Eligible since 2005, Bryan Adams hasn’t been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – and he’s stayed surprisingly quiet about that. He almost found himself on stage for an induction ceremony anyway, after being invited to a 2021 tribute to Tina Turner, his partner on the hit duet “It’s Only Love.” Unfortunately, Adams ended up missing the event after a positive COVID test. (Matt Wardlaw)

Despite releasing several chart-topping, critically acclaimed albums that made them one of the leaders of the ‘90s grunge revolution, Alice in Chains has yet to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since becoming eligible in 2016. “It’s not something that’s gonna make or break your career, but it’s always nice to be recognized for your work,” Jerry Cantrell told WMMR in 2021. “I don’t really spend a whole lot of time thinking about it.” (Bryan Rolli)

Gregg Allman’s relationship with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is unique. He was drunk for just about every part of the process when the Allman Brothers Band was inducted in 1995, including the ceremony itself. “It should have been the greatest week of my life,” he later wrote in My Cross to Bear, “but instead I hit an all-time low.” The experience was so profound that it prompted Allman to seek professional help and finally overcome his addiction once and for all. Allman released eight albums before his death in 2017 and has been eligible for solo induction since 2012, but has not been nominated. (Allison Rapp)

Not only has America been eligible for induction into the Rock Hall since 1997, they’ve never been nominated. Their 1971 debut self-titled album featured the international hit “A Horse With No Name,” success they followed up with in singles like “Ventura Highway,” “Lonely People” and “Sister Golden Hair.” They’ve won multiple Grammys and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006. (Rapp)

The irreverent younger cousins of thrash metal’s Big 4, Anthrax has never been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, despite being eligible since 2009. “I’ve never had a discussion with anybody about it,” Joey Belladonna told the Misplaced Straws podcast in 2021. “I mean, hell, Rush just got in there not too long ago. I wouldn’t even wanna put myself in that position to even compare anything.” Still, he conceded that “we’ve done some cool stuff. If we were to get in, by any chance, I think there’s a nice story there. There’s some cool stuff there.” (Rolli)

Argent has been eligible for Rock Hall induction since 1996. They’ve never been nominated, though group namesake Rod Argent was inducted in 2019 as a member of his prior band, the Zombies. At that time, Argent acknowledged his career’s challenges. “This is the pinnacle, to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” he said. “What a reward for all of the ups and downs over the years.” (Wardlaw)

Members of Asia were in famous rock bands such as King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, but only guitarist Steve Howe has been recognized by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Howe and Asia bandmate Geoff Downes are both also members of 2017 inductees Yes, but Downes was not recognized with the others. They achieved quadruple-platinum success with John Wetton and Carl Palmer on Asia’s 1982 self-titled debut album, but frequent lineup changes and dipping commercial success may have made them unlikely candidates for enshrinement. (Matthew Wilkening)

Bachman-Turner Overdrive hasn’t been nominated for the Rock Hall since becoming eligible in 1999. Founding member Randy Bachman has also been in the running since 1991 with his previous band, the Guess Who. He didn’t mince words when the subject came up in a 2012 radio interview, going so far as to wonder if it was because they’re Canadian. “It really pisses me off every year,” he said. “I don’t begrudge the groups that get in, but … being in the Guess Who in their peak years, the ‘American Woman’ years when I wrote the songs, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive during the peak years, when we were selling 30, 40 million records – to not get a nod from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and other bands who have had lesser artistic or commercial success get in there, it does really tick you off.” (Wardlaw)

Bad Company has been eligible for Rock Hall induction since 2000, but they’ve never been nominated. Simon Kirke suggested the band’s name has been in the conversation many times, and he admitted to being irked by their continued exclusion. “Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, I think [the induction process] sucks. I really do,” he told Vinyl Writer Music in 2021. Kirke went on to add that he believes there might be some extenuating circumstances at play. “I think it’s political. I think that maybe along the way, we made some enemies.” (Wardlaw)

Badfinger first became eligible for the Rock Hall in 1996. Their original incarnation existed for a relatively brief time from 1968 to 1973, during which they released five albums with the Beatles’ Apple label and toured extensively. Still, Badfinger became well-known as a power-pop group, selling an estimated 14 million records before their legacy was clouded with tragedy: Pete Ham committed suicide in 1975, as did Tom Evans in 1983. They have never been nominated for the Rock Hall. (Rapp)

As a genre-blurring musical chameleon, Beck has enjoyed a long and influential career. He’s been nominated for 23 Grammys, taking home 8 awards including Album of the Year in 2015. Since his debut LP Mellow Gold arrived in 1994, Beck has been one of the most consistently popular forces in music, landing 14 songs in the Top 20 of Billboard’s Alternative chart, including such memorable tracks as “Loser,” “Where It’s At,” “E-Pro,” “Blue Moon” and “Dreams.” Beck was a first-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee in 2022, but is still awaiting induction. (Corey Irwin)

If you’re really going to have a party at the Rock Hall, the B-52’s should be there. They’ve been eligible since 2004 and, in the words of R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, made it OK to dance at a time when things had gotten very specific due to punk rock. Stipe, a 2007 Rock Hall inductee, said the un-nominated B-52’s also helped put his musical hometown on the map. “During the early days of R.E.M., whenever we would go on tour we always began our set by announcing that we were from Athens, Georgia,” he told the Pitchfork Review. “The only reason that meant something to anyone was because of The B-52’s. We wore that badge proudly.” (Wardlaw)

The Black Crowes debuted in 1990, making them first eligible for the Rock Hall in 2016. Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson were then in the midst of conflict, though they’ve since made amends. Still, don’t expect them to appear together should the un-nominated Black Crowes ever be inducted. Chris Robinson has told Howard Stern that he wouldn’t attend the ceremony: “I’m not going. Look, Jerry Garcia didn’t go, I’m not going,” he said. “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to me, is like going to the mall or something.” (Rapp)

Blackfoot is among a number of Southern rockers who are not in the Rock Hall. Founding member Rickey Medlocke plays with Lynyrd Skynyrd these days, and he pondered Blackfoot’s prospects after his current group was inducted in 2006. “Blackfoot sold millions of records, and we were on a different cutting edge than other bands were. We played heavier, with a blues influence, and we were still Southern,” Medlocke told author David Iozzia. “Maybe at some point in time, Blackfoot deserves to be in there.” (Wardlaw)

Collectively, the four members of Blind Faith have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame five times. But three of those honors belong to Eric Clapton, who was voted in alongside Blind Faith bandmate Ginger Baker for their work in Cream in 1993, with the Yardbirds a year before that and as a solo artist in 2000. Steve Winwood was inducted as a member of Traffic in 2004, while Blind Faith bassist Ric Grech, who was briefly a member of Traffic, got left out. Blind Faith was together for less than a year and released only one studio album. Perhaps the Rock Hall voters consider their trophy cases suitably full at the moment. (Wilkening)

Blood, Sweat and Tears earned three straight No. 2 singles in 1969, the highlight of a brief golden era that left us with horn-heavy classics such as “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and “Spinning Wheel.” They’ve been eligible for induction since 1994, but never nominated. (Wilkening)

Rock Hall nomination has eluded proto-metal pioneers Blue Cheer since they became eligible in 1994, and that seems to suit them just fine. “It’s not anything that excites us. We’d be more interested in the Rock & Roll Hall of Infamy,” the late Dickie Peterson told Rock ’N’ Roll Universe in 2007. “If you want to make it a Hall of Fame type of band, that’s up to somebody else, not up to us. If they think we’re going to pay money and try to buy fame, they’re wrong. Not to mention most of the guys who get in end up playing Atlantic City, Las Vegas, or they die. We’re more interested in the gig tomorrow night than being in the Hall of Fame.” (Rolli)

The 40-plus years of cultural ubiquity enjoyed by songs such as “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Burnin’ for You” and “Godzilla” haven’t yet been enough to sway the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s voters on Blue Oyster Cult. Buck Dharma theorizes that their exclusion might have something to do with “something personal” between the band’s songwriting partner Richard Meltzer and longtime Hall of Fame executive Jann Wenner. “You know, there’s lots of bands that should be in the Hall of Fame that aren’t. There’s probably some bands that are in that shouldn’t be,” Dharma told the Austin Chronicle in 2017. “Do I care? It would be a nice feather, but I’m not holding my breath.” (Wilkening)

