Pop culture’s music scene is always changing, but something that has remained in place is the Rock Hall of Fame. The Rock Hall of Fame’s first induction ceremony was held on January 23, 1986, which means the foundation has been in place for 30 years, yielding 30 years worth of change in music.
In 2026, 18 artists were inducted into fame featuring a Gen X focused lineup. The most notable artists were Phil Collins, Oasis, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Sade, and Joy Division/New Order. There was slight uproar regarding the fact that Mariah Carey was not inducted this year from her dedicated fanbase who were angry about her exclusion from the induction.
Ryan Inahara, the History of Pop Music teacher at LHS, recognizes these artists and speaks on the topic of the 2026 inductees.
“There’s always gonna be groups that I don’t know very well that are taken into the hall of fame, but I trust that the committee can make good decisions,” said Inahara. “From what I know they were great decisions and it’s a good reason to celebrate these artists once they are inducted. It gets people curious about new artists whenever they hear of someone they’ve never heard of and if you do know the group it’s likely to cause you to revisit the artist.”
The process of getting nominated and then inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame includes the Nominating Committee which meets to create a ballot. To be eligible to be nominated, the artist must have released their first recording 25 years prior to the nomination. After the voting process, the class is announced and then the induction process begins.
Another sole purpose of the Rock Hall of Fame includes giving honor to artists of bands who have members that have unfortunately passed but continue to make a great deal of influence in pop culture. For reference, Joy Division/New Order has continued to influence music as it evolves even after the singer’s death by suicide in 1980. The remaining band members persevered and formed the group New Order which was highly successful and influential, leaving a great name among their late singer Ian Curtis.
The Rock Hall of Fame leaves a great legacy among bands who have left a notable influence on pop culture and music today which is why it continues to go through the induction process every year with great success.