the Wilderness. It starts at 6pm Reserve your free tickets now by heading to wnyc.org getlit that's wnyc.org getlit plus since I said it's March, it's time to start reading this month's get lit pick. We are reading the novel A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Moojumdar. I'll be in conversation with her and you on Tuesday, March 24th at 6pm at the NYPL. Head to wnyc.org to get your tickets to that event as well and you can learn how to read the ebook courtesy of our partners at the New York Public Library. That's in the future, but coming up on the show today, Tony Award winner Ruthie Ann Miles will perform live in WNYC Studio 5. Jazz great Christian McBride is here to honor another jazz great, the Lake Chick Corea. And Sam Rogel is here to talk about his comedy show the Power Joker about Robert Moses. That's the plan. So let's get this started with the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll hall of Fame has announced the latest class of nominees for induction. What happens now is the ballots will go to the 1200 voting members who have two months in to vote to be eligible for the Rock and Roll hall of Fame, the artist has to have at release their first commercial project 25 years ago. This means we'll be seeing musicians as recent as 2000. This year was unique in that it was both one of the biggest and most diverse classes artists that made the cut span from Phil Collins to Pink to Wu Tang Clan. It was also the second time for this group who recently reunited for a sold out world tour. Let's listen to a little Oasis and

[Person Using Deodorant]

all the roads we have to walk a winding and all the lights that lead us there are blinding. There are many things that I would like to say to you but I don't know how. Because maybe you gotta be the one that saves me.

[Alison Stewart]

To share his insight into the latest crop of nominees is Rob Sheffield. He's a music journalist who's been a longtime contributor to Rolling Stone and the author of a number of books, including his latest Heartbreak Is the National Anthem, How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music. Hey, Rob.

[Rob Sheffield]

Hello. How you doing?

[Alison Stewart]

I am doing well. Okay, who makes up the nominating committee and how's it different from the committee that votes?

[Rob Sheffield]

It's a very secretive committee that gets together in a smoke filled room in the dark of night under cover of total secrecy. Nobody really knows who they are, what decisions they make, what their criteria is, what kind of arguments they have, and whatever they're eating or whatever kind of paint fumes might be in the room to influence their decisions. But they present this ballot every year and it's a different committee from last year, but it's a group of people, they just come out with this list of nominees and then the voters, there's a lot more voters. There's thousands of voters all over the industry. I've been a voter for many years, but the nominating committee is always shrouded in secrecy.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, aside from the age of the recording, what do the committees look for in a nominee or inductee? Do we know?

[Rob Sheffield]

It's very curious. There's always something mysterious about it. Nobody really understands the process. Fish were on the ballot last year. They won the fan vote. They actually ran away with the fan vote. Everybody expected them to be at a shoo in and this year they're not even on the ballot, which is a little curious. Nobody knows why they got dropped. Just as nobody knows why some of the artists who get added get added. It's always something mysterious.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, I'm going to ask you

[Interviewer/Host]

to put on your Contributing editor hat

[Alison Stewart]

there are 17 acts that have been

[Interviewer/Host]

selected for nominating for the nominating committee. How does this group compare to other classes in past years?

[Rob Sheffield]

Well, they're definitely going for people with more recent careers. You look at who they inducted last year, they went way back to the 60s, which they love to do. The hall of Fame just cannot get over the 60s. So last year they inducted Chubby Checker, Joe cocker from the 70s. It was a bad company, not knocking any of those artists, but those are artists from a long ago era who were passed over many times by the Hall. This time they're going with artists who start mostly in the 80s. So you've got some people who are nominated for the very first time. Something I'm very excited about. Luther Vandross nominated for the first time, which is long overdue. Same with the Wu Tang clan from the 90s, who've been eligible for quite a few years and finally nominated for the first time.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, I'm just going to read the list of nominees and then we can talk about them. Specifically the Black Crows, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, Billy Idol, In Excess, Iron Maiden, Joy Division, New Order, New Edition, Oasis, P nk, Sade Shakira, Uther Vandross, and Wu Tang Clan. It's so interesting when you look at this group of nominees. Who are you excited about out of that list?

[Rob Sheffield]

Well, I'm very excited about the Wu Tang Clan. I'm excited, honestly. As far as I'm concerned, they could nominate all the individual members of the Wu Tang Clan and I would vote for them individually. That would take about 18 or 19 ballots. But I still. I love them all. In terms of a giant impact on music. It's just. It's just astounding how much they achieved in a really fast amount of time back in the years when they were putting out three or four Wu Tang Clan records every year. Luther Vandross is one of the absolute titans of soul music, associated with practically inventing the form that we know as A Quiet Storm, although it was named after a Smokey Robinson album. But Luther Vandross, for him never to be nominated, was a gigantic hole in the hall of Fame. And boy, am I excited to vote for him for the first time. The ultimate romantic balladeer.