To put it mildly, Jon Bon Jovi’s relationship with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has been complicated. He felt slighted that his namesake band had to wait 10 years after becoming eligible to finally get inducted. During their induction, Bon Jovi joked that he’d written two speeches – one a “thank you” speech, the other a “fuck you” speech. Could these previous issues with the Rock Hall hinder efforts to enter as a solo artist? It’s tough to say. Bon Jovi’s solo career has included two studio albums and such hit songs as “Blaze of Glory” and “Miracle.” Outside of the Hall’s voting room, his popularity remains high. Still, it’s the voters inside who carry the most weight. (Irwin)

Tom Scholz recorded the bulk of Boston’s 17-times platinum debut album in his basement. In a sense, he remains stuck downstairs waiting for Rock Hall recognition, after becoming eligible for induction in 2002. If Scholz is irked by the exclusion, he has yet to comment on it – probably because he’s admittedly no stranger to snubs. “We happened before [critics] even knew that we happened,” Scholz told Guitar World in 2006, “and I think that really irritated some people – because they felt that they were the gatekeepers and we had passed right through it. You do that and people are going to get mad.” (Wardlaw)

Brownsville Station has been eligible since 1996, but never nominated for a possible Rock Hall induction. Fans include fellow Detroit export Alice Cooper, who cited Brownsville Station as an example of some of the “best hard rock” to emerge from the city. He praised the “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” rockers during a 2016 interview, alongside Bob Seger, the Stooges and others. (Wardlaw)

Founded in 1965 in Los Angeles, Canned Heat grew out of a small jug band to become one of the ’60s most popular counterculture groups. They’ve never been officially nominated. One possible reason why: Dozens of musicians have performed in the lineup over the years, perhaps making it difficult to narrow down who exactly would be included if they were to be honored. (Rapp)

Best known for the 11-minute 1967 psychedelic-soul hit “Time Has Come Today,” the Chambers Brothers have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1992 but never nominated. Two years prior to the release of “Time Has Come Today,” a crowd at the Newport Folk Festival memorably rushed the stage and broke down fences during their performance. “Newport had never seen or heard anything like that,” guitarist Joe Chambers told Goldmine in 1994. After their show, the Newport MC appeared on stage and said: “Whether you know it or not, that was rock ‘n’ roll.” (Rapp)

Joe Cocker has one heavy-hitting proponent of his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame candidacy. Billy Joel voiced his support back in 2014, the same year Cocker died: “I’m amazed that he’s not in yet, but I’m throwing in my vote for Joe Cocker,” Joel told fans at Madison Square Garden, while covering “With a Little Help From My Friends” as Cocker once did. He’s been eligible since 1995, but never nominated. (Wardlaw)

Phil Collins was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, but his solo career yielded five straight multiplatinum albums in the ’80s. His former bandmate Peter Gabriel was inducted as a solo artist in 2014, but Collins has yet to be nominated. “Whatever I did was compared to Peter,” Collins noted of his own solo career in a 2016 Guardian interview. “He was far more intellectual than I was.” It’s also possible that the inevitable backlash to Collins’ ’80s solo success, which included movie roles and taking a Concorde across the Atlantic Ocean to play both Live Aid shows on the same day, has had an impact: “I was always in your face. People were talking about me, usually not in a nice way. There was definitely too much of me.” (Wilkening)

Oddly enough, all of the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are in the Rock Hall – just not as a foursome. CSN was inducted in 1997, without Young, and they’ve also been included for their work in other bands: Crosby for the Byrds, Stills for Buffalo Springfield and Nash for the Hollies. Young was inducted first as a solo artist in 1995 then again for his work with Buffalo Springfield in 1997, though he did not attend the latter event. “Although I accept the honor, in the name of rock ‘n’ roll, I decline to take part in this TV presentation and be trotted out like some cheap awards show,” Young said at the time. “There are already too many of these.” (Rapp)

The Cult have never been nominated for the Rock Hall, despite being eligible since 2010 — a fact that neither surprises nor upsets Ian Astbury. “The only award we got of any significance was at the CMJ Awards in 1985 or ’86,” he told The Toronto Sun in 2016. “It was at the Apollo Theater in New York. It was for Song of the Year for ‘She Sells Sanctuary.’ And Yoko Ono got up to present it to us, and she made a speech about John Lennon and young songwriters directed at us. That moment was transcendent. There wasn’t really much that could top that.” (Rolli)

Like his Who bandmate Pete Townshend, singer Roger Daltrey was inducted into the Rock Hall as a member of the band in 1990 but has not been included as a solo artist. He has been eligible since 1999 and has released 10 solo albums. “You don’t realize how great a singer Roger Daltrey is until you try to do it yourself,” Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips once said. (Rapp)

The Spencer Davis Group has never been nominated, despite being eligible since 1991. “[Spencer Davis] was definitely a man with a vision, and one of the pioneers of the British invasion of America in the ’60s,” former band member Steve Winwood said to Rolling Stone in 2020. “I feel that he was influential in setting me on the road to becoming a professional musician, and I thank him for that.” (Rapp)

Eric Clapton is already the only three-time inductee, for his work as a solo artist, with Cream and with the Yardbirds. If the voting committee really wanted to go for it they could also honor him for his one-album stints with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos, a short-lived supergroup whose 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs also featured Duane Allman. This theoretical induction would also make Allman a two-time member of the Hall of Fame. (Wilkening)

Rick Derringer has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1999 but hasn’t been nominated. The Ohio guitarist’s career goes far beyond his own history, which includes the perennial radio favorite “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” In addition to his work with both Edgar and Johnny Winter, Derringer became an in-demand sideman, playing on albums by Steely Dan, Alice Cooper, Kiss and many others. (Wardlaw)

“The reality is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is bigger than just being about the most obvious traits of rock ‘n’ roll – it also includes concepts and ideas that changed rock ‘n’ roll,” Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh explained to NME in 2022. “At the risk of being immodest, I think Devo – bigger than our record sales – had an influence on the aesthetic and trajectory of rock ‘n’ roll, so it would be nice to be recognized.” The Hall has certainly had its chance to induct a band best known for hits like “Whip It” and “Freedom of Choice.” Devo has previously been nominated in 2018, 2021 and 2022. Should the band finally earn enshrinement, Mothersbaugh has a plan: “I’m going to buy a property right next door to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – maybe even just one parking space – and have all of Devo buried there.” (Irwin)

Despite his successful stints in Rainbow and Black Sabbath and fronting his own eponymous band, Ronnie James Dio has never been given a Rock Hall nod. He was excluded from Sabbath’s induction in 2006, and his group has gone without a nomination since 2009. “They’re a bunch of fuckin’ assholes,” former Sabbath and Dio drummer Vinny Appice said of the Rock Hall in a 2022 interview on the Talkin’ Bout Rock podcast. “I’ve been to that place, and there wasn’t really much of Ronnie in there either. It’s like, Ronnie? C’mon!” (Rolli)

Gaining respect for progressive rock has long been an uphill battle. That was Greg Lake’s view when considering why Emerson, Lake & Palmer hadn’t been inducted into the Rock Hall, despite being eligible since 1996. Years have passed and still they haven’t been nominated, which the late ELP vocalist took as a big slight. “Groups like ELP were playing stadiums. Not clubs, stadiums,” Lake told UCR in 2013. “It’s not something you can overlook: ‘Oh, I didn’t notice that.’” (Wardlaw)

Brian Eno was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music in 2019, but his resume outside of the group is also worthy of consideration. A pioneer of electronic and ambient music, Eno has released 28 solo studio albums, and has also joined forces with such acclaimed artists as Robert Fripp and David Byrne on collaborative projects. Eno has arguably had an even bigger impact behind the scenes as a groundbreaking producer on some of the biggest releases from U2, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Devo and Coldplay, among many others. (Irwin)

Best known for their 1986 hit “Tuff Enuff,” the Fabulous Thunderbirds have been eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2005. Founding guitarist Jimmie Vaughan was at least able to accept induction honors on behalf of his late brother Stevie Ray Vaughan in 2015. “I’m just proud for him,” Jimmie told Rolling Stone after giving his speech and performing alongside his brother’s former band Double Trouble at the ceremony. “I can see my mother and father excited for this. It’s validation in a lot of ways, but we would have kept playing.” (Wilkening)

For over 40 years, the Flaming Lips have been wowing fans with their ever-evolving take on psychedelic rock and pop. Is it possible the Rock Hall simply doesn’t want to pay for cleaning up the confetti and glitter that will undoubtedly cover the stage after their induction performance? (Wilkening)

