The Inductees

Devo

Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casales, Bob Casales, and Alan Myer, emerged with an art-rock sound, using parody and kitsch to shine a light on American culture. Their synth sound would impact the future of college rock and alternative music in America and around the world. Devo videos would help propel MTV to popularity with funny, sexy videos in heavy rotation on the channel. They would have been eligible for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Culture Club

Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, and Jon Moss, make up Culture Club, a commercially successful band during New Wave's commercial peak in the US and worldwide, racking up 10 Top 40 hits in America and selling more than 50 million records worldwide. They brought glam, reggae, and soul to New Wave music, blurring genres as they became one of the defining acts of the 1980s. Culture Club would have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

The New York Dolls

David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, Sylvain Sylvain and Jerry Nolan, the New York Dolls, were an early metal band but interpreted it as punk and glam with the musical sensibilities of Brill Building pop from the 60s, wearing exotic outfits and cultivating an androgynous image. They would influence future punk rock and glam rock that would meet greater success later in the 1970s and 80s. The Dolls would have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Pixies

The Pixies' Frank Black, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, and David Lovering were a classic alt-rock group rooted in surf-guitar riffs, sophisticated and intellectual lyrics, tuneful vocals, and clever references and intellectualism. Despite this unorthodox work, the group sold millions of records in the 1980s and 90s. Pixies records emphasised shifts in volume and messy production that would go on to influence grunge that would meet great commercial success in the 90s. The band would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

The Replacements

Paul Westerberg, Bob Stinson, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars comprise the Replacements who began playing punk before shifting to power pop and melodic lo-fi music. Their work is considered foundational to modern rock and college rock and influenced grunge and metal. The Mats may not have sold diamond-certified albums or have top 40 pop hits, but their work was critically acclaimed in the 80s and beyond. The group would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Black Flag

Greg Ginn, Mike Vallely, Henry Rollins, Dez Cadena, and Chuck Dukowski are members of the band Black Flag, which pioneered the sound of California hardcore punk, incorporating heavy metal guitar and slam poetry, and also using jazz freestyling in their later work. They typified 80s anti-Reagan political attitudes in their music and lyrics. The group influenced future hardcore punk, emo, death metal, and rap metal in later decades. Black Flag would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop was one of the first punk legends, first as a member of the Stooges and then in his almost five-decade solo career, recording songs that encompassed a wide array of styles and influences from metal to new wave to jazz. Pop was also known for his electrifying live performances and stage antics which inspired a generation of future rock frontmen in the 80s and 90s. Iggy may not have had platinum records, but many artists who recorded platinum records owed their style to him. Iggy Pop would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Sonic Youth

Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, and Steve Shelley are Sonic Youth, an integral part of New York's post-punk scene in the 1980s, Sonic Youth redefined what the electric guitar could be used to do using a wide array of alternate tunings and even objects jammed in the guitars. Sonic Youth's work has been consistently critically acclaimed and their work heavily influenced future alternative and noise rock music. They would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Jane's Addiction

Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins, and Eric Avery created Jane's Addiction, responsible for the mainstreaming of alternative rock and alternative metal in the United States. Their small body of work encompassed glam, metal, punk, jazz, and funk, and despite their limited number of albums their influence on nu metal, grunge, and alternative music in general cannot be understated. Jane's Addiction would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

Alice in Chains

Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Mike Starr, Layne Staley, Mike Inez, and William DuVall are Alice in Chains, key members of Seattle grunge scene, playing heavy metal music influenced by 1970s British metal. With brooding minor-key dynamics, distorted guitars and unique vocal harmonies between Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley or William DuVall, Alice in Chains sold more than 30 million records around the world. Their albums have inspired a generation of metal and grunge bands and their influence can still be felt today. Alice in Chains would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Judas Priest

Ian Hill, Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford, Scott Travis, K.K Downing, Les Binks, and Dave Holland are Judas Priest. Their body of work is rooted in hard rock and heavy metal, starting with a progressive-centric sound before moving to more melodic pop metal to score their biggest hits. With wide, operatic vocals, double-bass rhythms, and 16th note guitar hooks, Judas Priest's music is uncompromising and grim. They pioneered metal fashion with black leather and studs, inspiring numerous metal bands in their own wardrobes. Along with influencing future heavy metal bands, Priest sold more than 50 million records during their career. Judas Priest would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Rage Against the Machine

Comprised of Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk, Rage Against the Machine combined heavy metal and rap to pioneer the genre of rap metal, known for incorporating politics and revolutionary views into their music combined with Tom Morello's virtuosic guitar work. The group was infamous for anti-authoritarian stunts intended to fight against what they saw as a corrupt system, and Rage refused to compromise their ideals to sell records. They still sold more than 16 million albums worldwide over their 10 year career. Rage Against the Machine would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Iron Maiden

Joining their fellow snubbed metal brothers in arms is Iron Maiden, comprised of Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, and Nicko McBrain. Using "galloping" riffs and interplay between rhythmic and improvised guitar work, Iron Maiden's work maintained a heavy sound throughout their career, although they incorporated progressive rock elements later in their career. Without radio or television supporting them, Iron Maiden sold more than 100 million records worldwide throughout their long career. They would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Mötley Crüe

Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, and Vince Neil are Mötley Crüe, one of the first hair metal bands, melding pop hooks and melodies with heavy metal to create a music that could appeal to mainstream audiences. Their androgynous look and wild stage antics propelled the band to stardom in the 1980s, with six Top 40 singles, seven platinum or multi-platinum albums, and more than 100 million albums sold around the world. The influence of Mötley Crüe can be seen today in innumerable pop and rock acts. They would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Diana Ross

After leaving the Supremes, Diana Ross embarked on an extremely successful solo career, scoring six number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling more than 100 million records around the world. Ross, the quintessential diva and disco queen, straddled the beginning of R&B then transitioning to becoming a disco soloist and continuing to score hits. Ross influenced a generation of female diva superstars who came after her with her style and sensibility, who would continue to score hits and sell millions. She would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Chic

Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Tony Thompson, Norma Jean Wright, and Tom Coppola make up Chic, redefining the sound of late 70s disco and adapting it into a minimalist sound that would become the future of disco. Chic records were danceable, catchy, and adapted to some of the earliest rap hits. They even scored major pop hits with two chart-toppers on the Hot 100, among four Top 10 hits. Members of Chic would go on to produce some of the most recognizable hits of the 80s, bringing their sound to a new generation. They would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is one of the most commercially successful pop stars of the 90s and early 2000s, known for her five-octave vocal range and her work blending hip hop, R&B and pure pop in a way that had never been done before. Carey scored a record 19 chart-topping hits on the Hot 100 in the US, more than any artist save the Beatles, among 28 Top 10 hits. She has also sold more than 200 million albums around the world. Mariah Carey's vocal style has influenced many R&B singers who came after her, and her music is still popular thirty years after she emerged into pop music. Carey would have been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.