The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame wasn't likely to keep Phil Collins out of its 2026 class, and thankfully, the decision-makers did not. Collins was maybe the only obvious musical artist who was going to get in, however. Several were worthy.
The hope was that bands like Iron Maiden would finally get their due and be inducted, even though they likely didn't truly care. The same can be said of Oasis. What many rock purists probably didn't want was for R&B boy band New Edition to be enshrined in the Rock Hall, yet they somehow won the fan vote.
After all the ballots were counted (which included the millions of fan votes that all went onto one ballot and were grouped with over a thousand from music historians, musicians, and record company executives), the 2026 class was announced on American Idol on Monday. Did the Hall get everything right?
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class announced for 2026
Here is who makes up the performers category:
- Phil Collins
- Billy Idol
- Iron Maiden
- Joy Division + New Order
- Oasis
- Sade
- Luther Vandross
- Wu-Tang Clan
And the early influence category inductees:
- Queen Latifah
- Fela Kuti
- Celia Cruz
- MC Lyte
- Gram Parsons
Plus, the musical excellence award inductees:
- Linda Creed
- Arif Mardin (producer)
- Jim Miller
- Rick Rubin
Ed Sullivan, famed TV host, will receive the Ahemt Ertegun award.
All in all, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2026 might be among the best of recent years. Getting so many pure rock acts in, especially Iron Maiden, Osas, and Joy Division + New Order, means those decision-makers chose to go with the right approach, and not listen to fans who wanted New Edition.
Potential snubs
Still, one could argue Mariah Carey deserved to get in as much for her 19 No. 1 singles as for her co-penning those. Maybe she will get luckier in 2027.
The Black Crowes also deserve a nod eventually. They have produced three decades, with some time away, of consistently great rock, and have had high-end success commercially and artistically.
At least, New Edition wasn't among the inductees this year. It marks the second straight year that the leader in the fan vote didn't get inducted after Phish didn't achieve immortality in 2025. While many might complain about the past decisions of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they got everything mostly correct in 2026.