Best known for mixing yodeling with progressive rock and somehow coming up with a big hit on 1971’s “Hocus Pocus,” Focus is one of the Netherlands’ most famous and enduring bands. They’ve released 11 studio albums over the years, and remain a popular touring attraction. Although their hopes for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction seem dim, frontman Thiijs Van Leer seems to take it all in stride, pointing out the absurdity of the song that brought him fame in the first place: “I studied a lot of classical piano, organ and flute, but I never studied yodeling,” he said in a Rockologist interview, “and it made me famous through the world. It’s really funny.” (Wilkening)

John Fogerty refused to perform with his surviving bandmates when Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock Hall in 1993, after years of legal and personal disputes. He became eligible for inclusion into the hall as a solo artist six years after that, but has yet to be nominated. John Mellencamp once described Fogerty as “an American original,” who wrote “one great song after another.” Fogerty has released over half a dozen solo albums, including the No. 1 hit Centerfield from 1985. (Rapp)

Foghat has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1998, with three members gaining separate eligibility in 1993 due to their prior ties with Savoy Brown. There have been no nominations for either band. “It doesn’t concern me one bit. My job is playing drums and helping the band stay on track and loving every minute of it,” drummer Roger Earl told Vintage Rock. “We’re happier being able to still record and tour, over being on display in some stuffy museum.” (Wardlaw)

Paul Rodgers has the dubious honor of fronting two separate acts that appear on this list. His first taste of fame came in Free, who earned fans across the globe thanks to such memorable hits as “All Right Now” and “Wishing Well.” The group sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, but their reputation was really made as a dynamic live act. Like Rodgers’ other collaborators in Bad Company, Free have reportedly come up in conversation during Rock Hall meetings, yet have never received a nomination despite being eligible since 1994. (Irwin)

Although Ace Frehley was inducted into the Rock Hall as a member of Kiss in 2014, he found the experience less than rewarding. Paul Stanley declined to allow the band to perform after organizers limited inductions to the original four members. “There was some political stuff going on,” Frehley explained shortly afterward. “I don’t think politics and music work, I never did.” Frehley has been eligible for solo induction since 2004, and has released nine solo albums as a solo artist and with his ’80s band Frehley’s Comet. (Wilkening)

The J. Geils Band has been nominated five times for the Rock Hall since becoming eligible in 1996. Their most recent nominations happened back to back in 2017 and 2018. At that time, frontman Peter Wolf said he felt it was time for the J. Geils Band to get their due. He also stressed that their worth went far beyond being a “party band,” as some might perceive. “Besides putting on hellafied shows and giving 110 percent night after night, we really tried very hard to give an awareness to artists that we worshiped and adored,” he told Billboard. “At the end of the day, we turned a lot of people on to John Lee Hooker. We turned a lot of people on to Smokey Robinson with ‘First I Look at the Purse,’ and so many artists who would have gone unrecognized.” (Wardlaw)

David Gilmour was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd in 1996. He’s released four solo rock albums over the years, the same number as his estranged former bandmate Roger Waters. Still, spending another decade recording and touring as a member of Pink Floyd after their initial split seems to have pushed his solo career into a lower profile, and perhaps out of the nominating committee’s mind. (Wilkening)

To borrow from their own catalog, Golden Earring are in the “Twilight Zone” when it comes to the Rock Hall. They’ve been eligible since 1991 and haven’t been nominated, despite scoring two Top 40 hits. Band members haven’t spoken about the exclusion, but they’ve shared the stage with plenty of Hall of Fame inductees including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and the Doobie Brothers. (Wardlaw)

Grand Funk Railroad has never received a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination, despite five platinum albums and hugely popular hits like “Walk Like a Man” and “We’re an American Band.” The omission doesn’t sit well with Grand Funk co-founder Mark Farner. “It just shows the illegitimacy of that Rock Hall,” he told Sofa King Cool in 2021, “and the [fans] are definitely smart enough to know this. They need to be reminded, though, that the Rock Hall is not a representation of the will of the people; it is a representation of the will of the owners of the Rock Hall.” In the end, Farner said “I don’t need to be in a Rock Hall, ’cause without the people’s opinion, it’s fake. It’s politicized and, brother, it just ain’t real.” (Wilkening)

The Winnipeg-based Guess Who hasn’t received a nomination for the Rock Hall since becoming eligible in 1991, leading fans to take matters into their own hands. A group called Guess Who 4 the Hall launched an online campaign in 2021 to get the “American Woman” rockers inducted. “Speaking for myself as a fan and a Winnipegger, they were the original rock ‘n’ roll superstars,” campaign founder Jenny Motkaluk told CTV News in 2021. “They topped the global charts in the ’70s. Their music has stood the test of time. It’s the soundtrack of a generation. And for all those reasons, we believe that they absolutely deserve a spot alongside their peers in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.” (Rolli)

Sammy Hagar was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen in 2007, but neither Van Halen brother or David Lee Roth showed up. Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony were there but didn’t perform, with Velvet Revolver tacking a nearly unrecognizable snippet of the Hagar-era “Runaround” onto the end of their rendition of “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love.” So Hagar’ – who’s been eligible as a solo artist since 2002 – could use a do-over. “It means everything,” Hagar told WKYC in 2018 about his induction as a member of Van Halen. “It’s a validation. Yeah, ‘You made it.’ And you can show that to your grandkids. There’s so many bands that get up for nomination year after year and don’t get it. Everybody I know that isn’t in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but should be is bitter. So I’m not bitter.” (Wilkening)

Hawkwind has never been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since first becoming eligible in 1996. Dozens of musicians have shifted through the space-rock band’s ranks over the years, including drummer Ginger Baker (inducted into the Rock Hall as a member of Cream in 1993) and Lemmy Kilmister, whose main band Motorhead seems a likelier candidate for future induction. (Rolli)

As the highest-selling American band in history, it makes sense that the Eagles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Founding member Don Henley first became eligible for his solo work some two decades later, in 2008. Yet despite his stand-alone successes, Henley has yet to be nominated. That seems to be OK with him: “I’m not crazy about the whole idea of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” he said in 2013. “It seems to me to be the antithesis of what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. Was it Groucho Marx who said ‘I wouldn’t want to become part of any club that would have me’? So, I’ve always felt a little queasy about the whole idea.” (Rapp)

Fair or not, Hole will always reside in the shadow of the band fronted by Courtney Love’s husband Kurt Cobain. However, it’s unkind to compare them to Nirvana, and judging Hole on its own achievements reveals plenty of merit. For starters, Hole was loudly feminist and unafraid to tackle such heavy themes as abuse, body dysmorphia and sexual exploitation within their lyrics. For all her self-destructive ways, Love was also boldly pioneering and fearless, brazenly giving the middle finger to authority like a female Iggy Pop. Hole also proved to be commercially successful, with Live Through This and Celebrity Skin both reaching platinum sales. Love was on hand for Nirvana’s 2014 induction into the Rock Hall, accepting as Cobain’s widow. Whether she ever returns to the stage remains to be seen. (Irwin)

One of the first supergroups of the ’60s, Humble Pie’s original lineup included Peter Frampton of the Herd, Steve Marriott of Small Faces, Greg Ridley of Spooky Tooth and Jerry Shirley of the Apostolic Intervention. They earned a strong reputation as a live band with their 1971 Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore double album, before Frampton left to find his own success. Humble Pie has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1995, but has never been nominated. (Rapp)

MTV-era punk heartthrob Billy Idol has never been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, despite being eligible since 2007. Still, he would welcome the recognition for himself and longtime guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens. “My reward is the audience,” Idol told Variety in 2022. “But that would be fantastic — a great thing. If me and Steve could be inducted at the same time, it would be incredible. He deserves it.” (Rolli)

One of Australia’s most successful musical acts of all time, INXS has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2006, though never nominated. They were, however, inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2001, just four years after the death of lead singer Michael Hutchence at the age of 37. A Change.org petition created by fans titled “Induct INXS into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” was launched in 2022, and drew more than 10,000 electronic signatures. “After many years of amazing music and dynamic ‘live’ performances, it’s time to ensure the legacy of one of the greatest bands in the world,” the petition read. (Rapp)

