Artists Newly Eligible for 2023 Rock Hall Who Weren’t Nominated

One of the most buzzworthy moments in the world of music every year is when the nominees are announced for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This year, Iron Maiden, Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine were among the nominees, but there were quite a few artists who were newly eligible to be nominated, and weren’t.

The Rock Hall changed the eligibility requirements to be nominated this year, according to NPR, so artists whose first release came out in 1997 are eligible, as well as artists whose first release came out in 1998. Thus, the pool of artists who could have been nominated is much larger.

There are quite a few rock and metal artists with debut releases in ’97 and ’98, some of which were EPs, and others were albums. As long as it was a “commercial recording,” it can be either. Many of these groups and individuals didn’t see commercial success until a few years after their initial releases, but they’re still eligible.

“An artist’s musical impact and influence on other artists, length and depth of career and body of work as well as innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration,” the Rock Hall’s website reads.

So, we compiled a gallery to show you all of the rock and metal acts that could have been nominated, but weren’t. Their first recordings are listed underneath the image, and we put a note if the release was an EP. As you’ll see, artists who became popular during the nu-metal era make up a big bulk of the list. Feel old yet? Scroll below to see them all.

See the full list of 2023 nominees here, and fans’ reactions to the list at this location.