[Alison Stewart]

Who are you surprised not to see on this list?

[Rob Sheffield]

Well, I'm very surprised. Funny you should ask. I have an opinion like that. Like all fans, part of why we love pop music is to argue about it, right? So these, this is a feature, not A bug for the hall of Fame. We love to argue about it. The B52s have never been nominated.

[Alison Stewart]

What?

[Rob Sheffield]

Never nominated? You consider their track record with Rock Lobster in the 70s, Love Shack in the 80s. Keep going. They're still on the road, still killing it today. In terms of a career with length, impact and innovation, it's just astounding. They're, to me, a gigantic hole in the hall of Fame. Same with the Pixies, who are easily the most influential rock band from the American underground in the 80s 90s. And they were nominated once and were immediately dropped from the ballot and have been never brought back. There's Sonic Youth, also never nominated. And in terms of gigantic 90s bands, Smashing Pumpkins never nominated. Alanis Morissette never nominated. The hall of Fame has a real 90s problem. Let's face it, they have not yet gotten with the 90s. And in this ballot, they've got a lot of 2000s artists, but they're still kind of fast forwarding over the 90s. They're just going to have to deal with the 90s sometimes.

[Interviewer/Host]

We just got a message that someone in our studio says Jay is about to flip a table over the Pixies not being nominated.

[Rob Sheffield]

I completely agree. I completely agree.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm speaking with music journalist and longtime Rolling Stone contributor Rob Sheffield. We're discussing this year's crop of nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. We played Oasis in the intro. It's not the first time that they've been nominated. Why do you think they were nominate? Well, they're not technically nominated. Why are they up again?

[Rob Sheffield]

They're up again because they are the definition of a British rock band from the 20th century and obviously have kept being great in the 21st century. If you saw them last year on their tour, it was an experience like nothing else. And honestly, Alison, guessing seeing you just sing Wonderwall in the studio right now, I'm guessing you might be a fan.

[Interviewer/Host]

I could be. I could be. Well, you know, it's so funny about them because they've had so many gripes, many concerns, so many fights on stage. Do you think that actually helps them or hurts them?

[Rob Sheffield]

I think it helps them. I think everybody hopes that one of them shows up and talks smack about the other one. Or even better, they both show up and talk smack about each other. But they are fun. They are fun personalities. They're two brothers who hate each other, always complained about each other, and yet seeing them on stage last year, I was at MetLife Stadium, which is 80,000 people. I was in literally the back row. If I took one step backwards, I would have been tumbling out into the parking lot. And that giant mass of humanity, everybody singing these songs, it was the most beautiful live music experience that you could possibly have. To me, the fact that Oasis are doing that just makes them more likely to go. In the hall of Fame, we got a revelation of how much their music means and how gigantic it is.

[Alison Stewart]

We got a text here that says, no, Joy Division, I want the Cure, King Chrisman, Crimson, and Jethro Tull. Well, Joy Division, New Order, they are possibly nominated. Let's play a little bit of one of their big hits and we can talk about it on the other side. Let's talk to Blue Monday.

[Person Using Deodorant]

But if it wasn't for your misfortune, you I be a heavenly person today and I thought I was mistaken and I thought I heard you speak Tell me how do I feel Tell me how should I feel Now I stand here waiting.

[Alison Stewart]

I feel like I'm on College Radio 95.5 WBRU in Providence.

[Rob Sheffield]

I feel like I'm in a sleazy bar. I feel like I'm in Don Hills.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, Don Hills, Three in the morning.

[Rob Sheffield]

Love that place that I hear that song and I flashback to some of the sleazy dance floors of my youth.

[Alison Stewart]

You know, we're looking at this list and I see, you know, New Order, Joy Division. I get that. There's also names like Mariah Carey or Pink or New Edition, who some traditionalists might not consider rock and roll. When did they start to make a shift to expand the definition of rock and roll?

[Rob Sheffield]

It's always been expansive, right? I mean, rock and roll. Who's the most famous rock and roll group? The Beatles. What did the Beatles play? They played country, they played Motown, they played the blues, they played show tunes, they played Indian raga music, they played backwards tape blues. The Beatles would play anything and make it rock and roll. So you kind of can't say that that stuff. You know, the Beatles love to play the Ronettes and the Crystals and the Shirelles. So why would pop music not be rock and roll when it's defined by the Beatles? And I think for a lot of the groups on the ballot and a lot of the acts on the ballot, they have sort of different ideas of pop music.