Iron Butterfly has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1994, but hasn’t ever been nominated. Their signature song “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” has proven an inspiration for millions – including Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, who borrowed from it for his solo on “The End” from Abbey Road. Iron Butterfly drummer Ron Bushy said Starr later admitted: “‘I hope you don’t mind I stole a part of your drum solo.’ I told him, ‘Not at all, I took it as a compliment coming from you.’” (Wardlaw)

Their metal brethren Judas Priest were finally inducted in 2022, leaving Iron Maiden as one of the Rock Hall’s most egregious snubs. They’ve only been nominated once, in 2021, after becoming eligible in 2005. Main songwriter Steve Harris has a positive outlook about it all. “I don’t mind that we’re not in things like that,” he told Rolling Stone in 2019. “I don’t think about things like that. It’s very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn’t get into the business for that sort of thing. I’m certainly not going to lose sleep if we don’t get any sort of award – not just that one, any award. I don’t think we deserve to have this or that necessarily. With what we do, whatever comes of it is great. Whatever doesn’t come of it is great, too.” (Rolli)

James Gang, Joe Walsh’s pre-Eagles hard rock trio, has never been considered for the Rock Hall despite being eligible since 1995. Walsh has never commented on the omission specifically, but he aired his grievances with the institution in 2018. “There’s a lot of politics in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Walsh told TMZ. “There’s a lot us artists would change about the induction ceremony and who they pick.” (Rolli)

Emerging from the Los Angeles music scene in the late ‘80s, Jane’s Addiction spearheaded rock’s evolution from glam to alternative. Led by dynamic frontman Perry Farrell, the band churned out two of the era’s most influential albums, 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual , scoring hits with such songs as “Jane Says,” “Stop!” and “Been Caught Stealing.” Farrell admitted he was “really excited” in 2017 when the group earned its lone Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination. Despite support from such notable rockers as Dave Grohl and Tom Morello, Jane’s remains on the outside looking in. (Irwin)

Though they’ve been eligible since 1994, at least one member of Jethro Tull is fine that they’ve never been nominated for the Rock Hall. Founder Ian Anderson views it as more of a spotlight for American music: “I respect the institution of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame enormously, but I don’t think we really belong in there,” Anderson told Misplaced Straws. “I can think of a few artists who probably do who are not part of that.” (Wardlaw)

Kansas has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2000. They haven’t received a single nomination, but founding member Richard Williams is hardly concerned. “Nobody that I know really cares about the Hall of Fame. I don’t get it,” he said in 2000. “It doesn’t affect what I do. I would be honored if we [were] inducted, but it will not change the things that I do.” (Wardlaw)

Even as some of their progressive peers have been inducted, King Crimson remains on the outside of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Eligible starting in 1995, they haven’t been nominated. Stalwart founder Robert Fripp, who also became eligible as a solo artist in 1994, thinks their chances are slim. “Do I think we belong there? Probably not in terms of how America defines rock and roll,” he told Cleveland.com in 2022. “I think it is highly unlikely it will ever be formally offered.” (Wardlaw)

Korn became eligible for the Rock Hall in 2020, and have not been nominated yet. But as pioneers of nu metal, their influence has touched a number of other heavy music groups. “Not only were they the band that we loved, but we also aspired to what they had,” Slipknot’s Corey Taylor said in 2014. “It’s crazy when the bands you look up to become your peers; that’s a pretty big statement to what you’ve done – especially with that band, because I have so much respect for what they’ve been able to do and what they’ve accomplished, and just how far they’ve been able to push their music.” (Rapp)

Lenny Kravitz has already taken the stage at two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies – just not as an inductee. He performed “When Doves Cry” and “The Cross” in 2017 as a tribute to Prince, and he inducted Lionel Richie in 2022. He seemingly possesses his own Rock Hall credentials, with more than 40 million albums sold worldwide and hit songs like “Let Love Rule,” “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” and “Fly Away.” Kravitz has been Hall eligible since 2015. (Irwin)

Eligible since 2009, ’80s icon Cyndi Lauper was nominated for the Rock Hall of Fame for the first time in 2023. She didn’t get in and honestly it’s hard to understand why. Her first four singles – including the immortal 1983 empowerment anthem “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” – all hit the Top 5, and she has sold over 50 million records to date. (Wilkening)

Annie Lennox was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 as a member of Eurythmics. Her solo career may be even more deserving. The dynamic singer broke out on her own in the early ‘90s, delivering such hugely popular hits as “Why,” “No More ‘I Love You’s’” and “Walking on Broken Glass.” Her first two solo projects, 1992’s Diva and 1995’s Medusa, reached double platinum status in the U.S., a level of success the Eurythmics never achieved with an album of original material. Lennox has been eligible as a solo artist since 2018, and it’s likely the Rock Hall would take some time before considering her once more. Only three women have earned a second induction: Stevie Nicks, Carole King and Tina Turner. (Irwin)

Throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Huey Lewis and the News enjoyed a commercial peak that rivaled almost any other band. They scored 12 Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including No. 1 hits “The Power of Love,” “Stuck With You” and “Jacob’s Ladder.” Their 1983 album Sports sold more than seven million copies in the U.S., and the follow-up Fore! went triple platinum. Huey Lewis and the News have been Rock Hall eligible since 2006, yet have never received a nomination. Still, this hasn’t stopped thousands of fans from rallying behind the group online, as multiple Change.org petitions have called for their induction. (Irwin)

Let’s talk right down to earth, in a language that everybody here can easily understand – Living Colour belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ever since releasing their 1988 anthem “Cult of Personality” the band has been kicking down doors that never should have been shut in the first place. They have been eligible for induction since 2014 and never nominated. (Wilkening)

Although it wasn’t a hit when it was first released, Love’s Forever Changes is considered one of the most important albums from 1967’s Summer of Love. Decades later Love’s innovative mix of folk, pop and psychedelia continues to inspire new generations of bands. They have been eligible for Rock Hall induction since 1992. (Wilkening)

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band boast the unique distinction of giving Bruce Springsteen his only No. 1 single. They’ve been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1989, but their take on Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light” hasn’t been enough to garner a nomination for induction. Still, Springsteen laughs regretfully when thinking about how the modification of the word “deuce” to something that sounded like “douche” gave them a huge hit. “I have a feeling that is why the song skyrocketed to No. 1 – but it worked, y’know,” Springsteen said on VH-1. “Deuce was like ‘Little Deuce Coupe,’ as in a two-seater hot rod, and a douche is a feminine hygienic procedure. So they are different. What can I say? The public spoke and they were right, y’now.” (Wardlaw)

Like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band helped popularize Southern rock in the ’70s. Unlike those two acts, however, they haven’t been enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Marshall Tucker released an impressive eight albums during that decade, with one reaching platinum sales and another five going gold. The group scored hits with songs like “Fire on the Mountain,” “Heard It in a Love Song” and “Last of the Singing Cowboys,” and seemed poised to continue their success into the ‘80s. However, primary songwriter Tommy Caldwell was killed in a car accident in 1980, tragically altering the Marshall Tucker Band’s trajectory. The band has continued touring and recording ever since, but has never reached the heights of success they enjoyed in the ‘70s. Despite bing Hall eligible since 1999, they’ve never received a nomination. (Irwin)

The late Meat Loaf has never been nominated for the Rock Hall, despite being eligible since 1997. It’s possible he’s never been considered because his non-Bat Out of Hell records underperformed commercially and critically, making for an uneven career. Nevertheless, epic hits like “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” earned Meat Loaf’s partner Jim Steinman’s enshrinement in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. (Rolli)

Megadeth has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2011, but the thrash forerunners have yet to be nominated. Unsurprisingly, bandleader Dave Mustaine found a way to connect his band’s exclusion back to his former band and Hall of Fame inductee Metallica. “I’m hoping that I’ll be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame too, but you know, if they don’t want me in there, it’s OK,” Mustaine told Noisey in 2016. “I mean, I am in there vis-a-vis Metallica, and no matter what those guys say or what anybody believes about their induction ceremony, they wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for me being in the band – because I was there in the beginning, so I have some satisfaction.” (Rolli)

Although they’ve been nominated four times since becoming eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, New Orleans-based funk pioneers the Meters are still awaiting their long-overdue induction. The group’s influence continues to be felt among today’s biggest jam bands and in the world of hip-hop, where their music has been sampled countless times. (Wilkening)

