Why the Rock Hall Matters

One could argue that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an institution that is now more than old enough to buy beer and cigarettes, has perhaps run its course. Or at the very least: it is not the establishment it once was.

There have always been, and likely always will be, complaints about the Hall and how it chooses its inductees. Deserving people get overlooked year after year, not enough women and artists of color earn their due, the acts eligible today in 2025 are too young and not “rock” enough, etc. There is merit to all of those grievances.

To be transparent: this is not an argument for or against the exact parameters of Rock Hall inclusion that stand today. I personally do not fall in the rock purist camp of people who contend that the Hall has stretched the boundaries too far in including more country, rap and other types of musical artists. I believe that rock ‘n’ roll as an idea, a tool and a feeling goes beyond precise genre labels. “You see, rock and roll isn’t a career or hobby,” the Edge, who was still a teenager when U2 formed and has now played with the same band for over 40 years, plainly said to Guitar World in 2008. “It’s a life force.”

This is about why the existence of the Rock Hall, and membership of it, matters not only to current eligible artists and their fans, but to future ones, too.

Recognition Is Important

Winning is not everything, in life or in the music business. Many of the artists currently in the Rock Hall did not get into playing rock ‘n’ roll because they sought awards from the higher ups — they did it because the music spoke to their soul and it gave them a sense of purpose, community and achievement.

That being said, hard-working people who have, in various ways, changed people’s lives, deserve their flowers, ideally while they are still living with us. Joe Cocker is one of this year’s nominees, an enormously influential figure in the world of rock singing specifically. He’s been eligible for the Hall since the mid ’90s, but passed away in 2014.

“Maybe they [fans] don’t like me any more,” Cocker said to Classic Rock the year before his death. “I’m not sure about the future.” Perhaps a Rock Hall inclusion would have affirmed for Cocker what many, including a guy called Paul McCartney, already understand: “I know he would be extremely happy and grateful to find himself where he deserves to be, amongst such illustrious company.”

Reaching and recognizing these people before they’re gone matters. It allows them an opportunity to revisit their own story, tell it in their own words and thank the people who helped them along the way.

“It’s something beyond all my dreams, even those pipe dreams,” Peter Frampton, who became eligible for the Hall in 1997 but was not ever nominated until 2024, said (via Rolling Stone) in his acceptance speech. “I share it with all of you who’ve been with me on this beautiful journey, especially you, my fans, who have brought me here tonight. Thank you all so much.”

Artists Care

You might think: why would a rock artist with hit singles, gold records and plenty of other accolades to their name care about inclusion into the Hall? Does it really matter that much to them?

Yes and no, depending on who you ask. And sometimes an artist isn’t fully aware that the recognition means anything to them until it’s sitting in their lap. Cher, a 2024 inductee, had previously made clear she was fed up with being overlooked by the Hall. “I wouldn’t be in it now if they gave me a million dollars,” she said at one point. But she later accepted the award, joking that it “was easier getting divorced from two men than it was to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

READ MORE: 10 Rock Hall-Worthy Artists Who Debuted in the 2000s

And the reality is that artists’ opinions on the Rock Hall ��� what the award means to them and whether or not to accept it — is not a black and white matter. In 2023, Tom Morello alone accepted the award for Rage Against the Machine, a famously anti-establishment band — his three other bandmates boycotted the ceremony. But Morello pointed out that the induction was not just about his group. This was bigger than them.

“Like most bands, we have differing perspectives on a lot of things, including being inducted into the Rock Hall,” Morello said then. “My perspective is that tonight is a great opportunity to celebrate the music and the mission of the band— to celebrate the fifth member of the band, which is Rage Against the Machine’s incredible fans.”

Future Rock ‘n’ Rollers Look to It

The Rock Hall has been around long enough now that more recently inducted artists regularly cite early inductees as influences, and sometimes as the reason for very own existence. But really, this was on display from the very beginning.

“It’s very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry,” Keith Richards said at the inaugural Rock Hall ceremony on Jan. 23, 1986, “because I lifted every lick he ever played.”

There are future inductees not only watching these ceremonies, but participating in them, too. In 2021, Taylor Swift inducted Carole King into the Hall. “Carole taught artists like me that telling your own story is worth the work and struggle it takes to earn the opportunity for your story to be heard,” Swift said (via Variety). The year after that, Olivia Rodrigo and Sara Bareilles performed songs by inductee Carly Simon. At least part of every Rock Hall inductee’s merit is based on their overall influence, not just on their own peers, but the young people who look up to them. This generational osmosis of artistic integrity should be pointed out and applauded, and it is at Rock Hall ceremonies.

“I stood on this stage and I inducted Roy Orbison, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Bob Dylan – artists whose music was a critical part of my own,” Bruce Springsteen said in his 1999 acceptance speech, “and tonight I hope that my music served my audience half as well. And if I’ve succeeded in doing that, it’s been with the help of many, many kindred spirits along the way.”

Rock Hall ceremonies, then, are far less about genre, style, age, gender, race or any other factor, than they are about camaraderie, mentorship, inclusivity, confidence and joy – all the things that make rock ‘n’ roll great. Long may it live.