K-Pop Groups That Made The Biggest Impact In 2026, According To Experts

In 2026, the K-Pop industry witnessed remarkable achievements from various artists who captivated both fans and professionals. Surveys conducted by JoyNews24, involving 142 industry insiders — including entertainment company staff, broadcast professionals, and music producers — highlighted the artists described as having made the biggest impact domestically with the titles of “Best Song” and “Artist Of The Year.”

Here are the artists that were included in the lists.

Song Of The Year

1. ATEEZ — “Bad”

ATEEZ‘s track “Bad” trended for several months, becoming a viral sensation. The song received 27 votes.

2. RESCENE — “LOVE ATTACK”

The girl group has quickly risen from “nugudom,” as fans have described it, making a huge impact despite the song’s original 2024 release. The song received 21 votes.

3. AKMU — “Paradise of Rumor”

Following their departure from YG Entertainment, the duo released their first album under their own label. “Paradise of Rumor” is not the album’s title track, but it received 14 votes.

4. MAMAMOO’s Hwasa — “Good Goodbye”

Hwasa‘s “Good Goodbye” remained a trendy track throughout the year for the delivery of its message. The song received 13 votes.

CORTIS‘s “Red Red” took 5th place with 12 votes, I.O.I‘s “Suddenly” came in 6th with 7 votes, and A2O LITE‘s “NEON” ranked 7th with 5 votes. BTS‘s “SWIM” and BIGBANG‘s “BiiiG” tied for 8th, each receiving 4 votes.

i-dle‘s “Mono,” NCT 127‘s “Blingy”, aespa‘s “Lemonade,” Hearts to Hearts‘ “Rude!”, Choi Yena‘s “Catch Catch”, NMIXX‘s “Heavy Serenade”, ILLIT‘s “It’s Me,” IVE‘s “Bang Bang”, and i-dle Soyeon‘s “I’m Quitting” each received two votes.

Artist Of The Year

1. ATEEZ

ATEEZ took first in both categories, with experts citing the group’s live performances and content contributing to their placement outside of their viral hit. ATEEZ received 27 votes.

ATEEZ | KQ Entertainment

2. RESCENE

RESCENE also ranked second in this list, showing their triumphant rise and continued success. The group received 24 votes.

RESCENE | THE MUZE Entertainment.

3. BTS

2026 saw the return of BTS, and their combined musical efforts and chart performances aided them in this ranking. The group received 23 votes.

BTS | BIGHIT MUSIC

4. AKMU

AKMU left YG Entertainment after 12 years and established their own label, seeing great success with their first release including an ALL KILL on the charts. AKMU received 13 votes.

AKMU | Cemter of Inspiration

BIGBANG came in 5th with 8 votes, CORTIS came in 6th with 6 votes, while aespa and NCT 127 tied for 7th with 3 votes. I.O.I, A2OLITE, Hwasa and Choi Yena each received 2 votes for a four way tie for 8th place.

Several popular artists also received at least one vote: PLAVE, TXT‘s Yeonjun, AKMU’s Lee Chanhyuk, Silica Gel, ENHYPEN, TWS, LUN8, DAY6, NMIXX, RIIZE, NCT WISH, BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, TREASURE, ATEEZ’s Choi San, KiiiKiii, Lee Seung Yoon, Hanroro, Lim Young Woong, i-dle, i-dle’s Jeon Soyeon, ZEROBASEONE, BLACKPINK‘s Jennie, Hearts2Hearts, DAY6’s Young K, and IVE

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