If Lynyrd Skynyrd’s path to the Rock Hall is any indication, it could be a much longer wait for their fellow Jacksonville Southern-rock brethren Molly Hatchet. Skynyrd was inducted in 2006, following nearly a decade of waiting and several fruitless nominations. Molly Hatchet became eligible in 2004 and hasn’t been nominated yet. But as Jacksonville writer Michael Ray Fitzgerald pointed out, Florida groups like Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet offered an edgy alternative to the mellower sounds coming out of California in the ’70s: “The bands of the epoch, particularly Lynyrd Skynyrd, embodied the harder living, forging public personas as hard partying, brawling bandits hell-bent on living fast and dying young.” (Wardlaw)

The Monkees, whose career went from fictional TV band to real-life rock ‘n’ roll, have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1992. They’ve never been nominated, but their name has been floated. In 2007, Peter Tork claimed that one of the HOF’s founders, Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner, was “single-handedly” responsible for the Monkees not being included, describing it as “an abuse of power.” Micky Dolenz, on the other hand, didn’t mind much either way. In 2018, he told Billboard that “the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is, like, a private country club, and ‘We’re not gonna let in who we don’t want in our club.’ It’s their prerogative. So I’m not going to chase it.” (Rapp)

Although Montrose released four albums during their mid-’70s run, the argument for inducting Montrose into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame relies almost entirely on their 1973 self-titled debut. Montrose introduced Sammy Hagar; his future Van Halen bandmates were among the artists who took notice. In addition to eventually recruiting Hagar to replace David Lee Roth, Van Halen covered the Montrose track “Make It Last” in their early club days and hired the same producer and engineer team of Ted Templeman and Don Landee for their first six albums. Montrose has also been cited as an influence on bands such as Motley Crue and Iron Maiden, who covered the song “Space Station #5” in 1992. In a 2018 WKYC interview, Hagar declared, “I’m on a campaign now to get that band on the ballot somehow. Because without Montrose, there would be no Van Halen, there wouldn’t have been Motley Crue, there wouldn’t have been Def Leppard. Every band I meet, they’re like, ‘The first Montrose record – the Montrose record.’ I think we should be in the Hall of Fame.” (Wilkening)

Motley Crue has never been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame despite being eligible since 2007, and bassist Nikki Sixx doesn’t anticipate that changing. When asked in 2019 if the then-retired rockers would ever reunite (they did), Sixx told Kerrang!, “I was actually doing an interview with Tommy [Lee] a couple of weeks ago, and we were asked if we would ever play together again. And Tommy said, ‘I don’t know. Maybe if we got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or something, we could dust off a couple of our old classics.’ I was, like, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Why not?’ But we don’t have any plans because we were told by the Hall of Fame that we would never get in, because of how we’ve acted, so that’s kind of it.” (Rolli)

Rock ‘n’ roll outlaws Motorhead received their first and, to date, only Rock Hall nomination for the class of 2020 — 17 years after first becoming eligible, and five years after the death of frontman Lemmy Kilmister. “I remember when we won a Grammy [in 2005] he was prouder than any of us. He really glowed,” former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee told Billboard in 2019. “I said, ‘Lem, this is pretty fucking cool,’ and he said, ‘You’re right, mate. This is great.’ And when we got our hands in the Rock Walk on Sunset in Hollywood, that was also a moment for him, and he was really proud. And this here [Rock Hall nomination] is the king of kings, if you will, so he would’ve been very, very proud.” (Rolli)

Mott the Hoople influenced scores of artists who are already in the Rock Hall, including Def Leppard and Queen, both ardent supporters of the British band that became eligible for induction in 1995. Hoople frontman Ian Hunter’s solo eligibility followed in 2001. Even though neither artist has been nominated, Leppard’s Joe Elliott is among the many who continue to plead their case. When Def Leppard was inducted in 2019, the singer brought the issue front and center, inviting Hunter to jam on Mott’s “All the Young Dudes.” As he later told UCR, “That song [has] always been my favorite-ever song, it always will be. It’s written in my will that it will be played at my funeral.” (Wardlaw)

Mountain has never been nominated for the Rock Hall, even though they’ve been eligible since 1996. Frontman Leslie West was seemingly never concerned with the group being inducted. Still, Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler is among many fans of West and the group. “[Mountain’s] ‘Mississippi Queen’ [is] one of, if not the greatest riff of all time,” the bassist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee wrote on Twitter in 2020 after West’s death. (Wardlaw)

Nazareth has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1997. They’ve never been nominated for the Hall and have never commented on the snub. But the Scottish band has a number of prominent fans, including Guns N’ Roses, who covered the group’s signature song, “Hair of the Dog.” “If it wasn’t for Dan McCafferty and Nazareth I wouldn’t be singing,” Axl Rose told a Canadian audience in 1988. “I used to lock myself in the bathroom and try to hit those notes in ‘Love Hurts.’” (Wardlaw)

New York Dolls received their first Rock Hall nomination in 2001, two years after they became eligible, and a pair of back-to-back nods in 2021 and 2022. Singer David Johansen expressed ambivalence after the band’s most recent nomination, telling Billboard, “I’m like, ‘Well, what’s the deal? We’re nominated, but we’re not inducted? We’re not inductable?’ I’m not even gonna think about that. I think about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as some homeless guy who comes in with a raincoat and a bottle of Sneaky Pete in his pocket. These guys have shaken him upside down till all the coins came out of his pocket over the years, and now they’re gonna give him an award? ‘Why don’t you sing that old song you sang?’ ‘OK, sir.’” (Rolli)

Night Ranger became eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. The San Francisco group hasn’t been nominated, even though singer and bassist Jack Blades said it “would be fun.” Still, he acknowledged they may have to wait. “I mean, dude, they haven’t even put Ted Nugent in,” he told The Music Room in 2017. “What kind of a crime is that? Give me a break. That guy’s been around since ‘Journey to the Center of Your Mind’ in 1968.” (Wardlaw)

The Beatles, Randy Newman and the Monkees sang his praises. He was a two-time Grammy winner. His songwriting continues to be revered by generation after generation of artists. Yet Harry Nilsson has been ignored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “Harry Nilsson’s voice was just one of the wonders of the pop music world,” Los Angeles Times pop music writer Randy Lewis told NPR in 2015. “He did bring this very charming and childlike quality in his music, but he would insert some very subversive messages in it – which, to me, is very rock ‘n’ roll.” Nilsson, who died in 1994, has had many grassroots campaigns championing his case to the Hall of Fame. He still has yet to receive a nomination. (Irwin)

Despite being one of the biggest record- and ticket-selling artists of the ’70s, Ted Nugent has never even been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He’s been eligible as a solo artist since 2001 and as a member of the Amboy Dukes since 1993. “It’s crazy that Ted Nugent is not there,” Metallica’s James Hetfield told MTV in 2009. “That dude is about as rock ‘n’ roll as it gets.” The “Cat Scratch Fever” singer is pretty sure his outspoken political views are what’s kept him from being inducted. In a 2018 interview, he described the Rock Hall’s directors as an “ultra-leftist, liberal CEO-driven gang who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the music.” (Wilkening)

Strip away the tabloid headlines, the infighting and the notorious tales of behind-the-scenes partying and you see Oasis for what they truly are: one of the most popular bands of their generation. With more than 70 million albums sold worldwide, their commercial success outranks such celebrated ‘90s acts as Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine and Alice in Chains. But it’s not just the sales stats that deserve consideration; the songs do, too. Hits like “Champagne Supernova,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Live Forever” have proven to be timeless, while “Wonderwall” remains one of the ‘90s’ definitive songs. Given their famously combative personalities, it’s no surprise that the Gallagher brothers have shot down questions regarding their Hall candidacy. Liam Gallagher has stated he’s “not interested” in the honor, while Noel suggested to Rolling Stone that he was the only deserving band member. (Irwin)

Unlike other southern rock bands of their era, the Outlaws set themselves apart as a collective that leaned heavily on vocal harmonization. They’ve been eligible since 2001 but never nominated. For guitarist Henry Paul, anyone wondering whether the Outlaws have merit need only attend one of their concerts. “Those questions are answered every night onstage,” he said in 2020, “by the commitment that goes with our performance and the hard work that goes into writing and recording new music. Those are all the reasons why we do what we do.” (Rapp)

