While many of the headlines leading up to the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this weekend were about who wouldn’t be there, our highlights from Saturday night’s (Nov. 14) show at L.A.’s Peacock Theatre are all about who showed up and showed out.
The night was bookended by two surprise performances, starting with 2005 inductees U2 playing a brand-new song and a classic to kick things off and ending with 2001 inductees Aerosmith joining forces with 2009 inductees Run-DMC to perform their pioneering rock/hip-hop mash-up “Walk This Way,” a top five Billboard Hot 100 smash in 1986.
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In between, a mixture of rising stars and bona fide legends showed up to either introduce or pay musical tribute to the Class of 2026 — or, in some cases, the inductees themselves got in on the action. The full Wu-Tang Clan hit the stage for a medley, while Queen Latifah and MC Lyte joined forces for a joint performance celebrating their contributions as women in hip-hop, Billy Idol and his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens did one solo song and one duet with a famous face, and Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order was surrounded by superfans for a celebration of his dual groups.
The through-line of the night was innovation. While the Rock Hall has expanded far beyond the genre of rock & roll, each member of the new class has something vital in common: They changed music for generations to come.
Below, find Billboard‘s best moments from the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will air Dec. 8 from 8-11 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on Disney+ the next day.