LOS ANGELES, United States — K-pop powerhouses BTS and BLACKPINK’s Lisa emerged as major victors at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, held on September 27 at the Peacock Theater.
Global sensation BTS secured three awards during the event, snagging Song of the Year and Best K-pop for their track “Swim,” as well as the Best Group title. The victories marked a strong return to the VMA stage for the ensemble, who last claimed an award at the ceremony in 2022 when they won Group of the Year—the category now rebranded as Best Group.
Lisa, who attended the star-studded ceremony in person, picked up the Best Pop trophy for her collaboration “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi.” The achievement marks her fourth career VMA trophy, adding to her previous Best K-pop wins in 2022, 2024, and 2025 for her feature track “Born Again” alongside Doja Cat and Raye.
The night also celebrated several other major pop heavyweights. Taylor Swift captured Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Best Direction for “Opalite.”
Pop icon Madonna was named Artist of the Year while sweeping Best Dance, Best Cinematography, and Best Choreography for “Confessions II – The Film.” Additionally, Madonna teamed up with Sabrina Carpenter to claim Best Collaboration for “Bring Your Love.”
Rising artist Sienna Spiro was named Best New Artist, while genre-specific honors went to Cardi B and Kehlani for Best Hip-Hop (“Safe”), Bruno Mars for Best R&B (“I Just Might”), Olivia Rodrigo for Best Alternative (“the cure”), Bad Bunny for Best Latin (“NUEVAYoL”), and Ella Langley for Best Country (“Choosin’ Texas”).
Technical awards rounded out the evening, with Ariana Grande winning Best Visual Effects for “hate that i made you love me,” PinkPantheress earning Best Art Direction for “Stateside + Zara Larsson,” and Sabrina Carpenter taking Best Editing for “House Tour.”