Chart-topping metal titans Pantera have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2009, but they’ve yet to receive a nomination. “I don’t even think about stuff like that, man. I really don’t,” frontman Phil Anselmo told 95.9 KRFF in 2019. “I guess I know that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is kind of a difficult thing [and] they have their own rules. … I don’t really know too much about it. But I would not be surprised. And if we made it, I don’t know how I’d feel, man. I mean, it’s a great honor — it would be a great honor.” (Rolli)

On commercial success alone, Pixies, who have scored only one platinum record, fall short of typical Rock & Roll Hall of Fame standards. But in terms of influence, the Boston group can boast generations of devoted followers. Pixies’ dynamic loud-quiet-loud song structures were revolutionary at the dawn of alt-rock, copied by everyone from Nirvana to Radiohead. David Bowie and Bono are just some of the many acclaimed artists who’ve sung the band’s praises, with the U2 frontman describing Pixies as “one of America’s greatest bands ever.” In 2021, guitarist Joey Santiago admitted to The News-Herald that the band “would be honored to be inducted,” before joking that his kids would finally listen to him if he became a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. (Irwin)

Robert Plant was inducted into the Rock Hall as a member of Led Zeppelin in 1995, but the rest of his work — 11 solo albums, plus various other collaborations — has gone unrecognized by the HOF. “I was a young 20-something woman copying Robert Plant and that showed me my voice,” Heart singer and Rock Hall inductee Ann Wilson told Vulture in 2020. “I really give him all of the credit for helping me break through and being able to have that confidence.” (Rapp)

Since becoming eligible in 2012, Poison has yet to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but singer Bret Michaels still has something to believe in. “Truthfully, this seems to be a common thing, that there is this concept that there is a conspiracy against some bands, Van Halen, Kiss, and on and on, then they eventually get it,” Michaels told Cleveland.com in 2016. “I think it all comes in time [and] when the powers that be believe it’s our time, then it will be, and I’ll be grateful to accept.” (Rolli)

It took the Stooges eight nominations before they were finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Will Iggy Pop have to wait even longer to get in as a solo performer? He told Rolling Stone he was “very surprised” his band ever got the Hall call. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the inside of that neighborhood.” Pop has certainly played nice with the Hall over the years. In addition to his induction with the Stooges in 2010, Pop performed as part of Madonna’s induction in 2008 and inducted Nine Inch Nails in 2020. Pop’s solo hits include “Lust for Life” and “Real Wild Child (Wild One),” however his candidacy would be less about commercial success and more about cultural impact. Kurt Cobain, Slash, and Layne Staley are just some of the notable artists who’ve sung Pop’s praises over the years. (Irwin)

Procol Harum has been eligible since 1993 but nominated just one time, for the class of 2013. Five years later, their classic song “A Whiter Shade of Pale” was inducted into the Rock Hall’s Singles category. “We all know the history of music can be changed with just one song, one record,” E Street guitarist Steven Van Zandt said when introducing the category. “In three minutes we suddenly enter a new direction, a movement, a style, an experience. That three-minute song can result in a personal revelation, an epiphany that changes our lives.” (Rapp)

Emerging from the ashes of stoner rock pioneers Kyuss in the late ’90s, Queens of the Stone Age have reigned as one of hard rock’s most influential and beloved bands. Their more refined and increasingly pop-friendly sound has to date earned them six gold albums. They have been eligible for Rock Hall induction since 2023. (Wilkening)

Ritchie Blackmore didn’t attend the 2016 ceremony when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple because his former bandmates refused to reunite with him onstage for the event. His next band, Rainbow, which also included singer Ronnie James Dio, has been eligible since 2001, but in a 2018 Billboard interview, the guitar legend expressed contempt for the organization: “I have no interest in that type of thing. I don’t believe in people being in the position where they can say who is in and who is out in the music business. Rock ‘n’ roll is all about freedom, not having a panel of phantom arbiters discussing who is going to be in and who is going to be out.” (Wilkening)

Of all the bands likely to be inducted into the Rock Hall, Ram Jam is probably near the bottom. The group, eligible since 2003 and never nominated, wasn’t even a real band at the time the song “Black Betty” was recorded. The song dates back to the ‘30s and was eventually recorded by singer Bill Bartlett, who rearranged the music and added two verses for the ‘70s hit everyone knows. As “Black Betty” began gathering steam commercially, New York producers quickly assembled a group to back Bartlett. Cobbling together an album of songs around “Black Betty,” Ram Jam’s self-titled debut achieved modest success. But a follow-up LP quickly sank and the group parted ways in 1978. (Wardlaw)

Cleveland-based pop-rockers the Raspberries have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1998, yet they’ve never gotten so much as a nod from their hometown institution. “The process by which people are both nominated and voted in is pretty hush-hush and mysterious,” singer Eric Carmen told Cleveland.com in 2014. “The Raspberries or me? It might happen someday. Maybe it’ll happen in the influence category. [Bruce] Springsteen is a big fan.’’ (Rolli)

REO Speedwagon has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1997 but has received zero nominations. Singer Kevin Cronin told Cleveland.com in 2022 that it’s a “very narrow slice of humanity” involved with the nominating process. “I’ll be shocked if we make it to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” he said. “That’s OK as long as we can still go out and play for the people.” (Wardlaw)

Here’s another baffling Rock Hall snub. Although they’ve been eligible since 2007 and were nominated in 2014, indie rock legends and longtime press darlings the Replacements remain on the outside looking in.

David Lee Roth became eligible for the Rock Hall as a solo artist in 2011 but has yet to receive a nomination. That’s probably just fine by both parties, as Roth famously declined to attend Van Halen’s 2007 induction after a dispute with Velvet Revolver, who inducted them. Eddie and Alex Van Halen skipped the ceremony too, leaving only ex-members Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar to accept the honor. (Rolli)

A true virtuoso, Joe Satriani is regarded as one of the most technically proficient guitarists in rock history. Generations have been influenced by his work, some more directly than others. Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett were famously students of Satriani’s who have gone on to massive careers of their own. Though Satriani has certainly had commercial success, his candidacy suffers from not having hit songs or albums beyond 1987’s Surfing with the Alien. Instead, his Hall destiny seems more likely tied to the Musical Excellence Award, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honor that is regularly bestowed on musicians whose expertise has influenced others in the industry – including Randy Rhoads, Billy Preston and Nile Rodgers, among others. (Irwin)

Scorpions became eligible in 1998 but have never been nominated. The German hard rock group’s singer, Klaus Meine, said they’d love to join the ranks. “It’s a huge honor for every musician out there,” he told Billboard in 2017. “For us, being a European band, that would really mean the world to us.” (Wardlaw)

Glam titans Slade staples in record collections of future Rock Hall inductees like Cheap Trick and Def Leppard. Eligible since 1995, British the group has been name-checked by Sex Pistol Steve Jones and Joey Ramone as a major influence, but they haven’t been nominated for induction. Still, their legacy includes hits like “Cum On Feel the Noize” and 1973’s “Merry Xmas Everybody.” Singer Noddy Holder was later eyed as a potential replacement for AC/DC’s Bon Scott but turned down the gig citing loyalty to Slade. (Wardlaw)

Arguably the most brutal band of the Big 4, Slayer rose to prominence with a series of landmark ‘80s albums that influenced countless extreme metal bands. Despite this, they’ve never been nominated for the Rock Hall since becoming eligible in 2009 — but guitarist Kerry King thinks they deserve it. “I think it took them a long time to get Metallica in there. But Metallica basically opens the door for us, because when you think of metal, who do you think of next from that generation?” he told VH1 in 2015. “Of course, there’s Sabbath, Priest and Maiden, without question. But for the Big 4, you think Metallica. … We’ve always been number two on the Big 4 shows. So come on, Rock Hall, give us that call! We’re ready! I’ll donate some change or something.” (Rolli)

Since 1994, Sleater-Kinney has fearlessly blazed a unique trail through the worlds of punk, indie and alternative rock. The only thing they seem to fear is repetition, which means even their most devoted fans may disagree heartily about which era or album represents their peak. (My vote is for the raw guitar overload of 1995’s The Woods.) They’ve been eligible since 2020 and somehow never nominated. (Wilkening)

One of the ‘90s most popular rock acts, the Smashing Pumpkins boast an impressive resume. All four of the band’s studio albums during that decade reached platinum sales, with 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness going diamond (10 million copies sold). Hit songs like “Today,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “1979” kept the band on radios across the world, while their videos earned heavy rotation on MTV. Although such commercial heights did not follow into the 2000s, the band has more than held its own since the millennium changed and continues landing singles in the alternative Top 20. “If it’s a meritocracy, I think my band belongs in [the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame] because we were one of the prime bands of our era and we continue to be a top band,” Corgan declared to Rolling Stone in 2016, the same year the band became eligible. The Smashing Pumpkins still have yet to receive a Hall nomination. (Irwin)

