Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025: See our voter’s unfiltered official ballot

I officially became one of the 1,200 music industry members comprising the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s voting body in 2022 — the year that my long-snubbed favorite childhood band just so happened to be on the ballot for the first time. I could not check that “Duran Duran” box fast enough. And a few months later, there I was at Los Angeles’s Microsoft Theatre, excitedly cheering them on as they opened the Rock Hall ceremony and were inducted alongside the likes of Dolly Parton, Judas Priest, and Eminem.

Since then, I have not always gotten my way when it comes to the Hall’s inductions. But as a voter, I still take the responsibility seriously… well, most of the time, at least.

This year’s batch of 14 contenders is solid — it’s difficult to make a compelling argument for why nominees like Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Maná, Phish, or the White Stripes shouldn’t be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — so, when it came time to tick seven boxes on my Class of 2025 ballot, I simply went with my gut, my heart, my ears… and, in one case, my sense of humor. Scroll down for my totally subjective votes, along with — just for fun! — my own “nominations” for who should induct each artist at the ceremony. And please, don’t @ me.

Joy Division/New Order

It took way too long for the Hall to recognize Britain’s post-punk era. The Cure were finally inducted in 2019 and Depeche Mode in 2020, both on their third try, but many of their deserving peers (the Smiths, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Bauhaus, Echo & the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears) still aren’t in. However, Joy Division/New Order, who were first dual-nominated in 2023, are the most baffling omission. Joy Division were the definitive post-punk band of that era, despite only releasing two albums of chaos and catharsis and doom and beauty, in the span of two years, before frontman Ian Curtis’s suicide. They probably sold more Peter Saville T-shirts than actual records, but their influence cannot be understated. And then, the band’s surviving members’ immediate pivot to New Order, an equally pioneering act that that fused techno, disco, and indie to create some of the most unlikely club bangers of the '80s, was one of the most magnificent career comebacks in music history. I’d argue that Joy Division and New Order should be inducted separately, since their discographies are so different. But if combining the two helps consolidate the vote and improves their chances, so be it — especially if it gets estranged ex-bassist Peter Hook to attend the ceremony.

Potential inductor: My first thought was fellow Manchester royalty Johnny Marr, just to get some Smiths representation at the Hall. But, given both bands’ huge influence, my other instinct was to look up the many artists who have covered either Joy Division or New Order over the years, like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, the Killers, Moby, LCD Soundsystem, the Smashing Pumpkins, and James Blake. (Third Eye Blind even covered “Disorder” once, but Stephan Jenkins wasn’t up for consideration here.) But hear me out: Let’s get Grace Jones to do it! The visionary goddess was actually the first artist to officially cover Joy Division, when she released a darkly dubby version of “She’s Lost Control” in May 1980 just one week before Curtis’s death. It really doesn’t get any cooler than that.

Cyndi Lauper

It’s hard to fully explain how massive a phenomenon Lauper was in the mid-'80s, and how — even in an era when kooky characters like Boy George, Robert Smith, and Adam Ant were all over MTV — the She’s So Unusual singer so boldly stood out. Lauper, who was actually a 30-year-old veteran from the NYC retro-rock band Blue Angel when she finally broke through to the mainstream, didn’t just make a generation of young girls want to have fun; she made them want to be their apologetic, unusual selves. Her cartoonish personality and Screaming Mimi’s style at times detracted from her four-octave talent (something her eccentric successors, from Lady Gaga to Katy Perry to Chappell Roan, have had to contend with), and her career had its ups and downs after her flashy and splashy debut. But time after time, Lauper has reinvented herself — as an adult-contemporary chanteuse, Great American Songbook crooner, electronica diva, Tony-winning Broadway baby, and tireless activist for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights — always putting her colorful stamp on everything she does. (Her signature hit, the feminist anthem “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” was actually a remake of a somewhat misogynist punk demo by a male artist named Robert Hazard.) Now, at age 71, Lauper is considered an international treasure by fans of all generations, and she’s one of only four female Rock Hall nominees this year. I voted for her in 2023; I voted for her this year; and if she ran for president, I’d vote for her again.

Potential inductor: When Chappell Roan first hit the scene with her wild red hair, drag-queen makeup, and big, chirpy voice, the media’s Lauper comparisons were inevitable — and flattering! Lauper has actually praised Chappell repeatedly in interviews, and if she and Chappell dueted at the Hall ceremony on “She Bop,” it would be a moment. That needs to happen.

