Star-stacked induction for a streaming era

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will lean hard into pop range this weekend, with organizers telling The Associated Press on Friday that Outkast, Cyndi Lauper, Sinéad O’Connor (posthumous), No Doubt and Mexican rock icons Maná will anchor Saturday night’s ceremony in Los Angeles. The show will also feature Elton John performing a musical salute to late Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson, who died in July, turning the induction into one of the year’s most emotional live-music broadcasts. Hall officials said they worked to reflect the way current playlists juggle hip-hop, alternative, girl-pop and Latin rock, and that inductees were picked to draw younger streaming audiences to Disney+’s live feed. Comedian-turned-pop star Chappell Roan will present for Lauper, while Donald Glover is set to induct Outkast — both choices built for social-media breakout clips.

Sharpening the Hall’s relevance

AP reports that the Hall has faced periodic criticism for being too rock-centric or too slow to recognize women, hip-hop and global acts, but 2025’s class appears designed to quiet most of those complaints in one highly watchable night. Executives said the ceremony will run a tight 2½ hours so songs can be clipped for TikTok and Instagram immediately after broadcast. Backstage, museum staff will capture oral-history interviews for an expanded online archive, a move that lets the Hall monetize the event long after TV ratings fade. For artists, induction still matters: it spikes catalog streams for weeks, and for touring acts like Maná it helps sell higher-priced North American dates. With Elton John’s performance likely to trend worldwide, Saturday’s show should also serve as a de facto memorial for Wilson that fans across generations can share.