Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2025: Cyndi Lauper soars, OutKast reunites, and Salt-N-Pepa make history in Los Angeles

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction turned the Peacock Theater into a cross-generational victory lap, with Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, The White Stripes, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, and Joe Cocker joining the pantheon. The night doubled as a statement on pop’s breadth—hip-hop, new wave, classic rock, and soul all sharing the same spotlight—and a reminder that influence travels both backward and forward through time.

Cyndi Lauper’s moment: introduced by Chappell Roan, duets with Raye

Cyndi Lauper’s induction arrived with a standing ovation and a tribute from Chappell Roan, who framed Lauper’s career as permission for the next wave to be loud, colorful, and uncompromising. Lauper answered with a living-history medley: a hushed “True Colors”, “Time After Time” elevated by British singer Raye, and a joyful “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” that pulled Salt-N-Pepa and Avril Lavigne into the swirl. It felt less like nostalgia than a relay—baton passed, sprint still on.

OutKast in the hall: André 3000 and Big Boi, flowers while they can still smell them

OutKast’s induction underscored how far hip-hop’s imagination can stretch. With a heartfelt introduction from a fellow multi-hyphenate creator, André 3000 and Big Boi took the stage to reflect on the long road from the Dungeon to global ubiquity. The musical salute doubled as an Atlanta family reunion: Big Boi led the charge while guests flipped through a greatest-hits scrapbook—“ATLiens,” “Ms. Jackson,” “B.O.B.,” “Hey Ya!,” “The Way You Move.” Cameos from boundary-pushing contemporaries reinforced what the honor already said out loud: OutKast changed the rules, then changed them again.

Salt-N-Pepa’s barrier-breaking induction

Trailblazing rap trio Salt-N-Pepa entered the Hall with an award recognizing their foundational impact. The acceptance was both celebration and manifesto, capped by a thunderous “Push It.” Their presence threaded directly into Lauper’s set, a symbolic bridge between 80s pop insurgency and hip-hop’s mainstream breakthrough.

Soundgarden, The White Stripes, and a chorus of tributes

Soundgarden’s induction brought catharsis and gratitude, with performances honoring a catalog that fused muscle and melody and memories that kept Chris Cornell’s voice close. The White Stripes were saluted with high-octane covers and an affectionate nod to the minimalist thunder that rewired garage rock for a new century. Bad Company strapped back in for blues-built anthems; Chubby Checker received overdue enshrinement that recognized both a dance craze and a career deeper than a single twist; Joe Cocker’s posthumous moment swelled into a communal sing-along.

Full 2025 class and special awards

Performer category

• Bad Company

• Chubby Checker

• Cyndi Lauper

• Joe Cocker

• OutKast (André 3000 & Big Boi)

• Soundgarden

• The White Stripes

Musical Influence

• Salt-N-Pepa

• Warren Zevon

Musical Excellence

• Carol Kaye

• Nicky Hopkins

• Thom Bell

Ahmet Ertegun Award

• Lenny Waronker

Why this class resonates now

• Pop’s power, validated. Lauper’s canon—once labeled “just pop”—now reads as infrastructure for the modern Top 40.

• Hip-hop as heritage. OutKast’s enshrinement affirms Southern hip-hop’s central place in the broader American songbook.

• Women at the center. Lauper and Salt-N-Pepa bookended the ceremony with a through-line of agency, style, and sonic innovation.

• Continuity, not silos. Soundgarden’s tuneful heavy, The White Stripes’ stark voltage, and legacy craftsmen honored for excellence all point to a definition of “rock & roll” that’s expansive by design.

Broadcast details and what to rewatch first

A highlights special from the induction will air on New Year’s Day. Must-see segments include Lauper’s three-song suite with Raye and friends, OutKast’s multi-artist homage, Salt-N-Pepa’s mic-dropping acceptance and performance, and the emotion-rich tributes surrounding Soundgarden and Joe Cocker.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 isn’t a compromise between eras—it’s a conversation among them. Cyndi Lauper and Salt-N-Pepa showed how pop and hip-hop can redraw the map; OutKast proved reinvention is a lifetime habit; Soundgarden and The White Stripes reminded everyone that raw ideas still roar. The result was a ceremony that felt less like a museum visit and more like a mixtape—sequenced for joy, memory, and momentum.