Swedish pop group Abba was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday night in New York City. Abba's members, from left to right, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson in an undated file photo distributed by Polydor Records. (Polydor/Associated Press)Swedish supergroup Abba, veteran progressive rockers Genesis, reggae great Jimmy Cliff, punk iconoclasts the Stooges and Britrock pioneers the Hollies were all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday night.

The ceremony took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City although the Hall itself is in Cleveland.

Those who've questioned whether Abba, with catchy hits such as Dancing Queen and Waterloo, qualified as a rock band now have an answer from Joel Peresman, the Hall of Fame's president and chief executive.

"They had huge support from the voters who were other musicians," he told the Wall Street Journal. "Years later, things can sometimes seem cheesy. But at the time, they were really groundbreaking in song structure and production."

But fans of the band are disappointed that the group did not take the stage for the first time since it disbanded in 1982. Two original members skipped the event: Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog, who doesn't fly anymore.

Genesis was inducted by Trey Anastasio of Phish, whose band paid tribute to both incarnations of Genesis by performing Watcher of the Skies and No Reply at All. The new inductees were missing Peter Gabriel, a founding member and lead singer who had to take a pass because he's rehearsing for his solo tour.

Former bandmate Mike Rutherford said Gabriel wanted to send his apologies for missing the event.

Anastasio recalled buying Genesis albums as a teenager. He called the band "rebellious, restless and constantly striving for something more."

"Every musical rule and boundary was questioned and broken," he said. "It's impossible to overstate what impact this band and musical philosophy had on me as a young musician. I'm forever in their debt."

Allan Clarke, left, and Graham Nash, centre, both founding members of the Hollies, perform with Pat Monahan of Train after the Hollies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday night. (Jason DeCrow/Associated Press)Singers Allan Clarke and Graham Nash led the way in performing two of the Hollies biggest 1960s hits, Bus Stop and Carrie-Anne.

Nash teased his former colleagues for having the "audacity" to have big hits after he left. He joined in singing one of them, Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress).

Clarke recalled telling his father he was going to become a professional musician. His father told him that bands only last three or four years, so bank as much money as you can.

"Well, dad, I'm being inducted into a museum," Clarke said. "How's that for longevity?"

Also inducted were raucous rockers Iggy Pop and the Stooges and reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff.

Pop delivered middle-finger salutes to his audience and had his shirt off even before performing Search and Destroy. He prowled through the audience for I Wanna Be Your Dog, and the Stooges were joined onstage by inductor Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.

"Roll over Woodstock," Pop said. "We won!"

Music executive David Geffen and songwriters whose work sold hundreds of millions of copies joined the Hall as non-performers.

With files from The Associated Press