Billy Idol

Obviously, there is a pattern here: I am a proud '80s baby. The Hall already seems to be moving on from new wave acts (the Class of 2024 featured no new wave or post-punk inductees, or even nominees, from the early-MTV era), even ignoring previously shortlisted artists like Devo and the above-mentioned Smiths. So, now that Billy’s on the ballot for the first and possibly last time, I am going to do my best to get him in while he still has a shot. Idol has been enjoying a resurgence as of late — releasing his first full-length studio album since 2014, playing the first concert ever held at the Hoover Dam, and collaborating with superfan Miley Cyrus — but I still fear many voters will still dismiss him as some cheesy pretty-boy or punk poser. Yes, his lip-curl and peroxided spikes made him instant heartthrob material, and a bit of a caricature, when he arrived in the States in 1981, fatefully the same year that MTV launched. But as a guy who started off in a gang of young Sex Pistols fans known as the Bromley Contingent (which included the Banshees’ Siouxsie Sioux and Steve Severin) and who later fronted Generation X, the first punk band to ever perform on Britain’s pre-MTV chart show Top of the Pops, William Broad is actually the most successful mainstream rock star to emerge from the 1970s’ first-wave U.K. punk movement. And he’s definitely the real deal. Even his misunderstood concept album, 1993’s Cyberpunk, inspired by rave culture and recorded on a home computer at a time when most people had never even heard of the World Wide Web, was punk-rock in its own weird way.

Potential inductor: Drew Barrymore actually went clubbing with Idol at New York City’s Limelight when she was a child star, and two recently adorably reunited on her talk show. The producers of the Rock Hall’s live broadcast love to book actors (like Robert Downey Jr., who inducted Duran Duran; Charlize Theron, who inducted Depeche Mode; Julia Roberts, who inducted the Dave Matthews Band; and Barrymore herself, who actually inducted the Go-Go’s in 2021), so this seems like another perfect made-for-TV stunt casting.

Outkast

I recall reading some scientific study about what makes a song universally appealing, and those genius researchers determined that the song that contained every single one of those key elements was “Hey Ya!” by Outkast. Yeah, that tracks. I would actually say that finding applies to Outkast’s entire discography. Outkast put the Dirty South on the map while making music that was all over the map, ranging from Princely psychedelia to deep-fried soul to gritty techno to space-funk. And somehow, they always sounded unmistakably like Outkast and offered something for everyone. I imagine if they’re inducted this year, they’ll perform last, turning the ceremony into a Player’s Ball — because I can’t imagine a more crowd-pleasing, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzikal finale.

Potential inductor: Outkast’s Big Boi inducted his favorite artist, Kate Bush, in 2023. So, now it’s Kate’s turn. I know this would never happen, but a girl can dream, right?

Soundgarden

The late Chris Cornell was one of the best rock vocalists (or vocalists, period) to ever pick up a mic. A Robert Plant for the grunge generation, Cornell was named rock’s greatest singer by Guitar World and the fourth-best singer in heavy metal history by Hit Parader, and he came in at No. 9 on Rolling Stone’s Best Lead Singers of All Time list. Whether fronting Soundgarden and the supergroups Temple of the Dog and Audioslave, belting an underrated James Bond theme, or covering a Michael Jackson Thriller classic so thrillingly that he unwittingly forever changed the course of shows like American Idol and The Voice, Cornell was always louder than love. His vocals alone qualify Soundgarden for Hall induction alongside their Seattle peers Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but much more so that those two bands, Soundgarden effectively bridged/blurred the worlds of alternative rock and sludgy, Sabbath-y metal. In an era when the hair metal of the late ‘80s was making way for grunge and everyone seemed to be taking a side, every rock fan could agree that Soundgarden ruled. I’m surprised they didn’t make it into the Hall the first time they were nominated, in 2020.

Potential inductor: No one sings like Chris anymore, indeed… except, maybe, Ann Wilson. Cornell went on record multiple times, including in Heart’s Behind the Music special for VH1, that this queen of the Northwest was one of his chief vocal inspirations, and in one interview he even recalled spotting Ann in a parking garage when he was a kid and deciding that he wanted to grow up to be just like her. Years later, they became friends, and in 2013, he inducted Heart into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Now it’s time for Ann and Nancy Wilson to do the honors.

