Overview
- The ceremony wrapped Saturday night at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater with a program that balanced celebrations of new inductees and emotionally charged tributes.
- Salt‑N‑Pepa entered with an energetic medley, and Cheryl “Salt” James used her speech to champion women in music and to spotlight the group’s fight to reclaim their master recordings from Universal Music Group.
- Cyndi Lauper reframed “True Colors” as a call to courage, then performed with Raye and Avril Lavigne backed by an all‑female band that included Go‑Go’s drummer Gina Schock.
- Outkast were honored without a joint performance as André 3000 delivered a long, tearful speech, while The White Stripes marked their induction without a reunion, with Twenty One Pilots and Olivia Rodrigo with Feist handling tributes and Meg White absent.
- Soundgarden’s moment centered on the legacy of Chris Cornell, with Jim Carrey giving the induction speech, Cornell’s daughters participating, and guest vocalists joining the band, as the night also featured Stevie Wonder’s Sly Stone salute and Elton John’s homage to Brian Wilson.