Formed in New York City in 1981, Sonic Youth were one of the most innovative indie rock bands of their time. Their pioneering use of alternative tunings and general fearlessness displayed on landmark post-punk albums such as Sister and Daydream Nation has had an enduring impact on the history of rock music. They have been eligible for induction since 2008 but never nominated. (Wilkening)

Nirvana is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. So is Pearl Jam. And yet grunge’s other leader, boasting the greatest rock singer of their generation, is not. Soundgarden’s style was heavy and powerful, with elements of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin mixed within their formula. The Seattle group was the first grunge act to sign with a major label, and they never looked back. “Spoonman,” “Fell on Black Days” and the irrepressible “Black Hole Sun” remain ‘90s essentials. Soundgarden was a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee in 2020 but failed to be selected for induction. (Irwin)

Billy Squier was one of the hottest rock acts of the early ’80s, releasing platinum-plus selling albums in each of the decade’s first three years. The much-mocked video for 1984’s “Rock Me Tonight” brought that all to a crashing halt. Within days, “I was playing to half-empty houses. … Everything I’d worked for my whole life was crumbling,” he told the New York Post in 2013. “How can a four-minute video do that?” However, his music has found a second and very lucrative life through hip-hop, as songs such as “The Big Beat” and “The Stroke” have been sampled countless times by some of the genre’s biggest artists. “I wouldn’t want to end up in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as ‘Master of Hip-Hop Samples,'” he told the Boston Globe in 2005, “but you take what you can get.” (Wilkening)

After striking gold as a member of Stealers Wheel with 1973’s “Stuck in the Middle with You,” Gerry Rafferty launched a solo career that generated four more Top 20 hits including “Baker Street” and “Right Down the Line.” (Wilkening)

Steppenwolf had been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 1994. They received their first and only nomination as part of the 2017 class but weren’t selected. The band’s frontman, John Kay, was appreciative but stopped short of taking credit for popularizing the term “heavy metal,” which appears in the lyrics of their hit “Born to Be Wild.” “There’s another camp that says in Williams Burroughs’ book, Naked Lunch, there is the phrase ‘heavy metal.’ [it’s actually used in his novels The Soft Machine and Nova Express],” he explained to Billboard that year. “So there are different schools of thought who argue that to death. Personally, I don’t really give a rat’s knuckle as to who’s right.” (Wardlaw)

Stephen Stills made history in 1997, becoming the first person to be inducted into the Rock Hall twice in the same evening (for his work with CSN and with Buffalo Springfield.) The year before, he became eligible for inclusion as a solo artist but has not been nominated. “He’s a musical genius,” Neil Young once said of his former bandmate, while singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne has credited Stills’ “Treetop Flyer” as the reason he quit his job to pursue music full-time. (Rapp)

Sting was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Police in 2003. But his solo career has now lasted nearly four times as long as his former band, and he has earned seven platinum albums and 10 Top 20 singles in that time. He’s been eligible as a solo artist since 2008. (Wilkening)

Stone Temple Pilots’ statistics speak for themselves: More than 40 million albums sold worldwide, eight No. 1 singles on the Billboard rock chart and a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. The band’s debut album, Core, was a defining alt-rock release, while hit singles “Plush,” “Creep,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart” remain rock radio staples. In 2020, guitarist Dean DeLeo admitted it “would be quite an honor” if STP was inducted. The band has been eligible since 2018 but has never been nominated. (Irwin)

The rockabilly band formed in 1979 by Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom became eligible for the Rock Hall in 2007. They’ve yet to be nominated, but Setzer is entirely open to the idea. “You know, I think it’s an honor,” he told Rolling Stone in 2021. “I honestly don’t know how those things work. My guitar’s in the Smithsonian, but I think Stray Cats should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, yeah. But I’m not losing any sleep over it.” (Rapp)

Eligible since 1998, Styx has never been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Guitarist Tommy Shaw told radio station WRIF in 2020 that they received the validation that really matters from their fans a long time ago. “I’ll be honored, I’ll go [and] I’ll do it,” he said. “But I kind of stopped paying attention to whether we qualify for being in there.” (Wardlaw)

Blurring the lines of reggae and punk, Sublime had a brief but highly influential run in the mid-’90s. The group’s distinctive style initially forged a dedicated fan base in Southern California, before stretching across the States. Debut album 40oz. to Freedom gave the band early attention, but it was their third LP, 1996’s self-titled release, that took things to the next level. Buoyed by such hugely popular hits as “What I Got,” “Wrong Way” and “Santeria,” the album sold more than 5 million copies. It proved to be their last, as singer Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose before the LP’s release. “I don’t have any faith in the industry,” drummer Brad Gaugh declared in 2008 regarding Sublime’s Rock Hall chances. “I’m pretty sure that rock ‘n’ roll has done rolled itself up and smoked it. Do I think Sublime deserves to be inducted? I’m just happy the Hard Rock Casino hasn’t taken our display down.” (Irwin)

Supertramp has been a candidate for Rock Hall induction since 1995 but hasn’t been nominated. The lack of respect has been consistent in the group’s history, as singer Roger Hodgson once pointed out. “The critics never knew what to do with us. We weren’t a band that had major scandals to write about,” he told Something Else! “We weren’t a band that had major problems to write about. It was really just about the music, and the artistry surrounding that music. Unfortunately, that can sometimes become boring for those in the media.” (Wardlaw)

Survivor has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2005, but it might take more than a knockout punch to get them in. The Chicago group became famous for soundtracking Sylvester Stallone’s blockbuster Rocky III with “Eye of the Tiger,” which gave them their only No. 1 single. Keyboardist Jim Peterik has also been in the running since 1992 for separate induction with his band the Ides of March, known for their song “Vehicle.” To date, neither group has been nominated. (Wardlaw)

Ten Years After has never been nominated for the Rock Hall since first becoming eligible in 1993. Between 1968-73, the British band enjoyed eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the U.K chart and 12 albums on the U.S. Billboard 200. But guitarist Alvin Lee, who died in 2013, was never interested in fame. “I’m anti-celebrity,” he said in a 2012 interview. “I became a rock star and a celebrity, and I hated it. It didn’t suit me. It was like pretending to be someone, like Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis. It wasn’t me. I’m a musician.” (Rapp)

Them had only a few hit singles, including the classic “Gloria,” but their influence stretched wide. The Belfast group played shows with the Doors in Los Angeles before Van Morrison quit Them in 1966. They’ve been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1990 but never nominated. Morrison was inducted as a solo artist in 1993 and has emphasized that recognition isn’t all that important. “Celebrity means someone who’s celebrated,” he said in a 1997 interview, “but I often find celebrity can mean anything now, from someone who knows someone who knows someone who’s famous, or something! It’s meaningless. I always said I don’t want to be a celebrity and I still don’t. I do the music and I keep doing what I’m doing.” (Rapp)

Thin Lizzy cultivated an influential career based on their powerful, heavy sound. Frontman Phil Lynott, who died in 1986, remains revered as a songwriter, while the band’s cultural impact – being an Irish group made up of both Catholics and Protestants during a period of upheaval between the two sides – cannot be overstated. Thin Lizzy’s lone Rock Hall nomination came in 2020, and when the band was not announced among the inductees, Scott Gorham, the group’s longest-tenured guitarist, took to social media to express his gratitude to their fans. “It is of course disappointing that despite your efforts, we did not make the final cut,” he said in part. “It would have been great to be inducted, but knowing of your continued support over the years means ultimately more than being recognized by a panel of industry experts.” (Irwin)

38 Special hasn’t been nominated for the Rock Hall since becoming eligible in 2003, but Don Barnes prefers to focus on the positives. “You’ll see on Twitter where these radio stations will tweet out, ‘Coming up this hour: The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and 38 Special,'” he told Soundbard in 2016. “We’re so thankful. We had no idea – we were just trying to survive.” He echoed those sentiments in a 2021 interview with AL.com: “If the sun shines on you, be happy. Because most of the time it doesn’t work. It’s 95% failure, maybe five percent success, so you might publish 100, 200 songs and maybe have five, six hits, whatever. And we were lucky to have about 15 over the years.” (Wilkening)

