After The White Stripes, Who’s Next? Predicting the Next 2000s-Era Acts to Be Inducted into Rock Hall (2025)

A new era has begun in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While the Class of 2025 honors some long-overdue legends like Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Bad Company, and Cyndi Lauper, it also welcomes new blood: The White Stripes, now officially inducted after just two years of eligibility.

It’s not exactly a surprise that they made it. The White Stripes’ first official release arrived in 1998, and with the Hall’s 25-year eligibility rule, Jack and Meg White were perfectly poised for a nomination. More notably, though, they’re the first major act whose rise was almost entirely rooted in the 2000s, marking a shift toward a new generation of inductees.

Thanks to the 25-year rule, an entire pool of 2000s-era artists is now coming into play. Over the next few years, we’re likely to see a lot more names like The White Stripes, as well as fellow 2025 inductees OutKast, whose late-’90s breakthroughs blurred into massive 2000s success. Of course, some 2000s standouts have already made it in, like Foo Fighters, Green Day, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Radiohead — though, like OutKast, their ’90s credentials certainly helped.

So, with time passing and eligibility gates swinging open, it’s worth asking: Who’s next? Will currently eligible acts like System of a Down, Blink-182, or P!NK get the call? And how long before the likes of Beyoncé, The Strokes, or Amy Winehouse find their place among Rock Hall royalty? The Cleveland institution has been cautious about embracing newer acts, but with a new generation stepping up, it’s only a matter of time before more 2000s stalwarts join the ranks. Read on for our predictions of which artists might be next.

Coldplay

Eligible Since: 2023

With The White Stripes only having to wait a couple years to get their nod, our best bet is on Coldplay next. They haven’t necessarily achieved a similar level of critical acclaim, but Coldplay have maintained an overwhelming amount of success over the last 25 years and are currently one of the most bankable touring acts of all time. Granted, they haven’t scored a nomination in their two eligible years yet. Still, their enduring appeal from the early 2000s to today — especially around the world, as they’ve expanded their formerly anglo-centric sound to fit the Global Coldplay Vehicle — is unlike any of their contemporaries. They’ve never been the subject of major controversy, they’ve championed eco-friendly touring, collaborated with the biggest pop stars on the planet, and above all, they’ve promoted kindness and cross-cultural reverence in a way that makes millions of people happy. In 2026, who knows? But Coldplay feels like a no-brainer for the Rock Hall.

Daft Punk

Eligible Since:2020

Okay, obviously Daft Punk are as much a late-’90s act as they are a 2000s act. But they belong on the list because their global explosion really began around their second album, Discovery, in 2001. From there, Daft Punk brought electronic music into the new millennium with unmatched creative ambition; they donned the helmets, spun up electrifying old samples, and created a new framework for a genre that had only just begun its global dominance. In doing so, they completely changed rock and roll (and popular music) forever. Now several years after their breakup, Daft Punk’s influence has been made very clear — which is why it’s so surprising that they’ve yet to receive a nomination. But hey, it took Kraftwerk nearly 20 years to get their due from the Rock Hall, and though they weren’t the primary pioneers of a genre, Daft Punk bears a similarly-sized footprint to them. They should be in now, and we think it’s coming.