Cyndi Lauper, Salt-N-Pepa shake Rock Hall of Fame induction with epic 'band of women' VIA USA TODAY

Story by Bryan Alexander and Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY

Sandra Denton (Pepa) and Cheryl James (Salt) of Salt-N-Pepa perform onstage during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.© Theo Wargo, Getty Images for RRHOF

LOS ANGELES − The girls weren’t just having fun at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction; they stole the stage.

Toward the end of the 4½-hour-long ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8, inductee Cyndi Lauper skipped through a vibrant and touching set that included her LGBTQ+ anthem “True Colors” and, with the British singer Raye, the eternally beautiful "Time After Time."

Then Lauper really started to romp in Los Angeles' Peacock Theater, hitting “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with a lineup of women that included Avril Lavigne on vocals. As the crowd roared, fellow inductees Salt-N-Pepa rushed the stage to join the joyful anthem.

“See what happens when you let the riff-raff in?” Lauper said, accepting the honor after thanking her "badass band of women."

It was, unequivocally, ladies' night, with Chappell Roan presenting the award to Lauper ("My lifelong inspiration") and Olivia Rodrigo singing along vociferously from the audience.

“I know that I stand on the shoulders of the women in the industry who came before me. And my shoulders are broad enough to have the women who come after me stand on mine,” Lauper said during her speech, adding, “The little kid in me still believes that rock ‘n’ roll can save the world.”

Lauper also proved her MVP status during the show’s finale, a gut-bellowing version of fellow inductee Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help From My Friends" with Susan Tedeschi, Bryan Adams, Chris Robinson, Nathaniel Rateliff and Teddy Swims.

Sandra Denton (Pepa) and Cheryl James (Salt) of Salt-N-Pepa perform onstage during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.© Theo Wargo, Getty Images for RRHOF