The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently had the induction ceremony for an impressive slate of artists including Nirvana, Kiss, and Linda Ronstandt. The Rock Hall plays an important part in preserving rock history and educating the world on the music that shaped our culture. An interesting question was posed to me this week, who from my lifetime would be in the Hall? Rock has been in the indie fringes for the last 15 years or so, and there aren’t rock stars like their used to be. However a few great 90s alt bands should get in, like Pavement, Moby, and The Stone Roses.  The Hall of Fame states that an artist can be inducted 25 years after the release of their first album, and my friends birth years average out to 1995. So in 2020 or so, what rock acts will be inducted? (no rap was included on this list, just rock and roll)

Sure Bets–

Radiohead: Year Eligible-2018 (first album is 1993, but yes, they’re that important): The indie gods broke new ground in the late 90s and 2000s with the Kid A and OK Computer after having solid lo-fi rock success with The Bends and Pablo Honey. The two formers are both often listed among the best albums of their decades. With Kid A being named the greatest album of the 2000s by Rolling Stone. Radiohead is still headlining festivals today and releasing fantastic work 20 years later.

Daft Punk: Year Eligible-2022: Though they only have four studio albums, Daft Punk popularized electronic music and have a long string of successfull singles. And with Random Access Memories being a huge success both criticaly and commercially, Daft Punk is looking like the dominant kings of electronic music for at least a good while longer.

Likely–

Modest Mouse: Year Eligible-2021: Though perhaps the most spotty of all the acts on this list, Modest Mouse have a rare achievement. For a time in the 2000s they became stars when rock and roll was all but dead in the mainstream. It helped they had a set of stellar albums including the masterfull Good News For People Who Love Bad News.

The Strokes: Year Eligible-2026: The hype surrounding the Strokes was huge before they even released an album. However after 4 subsequent albums of high praise and audience love, they’ve proven they were the heaps of praise showered upon them.

Arcade Fire: Year Eligible-2029: Besides being arguably the best live act of the past decade of alternative music, Arcade Fire have become one of the most daring and exciting bands in the studio. Before this years stellar Reflektor which was an resounding success, Arcade Fire had 3 great albums under their belt. Including the Suburbs, which won a grammy, and Funeral, which was named as one of the top five albums of the 2000s in Rolling Stone.

Possible (some higher than others):

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Year Eligible-2028: Key Album- Fever to Tell

Arctic Monkeys: Year Eligible-2029: Key Album- AM

Animal Collective: Year Eligible-2023: Key Album- Merriweather Post Pavillion

Less Likely (Should/could get in, but either are too young to know, or don’t have a large following):

The National: Year Eligible -2026: Key Album- Boxer

Phoenix: Year Eligible -2025: Key Album- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Belle and Sebastian: Year Eligible-2021: Key Album- The Life Pursuit

Vampire Weekend: Year Eligible-2033: Key Album-Modern Vampires of the City

Sigur Ros: Year Eligible-2022: Key Album-( )

Bright Eyes: Year Eligible-2023: I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning

Wilco: Year Eligible-Year Eligible 2020: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

So in all likeliness rap and pop will outnumber rock, but this is a great group of artists and and rock should have at least four or five solid candidates.