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting because they're more traditional style of rock and roll. Artists like Billy Idol and Iron Maiden, the Black Crows. Did these stick out as you to you as having a better chance than the others?

[Rob Sheffield]

I don't Think so. The hall of Fame has a real metal deaf spot. And whatever you think about metal or not, the prevalence of metal in the history of rock and roll and particularly the gigantic size and stature of Iron Maiden makes it just really kind of a fiasco for the hall that Iron Maiden aren't in yet. And so I think Iron Maiden, it's definitely time for them. Joy Division in New Order. I mean, it's funny that they're the same group. They're listed as one group because, you know, Joy Division evolved into New Order, but individually they're hugely overqualified for the Hall. Joy Division and New Order are two of the most influential bands of the past 50 years, and they just happen to be the same band every year. When they don't go in, I write a really obnoxious and annoying and opinionated essay about how ridiculous it is that they're not in yet. So I would like to stop writing that essay that they're. They're number one on my ballot this year.

[Interviewer/Host]

This text says, seriously, as a Gen

[Alison Stewart]

Xer raised on mtv, ahem, the Rock and Roll hall of Fame has always

[Interviewer/Host]

been confounding and upsetting.

[Alison Stewart]

This text says, why aren't the Smiths in?

[Rob Sheffield]

That's a great question. And it's funny. The Smiths were nominated once and they didn't make the cut, and they've never been nominated since. And I would suspect the main reason is because there's no chance that Morrissey will show up. Because Morrissey and Mar hate each other so much that it's just the wrong time. It's just the wrong time that Legacy needs. Needs. Needs a little time to. To. To heal.

[Interviewer/Host]

Let's talk about Legacy. Phil Collins is already an inductee with Genesis, but now he is up solo. What do you make of that?

[Rob Sheffield]

That happens. It happened with Stevie Nicks, for example. Eric Clapton has been nominated in three different times with different bands and solo. For Phil Collins, it's special because he was such a different kind of solo artist. There's a real affection for Phil Collins. In my neighborhood in Brooklyn. A few years ago, they had a Phil Collins Day parade, which was just beautiful. There were streamers, balloons, a marching band playing Phil Collins songs, a giant paper mache Phil Collins head strapped to the roof of a car. That just really says a lot to me about the effect. I showed up thinking I was the only person who was going to be there. Turned out to be this real parade and just. People love Phil Collins. It's a real joy to see him finally on the ballot.

[Interviewer/Host]

I want to get your take on Lauryn Hill. Why do you think Lauryn Hill's on this list?

[Rob Sheffield]

It's very curious. She made one classic album, then basically, for all intents and purposes, retired. There's no career that's quite like Lauryn Hill that way. After the Fugees, she was clearly tapped for superstardom, and she made that one classic record, the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998. And nobody was expecting what happened, which is that she just basically stopped wanting to have a music career. So it's very curious that she's on the ballot now, considering the just sheer amount of talent that she just walked away from on the terms that she did.

[Interviewer/Host]

And finally, I want to finish with Luther Vandross. You mentioned at the top. There was a very candid documentary out about him last year, and Kendrick and SZA won a Grammy for their songs sampling him. Why do you think this could be his year?

[Rob Sheffield]

Luther is such a huge part of people's lives. He just had that voice, that ability to connect. This was while he was alive. And he was always a bit of a mystery man while he was alive. The songs have not gone anywhere since he passed away. His stature just grows. And for Luther, which was the biggest hit of last year, and it was also a really beautiful moment when Cher accidentally presented the Grammy to Luther Vandross. Uh oh, a mistake we could all make, right? She just looked at the envelope, got the wrong idea, but it was beautiful.

[Interviewer/Host]

Or the right idea.

[Rob Sheffield]

Yes, absolutely. But like Kendrick and SZA and their collaborators, they all spoke about Luther and how much he meant to them. And Kendrick's speech about Luther was so moving. I think that's going to have a lot to do with him making it in. And I predict Luther Vandross will be in on the first ballot, as he should be.

[Alison Stewart]

I have been speaking with music journalist and longtime Rolling Stone contributor Rob Sheffield. We were discussing this year's crop of nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. It's always great to talk to you, Rob.

[Rob Sheffield]

So great. Thank you so much.

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