TWICE won Best Female K-Pop Artist at the 2026 American Music Awards, giving the group a fresh U.S. awards milestone on a night when K-pop dominated far beyond its own category. The 52nd AMAs took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25, 2026, with CBS and Paramount+ carrying the broadcast live across the United States. For TWICE and ONCE, the result was not just another trophy. It was proof that the group’s long-running international fanbase still moves with force inside a fan-voted U.S. awards system.
The official American Music Awards winner announcement lists TWICE as the winner of Best Female K-Pop Artist. Soompi also reported that the group took home the award after the 2026 ceremony in Las Vegas, while Billboard’s winners list placed TWICE ahead of fellow nominees aespa, BLACKPINK, ILLIT, and LE SSERAFIM in the category.
“Thank you so much to all the Onces who voted for us and made this possible,” TWICE wrote after the win, according to The Korea Herald. “We truly couldn’t have done it without you! A million thanks and all our love.”
What TWICE won at the 2026 American Music Awards
The award’s official name matters. Some early posts and fan updates used wording such as Best Female K-Pop Group, but the AMAs winner page and major U.S. outlets list the category as Best Female K-Pop Artist. That distinction places TWICE directly inside the AMAs’ current K-pop category structure rather than a one-off group honor.
| Category | Winner | Other nominees reported by Billboard |
|---|---|---|
| Best Female K-Pop Artist | TWICE | aespa, BLACKPINK, ILLIT, LE SSERAFIM |
| Best Male K-Pop Artist | BTS | ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, Stray Kids, TOMORROW X TOGETHER |
The result carries extra weight because the AMAs are built around fan response. The AMAs described the 2026 ceremony as the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, with eligibility connected to music released and distributed in the United States. In that setting, a TWICE win reflects more than name recognition. It shows that ONCE remains organized across time zones, voting windows, and platforms long after the group’s first wave of Western expansion.
Why this win lands differently for TWICE
TWICE’s American awards path has never relied on sudden virality alone. The group built its U.S. presence through touring, English-language releases, catalog growth, and a steady transition from K-pop institution to global arena act. The 2026 AMAs result fits that longer arc. It confirms that the group’s appeal still turns into measurable fan action at an American mainstream awards show.
The competition also makes the win sharper. BLACKPINK remain one of the most visible global K-pop acts. aespa carry strong digital momentum and an unmistakable concept identity. LE SSERAFIM have pushed hard into Western festival and performance circuits. ILLIT represent the new-generation surge. TWICE winning over that field tells a clear story. The group’s established fandom has not aged out of the global awards conversation. It has matured into a reliable voting bloc.
That matters for JYP Entertainment as well. TWICE are no longer being measured only by comeback-week numbers or Korean music show trophies. Their brand now works across legacy, touring demand, fan memory, and U.S. recognition. The AMAs trophy puts all of those pieces into one visible result.
A K-pop-heavy AMAs night gave TWICE a larger frame
TWICE’s category win did not happen in isolation. The 2026 American Music Awards became one of the most K-pop-centered ceremonies in recent memory. Variety reported that BTS won Artist of the Year, Song of the Summer, and Best Male K-Pop Artist, while KATSEYE won New Artist of the Year, Best Music Video, and Breakthrough Pop Artist. The same report listed KPop Demon Hunters as Best Soundtrack and noted multiple wins tied to “Golden,” the song performed by the singing voices of HUNTR/X.
That broader picture helps explain why TWICE’s award feels bigger than a category result. K-pop was not treated as a side lane at the 2026 AMAs. It shaped the night’s headline narrative. BTS carried the top artist story, KATSEYE turned a rookie moment into major-category recognition, and TWICE anchored the female K-pop category with a fan-powered victory. For more context on the ceremony’s build-up, see Jirasi’s earlier coverage of BTS’s 2026 American Music Awards appearance.
What ONCE proved with the AMAs vote
Fan-voted awards often reveal a group’s current organizing power more clearly than chart snapshots. A streaming chart shows what people played during a fixed window. A fan vote shows who returned day after day, followed instructions, rallied others, and stayed emotionally attached to the outcome. TWICE’s message to ONCE after the ceremony made that link explicit. The group credited voters directly rather than treating the award as a distant industry prize.
That is why this moment will likely travel through fandom spaces as a shared win. For longtime fans, it rewards years of support that began before TWICE became a regular U.S. touring force. For newer fans, it gives a simple entry point into the group’s current status. TWICE are not just a beloved second-to-third-generation bridge in K-pop history. They are still winning present-tense battles on international stages.
What comes next after TWICE’s 2026 AMAs win
The immediate effect is visibility. Awards wins create fresh search demand, social clips, short-form edits, and renewed catalog listening. A Best Female K-Pop Artist trophy also gives press outlets a concise way to describe TWICE’s U.S. standing in future coverage. The group now enters its next release, tour announcement, or brand campaign with a new American awards line attached to its name.
The longer effect depends on how JYP and TWICE use the moment. A fan-voted AMAs win can support U.S. media positioning, but it becomes stronger when paired with music, touring, and clear storytelling. TWICE already have the catalog and fanbase. The 2026 AMAs added another proof point: ONCE still answer when the group calls.
For K-pop’s wider awards race, the message is just as direct. The field is crowded, younger acts are rising fast, and global platforms reward constant motion. TWICE’s win shows that established groups still hold power when fandom loyalty, catalog memory, and international visibility line up. At the 2026 American Music Awards, that combination was enough to put TWICE on top.
Sources
Sources used for this report include the American Music Awards official winners announcement, Soompi, Billboard, Variety, and The Korea Herald.
