Four years after their last VMA win, BTS returned to the winners’ list with a clean sweep. The group won every category in which it was nominated at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home Song of the Year and Best K-pop for “SWIM,” plus Best Group.
The biggest prize of the three was Song of the Year. “SWIM” is part of ARIRANG, BTS’s first album in three years and nine months, making the win a high-profile moment in the group’s return to recording together.
BTS credited ARMY for the support behind the awards. In a statement shared through BIGHIT MUSIC, the seven members called ARIRANG a new beginning and said they looked forward to bringing fans more music and performances.
But BTS wasn’t K-pop’s only major winner in Los Angeles. BLACKPINK’s Lisa beat a Best Pop field that included Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter with “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi.” It was her fourth VMA—and a win in one of the ceremony’s broader genre categories.
Elsewhere, Swift won Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia,” while Madonna claimed Artist of the Year and finished as the night’s biggest winner with seven awards. BTS and Lisa’s victories gave K-pop its own share of the spotlight, with trophies for a group comeback and a solo artist’s pop breakthrough.