Mariah Carey

This is probably my most controversial vote, but I refuse to entertain any rockist arguments that Mariah is, well, “not rock.” That ship sailed long ago, and I fully accept that the Hall has expanded its definition of the admittedly generic term. If Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, Donna Summer, Madonna, and especially Carey’s contemporary Whitney Houston can all be in the Hall, then there is absolutely no reason why this diva does not qualify. Carey is one of music’s greatest female singers (right up there with, Aretha, Celine, and, yes, Whitney) and biggest hitmakers of all time (please note that she has co-writing credit on all of her smash singles, including “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the best-selling holiday song in RIAA history). She overcame childhood trauma and mental health struggles to become one of the top pop stars of her generation (or any generation), and she orchestrated one of pop’s greatest comebacks after her Glitter PR fiasco. And for anyone who needs a “rock”-oriented justification to induct Carey, her cover of Def Leppard’s “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” is pretty sweet. Plus, Carey has long hinted that her shelved, secret 1995 alt-rock album, Someone's Ugly Daughter, might finally get an official release. Timing that with the Hall ceremony would be a genius marketing move, just sayin’.

Potential inductor: Any number of young divas influenced by Mimi would do, especially obvious disciple Ariana Grande. But since an adorably awestruck Miley Cyrus devoted much of her first-ever Grammy acceptance speech last year to praising her presenter, the other “MC,” let’s keep that MC-squared lovefest going and have Miley do the honors. And if Drew Barrymore isn’t available, then Cyrus can induct Billy Idol, too.

Oasis

OK, this vote is the one that’s not so serious. I admit that my rationale here is selfish, because if I’m being honest, I think Oasis peaked too early and it was all downhill after (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, and a better case could be objectively made for another '90s alt-rock artist on the ballot, the White Stripes. But I’m an unabashed Anglophile, and aside from Radiohead there is no Britpop representation in the often-xenophobic Rock Hall, so while I’d love to see Blur, Suede, or Pulp get in, I know that’s not going to happen. So, Oasis it is! (Blur frontman Damon Albarn’s “side-project,” Gorillaz, have a better chance at an eventual induction, really.) The other reason for my Oasis vote is… I want all the drama that would ensue if the Gallagher brothers actually showed up to accept their award, especially now that the ceremony is live-streamed on Disney+. Oasis were nominated in 2024 and have a surer shot now, in light of their much-hyped reunion — but sadly, after casting my 2025 ballot I found out that their comeback tour (assuming that they hold it together and don’t immediately implode again) will be trekking through Australia during the week of the Class of 2025 ceremony. However, if Oasis do figure out a way to get to the ceremony in L.A., I almost want Liam to just ghost the gala and heckle Noel from the peanut-gallery balcony, MTV Unplugged-style. What I’m trying to say is… Oasis would probably make the show producers’ lives hell, but their laddish antics would be potential TV heaven.

Potential inductor: Let’s just have the Gallaghers induct each other, so they can turn their stage time into an expletive-filled roast. Bring it on.

Write-in candidate

The New York Dolls. Do not even get me started about the fact that the never-nominated Monkees, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and the B-52’s got snubbed again this year, or that the Buzzcocks will never get in despite pretty much inventing pop-punk. I could write a whole other article/rant about the Hall’s many glaring omissions. But, let’s focus on the Dolls for now. They were first nominated way back in 2001, and after the long-overdue induction of their fellow glam-rock trailblazers Roxy Music and T. Rex in 2019 and 2020, it seemed logical that they’d be next in line when they were nominated again in 2021 and 2022 (when I voted for them, of course). But that illogically didn’t happen, and now David Johansen — the last Doll standing, following the deaths of Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, Sylvain Sylvain, Jerry Nolan, and Billy Murcia — is gone as well. (Johansen died from cancer this past February, at age 75. Now frustration and heartache is what I got, indeed.) It sure would’ve been nice for the New York Dolls — inarguably one of the most influential rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time, if not most enduring or commercial successful — to get their flowers earlier. But I’m hoping that this year the Hall committee will make an executive decision to finally right that wrong and put them in the Music Excellence category, which according to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation president Joel Peresman is “given to artists, musicians, songwriters, and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact” and gives the Hall “flexibility to dive into some things and recognize some people who might not ordinarily get recognized.” Last year, the Hall gave the Musical Excellence Award to the Dolls’ six-times-nominated protopunk peers MC5 (sadly, mere months after the deaths of that band’s last two surviving members), so I suppose it’s also never too little, too late for these Too Much Too Soon pioneers. 

Potential inductor: Todd Rundgren, another long-snubbed legend who was finally inducted in 2021, actually sat out his own ceremony, much to the dismay of his “Todd Is God”-sloganeering fans. So, perhaps this wizard and true star, who produced the Dolls’ seminal self-titled debut album, could make up for that and show up this year… as a presenter.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 will be announced April 27 on a live, Rock Hall-themed episode of American Idol — when hopefully my fever-dream, of seeing the Season 23 semifinalists and judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Class of 2022 inductee Lionel Richie link arms for a group number of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” will come true. The Class of 2025 induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall.

Meanwhile, here are the final results of the 2025 Rock Hall fan ballot: