BTS emerged as one of the biggest winners at the American Music Awards (AMAs) 2026, taking home the coveted Artist of the Year award and marking another milestone in the group’s long-running association with the ceremony.

 

The group also won Song of the Summer for Swim, becoming the first Asian act to claim the honour. BTS further secured the Best Male K-pop Artist title and presented the Best Female R&B Artist award to SZA during the event hosted by Queen Latifah in Las Vegas.

Full winners list at the American Music Awards (AMA) 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.

 

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.

 

Special honours:

 

·        International Artist Award of Excellence — Karol G

 

·        Veterans Voice Award — Darius Rucker

 

·        Lifetime Achievement Award — Billy Idol.

 

Genre winners:

 

·        Best Latin Album — Tropicoqueta by Karol G

 

·        Best Female R&B Artist — SZA

 

·        Breakthrough R&B Artist — Leon Thomas

 

·        Best Rock/Alternative Song — Back to Friends by Sombr.

More about the American Music Awards (AMA) 2026

The 2026 AMAs, hosted by Queen Latifah in Las Vegas, turned into a major moment for K-pop globally, with BTS, KATSEYE and HUNTR/X emerging among the night’s most-discussed acts.

 

As the group reassembled on a major American awards stage after years spent on separate projects and military enlistments, BTS’s appearance particularly elicited emotional reactions online. Fans referred to it as a “full-circle moment.”  In addition to breakout performers like KATSEYE and the fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” the 2026 AMAs honoured musicians such as Taylor Swift, SZA, Karol G, and Sabrina Carpenter.