South Korean girl group TWICE has won Best Female K-pop Artist at the 2026 American Music Awards, becoming the first K-pop girl group to take home a trophy at the long-running US ceremony, a milestone widely noted by industry observers and the group's global fanbase.
A history-making category
According to Soompi, the AMAs took place on May 25, 2026 in Las Vegas. TWICE prevailed in a competitive field that also included aespa, BLACKPINK, ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM. It was the group's first nomination at the show, making the win an immediate landmark for both the act and for the broader female K-pop scene in the United States.
Fan vote drove the win
As reported by The Korea Herald, AMA winners are determined entirely by fan voting, which made the result a direct reflection of the global fanbase known collectively as ONCE. The nine members of TWICE — Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu — thanked their fans after the win was announced on the night.
Riding the This Is For tour wave
The trophy comes mid-cycle for the group's fourth studio album This Is For, released in 2025. According to Pollstar, the supporting This Is For World Tour launched in July 2025 in Incheon and is scheduled to run a total of 78 shows worldwide, finishing at London's O2 Arena on June 4, 2026. The trek is the first TWICE tour to feature a 360-degree in-the-round stage configuration for fans.
What it means for K-pop
Per allkpop, the trophy adds to a steady string of crossover milestones for K-pop girl groups in the US market, where streaming numbers and album sales have continued to climb in 2025 and 2026. With the AMA already secured, the remainder of the tour now carries an added layer of significance for the group and their fans heading into the upcoming London finale.
