AMAs 2026: BTS is Artist of the Year; full winners list out
BTS returned to the American Music Awards after five years, winning Artist of the Year and Song of the Summer. Their reunion-era appearance and speeches made them one of the ceremony's biggest talking points. Check out the full winners list.
Global pop titans BTS turned the 2026 American Music Awards (AMA) into a global fan moment once again as the group not only bagged major honours, but also dominated online chatter with their reunion-era appearance, speech and stage presence. The septet returned to the AMAs stage for the first time in five years, with fans flooding social media after the group addressed ARMY and reflected on their journey together.
BTS won Artist of the Year — one of the biggest honours of the night — marking another milestone in their long-standing relationship with the AMAs. They also made history with their second win of the night for SWIM. BTS picked up Song of the Summer for SWIM, the only Asian group to ever clinch an award in this category.
Thanking the fans, leader RM said, "First things first, big shout out to all the ARMYs in the world. Thank you so much for the love for SWIM. When we made this album, we had a lot of pressure trying to figure out what kind of music felt the most "us" right now."
On the other hand, Taehyung shared, "Thank you everyone and to everyone out there who keeps swimming, we send you our love and support," whilst also thanking everyone at their label BigHit Music. The group also didn't forget to thank ARMYs – who they call their biggest supporters. "Our biggest thanks and gratitude goes to all the ARMYs all over the world."
The group also presented an award to SZA in the Best Female Artist in R&B category, whilst also grabbing the Best Male K-pop Artist award as well.
Hosted by Queen Latifah in Las Vegas, the 2026 AMAs also celebrated artists including Taylor Swift, SZA, Karol G, Sabrina Carpenter and breakout acts such as KATSEYE and fictional K-pop act HUNTR/X from Netflix’s ‘KPop Demon Hunters’.
Full winners list at American Music Awards 2026
Major categories
Artist of the Year — BTS
Song of the Year — Golden by HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami)
New Artist of the Year — KATSEYE
Album of the Year — Sabrina Carpenter for Man's Best Friend
Collaboration of the Year — Details awaited officially
Best Male Pop Artist — Justin Bieber
Best Female Pop Artist — Sabrina Carpenter
Best Pop Album — Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend
Special honours
International Artist Award of Excellence — Karol G
Veterans Voice Award — Darius Rucker
Lifetime Achievement Award — Billy Idol
Pop and viral categories
Song of the Summer — Swim by BTS
Best Pop Song — Golden
Best Music Video — KATSEYE for Gnarly
Throwback Song of the Year — Rock That Body by Black Eyed Peas
Genre winners
Best Female R&B Artist — SZA
Breakthrough R&B Artist — Leon Thomas
Best Rock/Alternative Song — Back to Friends by Sombr
Best Latin Album — Tropicoqueta by Karol G
The night also marked a major moment for K-pop globally, with BTS, KATSEYE and KPop Demon Hunters collectively becoming some of the biggest talking points of the ceremony.
BTS’ appearance especially sparked emotional reactions online, with fans calling it a “full-circle moment” as the group reunited on a major American awards stage again after years dominated by solo projects and military enlistments.