Two things can be true at the same time. K-pop is an inextricable force in global pop culture, and has long been undercelebrated at institutions like the Grammys, where K-pop artists have performed but never taken home a trophy.
That could change at the 2026 Grammy Awards. Songs released by K-pop artists — or K-pop-adjacent artists, more on that later — have received nominations in all four big categories for the first time.
Rosé, perhaps best known as one-fourth of the giant girl group Blackpink, is the first K-pop artist to receive a nomination in the record of the year field for “APT,” her mega-hit with Grammy favorite Bruno Mars.
The song of the year category also features K-pop nominees for the first time. “SUITABLE.” will go head to head with “Golden” by fictional girl group HUNTR/X, performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack.
And girl group Katseye, the brainchild of HYBE, the entertainment company behind K-pop sensation BTS and countless other international acts, created in the image of the K-pop idol system, has been nominated for best new artist.
Then read – Grammy Awards 2026: date, time, nominees, artists, presenter and how to watch the awards ceremony
Is this a historic moment for K-pop?
It depends on who you ask.
Areum Jeong, assistant professor of Korean Studies at Arizona State University and author of K-pop Fandom: Performing Deokhu from the 1990s to Today, says that most of these nominations seem to her more like “a hybrid, deterritorialized idea of K-pop,” rather than a recognition of K-pop.
Story continues below this ad.
While Rosé “was recruited and trained under the K-pop system, and while ‘APT’ contains some Korean drinking game motifs,” Jeong says, “the song doesn’t feel like a localized K-pop production. …The same goes for Katseye, who was trained and produced under HYBE but was marketed more toward Western fans and listeners.”
Jeong says they both “APT.” and Katseye’s “Gabriela,” which will compete head-to-head with “Golden” in the pop duo/group performance category, “feel less K-pop than other K-pop songs that might have been nominated over the years.”
She maintains that the same goes for Kpop Demon Hunters’ music. “It is very similar to ‘APT’ in the sense that it takes inspiration and motif from Korean culture,” where “K-pop serves as an idea, a starting point or a motif, creating alternatives or new possibilities.”
Mathieu Berbiguier, visiting assistant professor of Korean Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, notes that these nominations differ from previous K-pop Grammy nominations because they are “Golden,” “APT.” and Katseye boast “a mainstream popular music factor.”
Story continues below this ad.
That is the connection of a very popular Netflix movie (Kpop Demon Hunters), a collaboration with Bruno Mars (“APT”), and the international membership of Katseye and the Netflix series (Pop Star Academy: Katseye), respectively.
“It tells you that K-pop is no longer considered a niche thing,” he says. “Now, when we think about pop music in general, we also think about K-pop as a part of it.”
Bernie Cho, an industry expert and president of South Korean agency DFSB Kollective, agrees that there is international appeal for the nominees.
“All the nominees represent a kind of post-idol K-pop, in the sense that Rosé, the three ladies of HUNTR/X and Katseye represent the globalized version of K-pop, where the ‘K’ is very present, but some people might argue that it is silent. The songs are not necessarily for Korea, of Korea, of Korea, just beyond Korea,” he says. “It’s a celebration and testament to how diverse and dynamic K-pop has become.”
Story continues below this ad.
Why are these acts recognized now?
“For years, the Recording Academy has looked down on K-pop groups that have set record standards, like BTS, Seventeen and Stray Kids,” Jeong argues. “I think one of the main reasons is that the Western world is still resistant to lyrics in languages other than English.”
“I’m not surprised that ‘APT’ and Katseye’s music, which contains mostly English lyrics and seems less K-pop, was nominated,” he continues.
Berbiguier adds that “it is a reflection of current K-pop trends: the fact that there is less and less Korean and more and more English.”
Story continues below this ad.
There may be an additional factor at play. Tamar Herman, music journalist and author of the Notes on K-pop newsletter, says many critics and industry voices found 2025 to be a lackluster year for new pop music in the US, a fact that was all but confirmed in Luminate’s 2025 Midyear Report, which found that flows of new music had slowed compared to the previous year, potentially due to a dearth of chart-dominating megahits.
“Yes, it’s a great moment for K-pop, but it’s so overdue that these recognitions are more of a sign of how poor the music industry did in the US this year than we’re looking externally,” he says.
He argues that the recognition of Korean entertainment by American entertainment industries is more symbolic of the decline of American cultural dominance than “K-pop is really good, because K-pop has been really good for a long time,” he says. “This is all a recognition of the overall improvement of storytelling and the overall improvement of taste.”
“I don’t want to diminish it,” he adds. “These are all good, universally friendly, accessible pop songs.”
And if they weren’t, they wouldn’t connect.
Story continues below this ad.
“It’s very obvious that they’re not just performers. They’re artists. They’re singers. They’re songwriters,” Cho says.
Will a K-pop artist win a Grammy for the first time this year?
The jury is still out.
“I think it’s not even a question of if or when. It’s going to be who and how many,” Cho says.
Others are less committed. “It’s hard to predict,” says Berbiguier. “To me, it’s more likely that ‘Golden’ will get one.”
Story continues below this ad.
“Yes and no,” Herman offers. For her, it depends on a fluid and evolving definition of K-pop. After all, HUNTR/X is a fictional girl group from an animated movie that did not debut in the K-pop music industry system. Would a win for your song “Golden” mean a win for K-pop? That’s a matter of opinion.