Three Dog Night had plenty of hits, but you won’t find them in the Rock Hall. Singer Chuck Negron has a pretty good idea why the group, eligible since 1995, hasn’t been nominated. “The fact that we didn’t write our own music, which really shouldn’t affect our chances, hurt us, I think,” he told Forbes. “We discovered some great writers – we had been around for a while, as A&R guys, etc. That’s the thing. They looked at us as doing other people’s music. But that’s how rock ‘n’ roll started, people covering blues songs.” (Wardlaw)

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Tool has released only five albums. They’ve certainly made each one count. The band’s debut, 1993’s Undertow, was a prog-metal onslaught, led by the surprising radio hit “Sober.” The LP reached multiplatinum sales, something all but one Tool LP has done. Three of the band’s albums, Lateralus (2001), 10,000 Days (2006) and Fear Inoculum (2019) have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a testament to the band’s enduring popularity. They also have four Grammys, further cementing the band’s credentials. Despite all of these achievements, Tool, who became eligible in 2018, has never been nominated for the Rock Hall. (Irwin)

Toto first became eligible for Rock Hall induction in 2004 but has yet to appear on the ballot. Founding member Steve Lukather points to “glaring omissions” regarding bands that should be in and said he doubts Toto will ever be inducted. “It was a fix from the start. You know what I mean,” he said in a 2019 chat with radio station KBGO. “Rolling Stone hated us from day one. So, they’re never going to start liking us all of a sudden.” (Wardlaw)

Pete Townshend was at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum’s groundbreaking ceremony in Cleveland in 1993. Three years earlier he was inducted into the Hall as a member of the Who but has yet to be nominated as a solo artist despite being eligible since 1998. “Pete Townshend is one of my greatest influences,” Rush’s Alex Lifeson once told Guitar World. “More than any other guitarist, he taught me how to play rhythm guitar and demonstrated its importance, particularly in a three-piece band.” (Rapp)

Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has expressed a rather complex variety of thoughts on his band’s Rock Hall induction chances. “I am an egomaniac and a narcissist but not to the point where I think [that] Twisted Sister should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” he explained in 2018. “No, we shouldn’t … we don’t make that mark.” That said, he agrees with metal fans and artists who say the organization discriminates against the genre. “The RnR Hall committee members are arrogant elitist assholes who look down on metal and other bands that sell millions because we’re not their definition of cool,” he tweeted in 2021. “I want to say FU, but I want them to have to deal with us.” (Wilkening)

Given the institution’s well-known bias against hard rock and heavy metal, British genre pioneers UFO may never make it into the Rock Hall of Fame. In addition to selling over 20 million records on the strength of anthems such as “Doctor Doctor” and “Rock Bottom,” the band has had a large influence on inductees such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest and Def Leppard. (Wilkening)

British rockers Uriah Heep have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1996. Founder Mick Box isn’t losing any sleep over their lack of a nomination but thinks they have merit for induction. “It’s a pretty good life already,” he said in 2019. “I mean, the thing they do overlook is that we were pioneers for a lot of bands throughout our career.” (Wardlaw)

Joe Walsh was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Eagles in 1998. Solo hits like “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Life’s Been Good” and “All Night Long” easily make the case for Walsh as a solo honoree, along with a reputation as one of his generation’s greatest guitarists. For his part, Walsh doesn’t seem to put too much stock in the Rock Hall’s picks: “There’s a lot of people, I don’t know why they’re in there,” Walsh told TMZ in 2018, “and there’s a lot of people, I don’t know why they’re not.” (Irwin)

War, eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 1996, has been nominated three times: in 2009, 2012 and 2015. The band’s founder, Howard Scott, was particularly upset after missing out on the 2012 inductee class, which included Beastie Boys, who sampled War’s “Low Rider” on their 1986 debut album, Licensed to Ill. “We were cranking out gold records when they were still in diapers,” Scott told TMZ at the time. “How could the Beastie Boys get in before us when they sampled War’s music on their first album?” (Rapp)

When Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, Roger Waters opted not to attend. Would he show up if he was inducted as a solo artist? He’s had less success individually than he did with his former band, but Waters’ impact on popular music is unquestioned, and he remains a massive concert draw the world over. The outspoken musician’s politics would surely ruffle some Hall voters’ feathers, but his induction speech and performance would be must-see events. (Irwin)

“We’ve never really been a big critics favorite or a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame favorite. But it seems like it could happen,” Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo responded when asked by radio host Stryker about his band’s potential to enter the Hall. With 15 albums under their belt, Weezer certainly has the body of work to make a persuasive argument. Their 1994 self-titled debut, known to most as the Blue Album, remains a gem of the era, with such celebrated tunes as “Buddy Holly,” “Undone (The Sweater Song)” and “Say It Ain’t So.” Still, their longevity may prove to be their greatest asset. The band has landed an astounding 21 songs in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Alternative chart, 18 of which came after the dawn of the 2000s. (Irwin)

First eligible in 2023, it’s hard to understand how the White Stripes weren’t selected as first-ballot Rock Hall of Famers. With Jack White emerging as one of the few guitar heroes of his generation, the prolific duo were at the forefront of the rock revival of the 2000s, and their 2003 anthem “Seven Nation Army” has become ubiquitous at major sporting events around the world. (Wilkening)

Industrial metallers White Zombie have been eligible for Rock Hall induction since 2011 but have not yet received any nominations. “The Hall of Fame for rock ’n’ roll is a little weird, ‘cause it really seems like you should just go into the Hall of Fame and break everything,” the band’s former frontman Rob Zombie told Rolling Stone in 2011 when he inducted Alice Cooper into the institution. But he softened his stance after he “realized it’s not really about the Hall of Fame inducting them; it’s sort of like the other artists inducting each other and what they mean to each other.” Although White Zombie disbanded in 1998, former bassist Sean Yseult said she would be open to a reunion if the group was ever enshrined. (Rolli)

With the amount of love that’s been showered on Wilco by rock critics in the last three decades, you’d think the alt-country heroes would have been VIP-style escorted into the Rock Hall instantly, since those same writers make up a big part of the voting pool. But they’ve been eligible since 2020 and never even nominated. (Wilkening)

Edgar Winter doesn’t seem to be particularly worried about his own chances of being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The multi-instrumentalist behind early ’70s hits such as “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride” is more concerned with honoring his late brother, Johnny Winter: “I think Johnny should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Edgar told the Blues Network in 2022, after releasing the sibling tribute LP, Brother Johnny. “I think he deserves to be.” As for his own career hopes Winter declared, “It’s been a great ride for me and all I can say is I’m going to continue making music that I love.” (Wilkening)

Steve Winwood was nominated for the Rock Hall in 2003 as a solo artist for the first and only time. He didn’t make it in, but he was included the following year as a member of Traffic. He’s also technically eligible for a third inclusion, as a member of Blind Faith. But Winwood alone has been an influence to countless singer-songwriters, surprising people along the way. “I thought he had the greatest voice, this skinny little English kid singing like Ray Charles,” Billy Joel once said. Winwood’s former bandmate, Spencer Davis, felt similarly: “He was able to copy Jimmy Reed, and I thought, ‘Where the hell is this voice coming from?’ From a diminutive guy, at that age, how can he do it? But he did it.” (Rapp)

Would an induction of Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic upset Rock & Roll Hall of Fame purists? Undoubtedly, yes. Still, there’s no question that the man has dominated his own unique world of music for more than four decades. Yankovic has released 14 albums, six of which have gone platinum. He’s won five Grammys, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2022 was honored with a biographical parody film. While some of his biggest hits – like “Eat It,” “Amish Paradise” and “Smells Like Nirvana” – have ribbed other songs, Yankovic has also found a passionate fan base for his original numbers. Is he a traditional Hall candidate? Not at all. But considering no other music-based comedian before or after Yankovic has maintained such heights, you kind of have to throw out the rule book on this one. (Irwin)

Warren Zevon became eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 but has never been nominated. In 2017, when David Letterman inducted Pearl Jam into the Hall, he added that he hoped one day he could return for the induction of his “good friend Warren Zevon,” who died in 2003. Bob Dylan also gave a nod to Zevon and his music in his 2022 book, The Philosophy of Modern Song: “Being a writer is not something one chooses to do. It’s something you just do and sometimes people stop and notice. Warren was a writer till the very end.” (Rapp)