The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced the class of 2026, with Oasis, Phil Collins, Wu-Tang Clan, and Joy Division/New Order among the inductees. Sade, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, and Luther Vandross complete this year’s class. The induction ceremony is set for November 14 in Los Angeles, and a broadcast will follow on ABC and Disney+ in December.
The Wu-Tang Clan and Vandross nabbed their inductions the first year they were nominated. Every other inductee had been in contention once before, except Oasis, Iron Maiden, and the combined entry of Joy Division and New Order, each of whom had two prior nominations. Nominated artists who failed to make the cut include three-time nominee Mariah Carey, Jeff Buckley, Lauryn Hill, the Black Crowes, Shakira, and P!nk.
In response to Oasis’ induction, Liam Gallagher joked that they secured the prize through “reverse psychology” before adopting what may be a more genuine tone: “I wanna thank all the people who voted for us it’s a real honour ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I’d dream about 1 day being in the RnR hall of fame it’s true what they say anything is possible if you have a dream LG x.”
Peter Hook, the former bassist of Joy Division and New Order, remembered his late bandmate Ian Curtis and said he was “wonderfully pleased” to be inducted and had “been looking forward to it for years.” (He also suggested he would attend the ceremony, which would set up a rare meeting with his estranged bandmates.) RZA wrote that the induction filled him “with joy, proudness, profound achievement, and awe,” adding that he was “grateful to all my brothers and those who helped us on the path.”
Billy Idol, meanwhile, spoke to the unexpected rewards of his five-decade career, “being part of this musical revolution we really believed in and to be pushing the culture along.” The induction, he added, was “just icing on the cake, just… wow, what an honour!”
Phil Collins also shared a pithy statement on social media: “Obviously I’m pleased and honored to be inducted. It wraps up what has been a wonderful life in music.” And Iron Maiden thanked fans in a statement on their website: “Iron Maiden have always been about our relationship with our fans above anything else, including awards and industry accolades. However, having said that, it’s always nice to be recognised and honoured for any achievements within the music industry too!”
Other honors bestowed by the Rock Hall include the Early Influence Award, the 2026 selections for which include Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons. Musical Excellence Awards will be handed to Linda Creed and Rick Rubin, among others, while the late Ed Sullivan is the recipient of this year’s Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-artists.
The Rock Hall’s class of 2025 included Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Salt-N-Pepa, and the White Stripes. The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs were among those eligible for the first time this year who did not secure nominations.
