Rock Hall announces 2026 nominees led by Mariah Carey, P!NK and Wu-Tang Clan, spanning 17 acts

A genre-spanning ballot arrives as voting opens for the Class of 2026

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, announced 17 performer nominees for induction, a list that moves from pop and R&B to hip-hop, metal, post-punk and Latin pop. The ballot includes Mariah Carey, P!NK and the Wu-Tang Clan alongside Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, Shakira and 11 other nominees.

The full slate of performer nominees is: The Black Crowes; Jeff Buckley; Mariah Carey; Phil Collins; Melissa Etheridge; Lauryn Hill; Billy Idol; INXS; Iron Maiden; Joy Division/New Order; New Edition; Oasis; P!NK; Sade; Shakira; Luther Vandross; and Wu-Tang Clan.

Who is new to the ballot, and who is back

Ten of the 17 nominees are first-time performer nominees: Buckley, Collins, Etheridge, Hill, INXS, New Edition, P!NK, Shakira, Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. Seven acts return after previous nominations: Carey, The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis and Sade.

The ballot also includes multiple posthumous nominees, including Buckley and Vandross.

How the selection process works

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after their first commercial release. Nominees are selected by a nominating committee composed of inductees, artists, historians, journalists and other industry participants.

Inductees are then chosen by an international voting body of more than 1,200 inductees, historians and music industry professionals. The annual online fan vote is aggregated into a single ballot that is counted alongside the other ballots.

• Eligibility: first commercial release at least 25 years before the induction year
• Voting: more than 1,200 voters plus one fan-vote ballot
• Announcement timeline: performer inductees are expected to be revealed in April 2026

What happens next: April announcement, fall ceremony

The foundation is expected to announce the Class of 2026 in April, alongside honorees in additional induction categories: Musical Influence, Musical Excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award. The induction ceremony is scheduled for fall 2026, with the date and location to be announced.

The 2026 ballot includes pop and hip-hop headliners, legacy rock bands and artists identified with metal, post-punk, R&B and Latin pop, reflecting the Hall’s wide definition of rock & roll as a cultural and musical umbrella.

For Cleveland, the nominees list is the opening step in a weeks-long process that will culminate with the April results and a fall ceremony that annually draws global attention to the city’s museum and the Hall’s role in shaping a canon of popular music history.