Take a trip down memory lane at Oracle with the Electric Light Orchestra.

Combining modern pop-rock sensibilities with a classical orchestral flourish, ELO — known to oldsters, of course, as Electric Light Orchestra — is the band that everyone loves but no one admits to loving. Rock fans turn up their noses at frontman Jeff Lynne’s earnest progressive-fusion sci-fi influences as too kitschy, while pop connoisseurs dismiss the band’s bombastic sound as uncouth. Yet somehow ELO is still going strong, performing at sold-out shows to audiences who may deny that they were there the next day.

Jeff Lynne took over as bandleader in 1972 and has written almost all of the band’s material ever since, blending diverse musical influences to craft over 20 Top 40 Hits in the United States and Europe. And who can’t immediately conjure up that iconic opening riff from “Evil Woman,” the band’s first global hit under Lynne’s tenure, immediately from memory? Not to mention that the band was finally admitted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. Maybe it’s time to finally come out of the closet and admit the truth: We all like ELO. They might even be, dare we say it, cool.

Thu., Aug. 2, 8 p.m., $49.50-$5,000, Oracle Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. OracleArena.com.