The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees Ignite A Major Online Debate

Mariah Carey, the singer behind All I Want for Christmas, along with Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, and Phish, are among the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees.

Wednesday, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame released 14 performing nominees, including two music brothers, the Black Crownes and Oasis, Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Soundgarden, Mana, and the White Stripes.

Eight of the 14 are receiving nominations for the first time. These people are Bad Company, an English rock group from London; American Singer and dancer Chubby Checker; the Black Crowes; English singer Joe Cocker; Billy Idol; Mana, Phish; and the singer behind the song Hey Ya, Outkast.

Of the candidates, Carey and Checker have made significant impacts in the music industry. Along with her timeless Christmas classic, Carey has accumulated over 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while Checker wrote popular rock n roll songs such as The Twist and Let’s Twist Again.

Known for dominating the British acts of the 1990s, Oasis, which consists of Noel Gallagher and his brother Liam, produced major hits such as Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back in Anger, and Stop Crying Your Heart Out.

Like Oasis, Black Crowes is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their style includes blues, harmonica, and glam rock. In the 1990s, they released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker. Despite their band’s breakup and years of the brothers not talking, they are still making history.

Also from Atlanta, Georgia, OutKast is known as a hip-hop duo that created massive hits such as Ms. Jackson and The Way You Move. In most of their songs, this duo refined G funk, a variation of Gangsta Rap and Dirty South.

The 2025 inductees will be revealed in late April and divided into three categories: The Ahmet Etregun Non-Performer Award, musical influence, and musical excellence. Artists must have released their commercial record for at least 25 years to be eligible for induction. The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall.

Over 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals will vote for nominees. Selection criteria include how the artist impacts other musicians through style and technique, innovation, and the scope and longevity of their career.

Throughout X, fans and reviewers shared numerous reactions to the news.

“Mariah Carey is the greatest singer and songwriter of all time! The fact that Mariah has written all of her songs except the remakes and has had 19 #1 Hits, which is more than any solo artist in history, makes her induction a must,” said one commenter.

“Oh my gosh! Yes! Yes! Yes! This is perfect. Being from Detroit and seeing the White Stripes and Cyndi and Mariah and everyone else, this is perfect,” said another commenter.

Despite overwhelming satisfaction from fans, some were disappointed.

“I love Outkast, but no. They’ve had more flops than hits. Three Dog Night, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Grand Funk Railroad, the B52s, and the Guess Who have done more for Rock & Roll and should be in there,” one commenter wrote.

Last year, Mary J. Bilge, Cher, Foreigner, A tribe called Quest, and Ozzy Osborne were inducted.