Rock Hall Class of 2026

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 performer class reaches from Iron Maiden to Wu-Tang Clan, with eight acts set for induction this fall. (rockhall.com) The performer inductees are Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with a later broadcast on American Broadcasting Company and Disney+. (rockhall.com) The Hall also named honorees outside the performer category. Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and The B-52s are listed for Musical Influence, while Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye are set for Musical Excellence, and Suzanne de Passe will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. (rockhall.com) This year’s ballot began with 17 performer nominees announced on February 25. The Hall says artists become eligible 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. (billboard.com) Ten of those 17 nominees were first-timers, including Phil Collins, Wu-Tang Clan, Luther Vandross and New Edition. Collins was already in the Hall with Genesis, but 2026 marked his first nomination as a solo artist. (billboard.com) New Edition finished first in the fan vote with 1,022,683 votes, ahead of Phil Collins with 900,825 and Pink with 852,581. The fan ballot counts as one vote in the final process, alongside ballots from more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. (wkyc.com) New Edition was not inducted, joining other performer nominees left out this year, including Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Shakira, The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Inxs and Pink. The gap between the fan vote winner and the final class extends a pattern the Hall has defended for years by treating the public ballot as one input, not a binding result. (wkyc.com) National Public Radio noted that every 2026 performer inductee had been eligible for at least a decade before getting in. Its report also said the Musical Influence category includes the Hall’s first nods to Latin and African pop through Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and The B-52s’ fellow honorees in the broader class. (npr.org) The announcement came Monday night on “American Idol,” giving the Hall another prime-time reveal after weeks of fan voting and debate over genre lines, repeat nominations and long-running snubs. On November 14, the argument shifts from who got left out to who takes the stage in Los Angeles. (usatoday.com)