BTS will be returning to the red carpet with the American Music Awards 2026.
BTS Returns to American Music Awards, Eyes Artist of the Year
The May 25 BTS red carpet appearance at AMAs ends a four year wait in the US awards scene. As fans wait for their live appearance, the group aims to add more honors to their existing 12 AMA wins.
Highlights
- BTS will make a special appearance at the American Music Awards while competing for three major awards, including Artist of the Year.
- Since debuting at the AMAs in 2017, BTS has won 12 honors, becoming one of the most awarded groups of today’s time.
- BTS’ AMAs appearance comes amid their massive Las Vegas city wide event and sold-out stadium concerts tied to ARIRANG.
After four years, the BTS American Music Awards 2026 is set to take place. It is now confirmed that the septet will be making a special appearance at the 52nd annual ceremony on Monday, May 25, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Hosted by Queen Latifah, the show will air live at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT / 5:30 a.m. IST) on Paramount+ and CBS. Additionally, the tickets for the ceremony will be available on AXS. While fan voting for most categories has ended, windows for Social Song and Tour of the Year remain open. Fans can vote in these two categories via VoteAMAs.com and share with the stated hashtags on their Instagram profiles.
BTS AMAs 2026 Nominations, Legacy and Performances
BTS is set to compete for three award categories, namely Song of the Summer for Swim, Best Male K-pop Artist, and Artist of the Year. The group had earlier grabbed the top prize in 2021, making them the first boy band to win since One Direction in 2014-15, breaking Taylor Swift’s three-year hold. This year, BTS is nominated alongside Swift, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Bad Bunny.
Image Credit: The American Music Awards (AMAs) 2026 - Instagram
Being the first Korean act to perform on the AMAs (established 1974), BTS has gained 12 total honors across group and individual activities, including:
- 2025 — Favorite K-Pop Artist (Awarded only to RM for Right Place, Wrong Person)
- 2022 — Favorite K-Pop Artist (the category’s inaugural winner)
- 2022 — Favorite Pop Duo/Group
- 2021 — Artist of the Year
- 2021 — Favorite Pop Duo/Group
- 2021 — Favorite Pop Song (for Butter)
- 2020 — Favorite Social Artist
- 2020 — Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock
- 2019 — Favorite Social Artist
- 2019 — Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock
- 2019 — Tour of the Year (for the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself stadium tour)
- 2018 — Favorite Social Artist
Alongside winning honors, BTS has also performed thrice at the award show. The American Music Awards BTS performances include DNA (2017), Life Goes On and Dynamite (2020), and Butter, along with their Coldplay collaboration My Universe (2021). With DNA, BTS marked their first US TV debut, and since then they have never looked back in the American market.
The AMAs 2026 Lineup
Although BTS attending the awards night may excite the audience, the award ceremony has a roster of top artists performing. According to Variety, the following artists are set to complement the BTS AMAs 2026:
- KATSEYE
- Twenty One Pilots
- Teddy Swims
- Keith Urban
- Hootie & the Blowfish
- Maluma
- Riley Green
- SOMBR
- Billy Idol
- New Kids on the Block
- The Pussycat Dolls
BTS to Takeover Las Vegas in the ARIRANG Era
BTS live appearance in 2026 and nomination in the AMAs anchors a massive citywide takeover in Las Vegas, US. Apart from taking part in the awards ceremony, the group is set to perform for four sold-out nights at Allegiant Stadium (May 23-24, 27-28) for its Arirang world tour, which will move through Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Australia. The tour opened in Goyang (South Korea) and Tokyo (Japan) before hitting Tampa, El Paso, and Mexico City; more recently, the group also concluded a Stanford run.
Additionally, the group’s citywide immersive experience BTS The City Arirang is set to hit Las Vegas, lighting its famous “strip” with “Arirang Red Illumination,” as a sign of honor to their fifth studio album ARIRANG. The Las Vegas strip is a four-mile stretch of road lined with the world's largest resort hotels, casinos, and entertainment venues.
BTS ARIRANG Charts Success and Global Promotions
BTS secured their seventh Billboard 200 No. 1 with ARIRANG, which created history by remaining atop the chart for three weeks, while its lead single Swim reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. Built around themes of native cultural identity and reunion post their military service, the era has unfolded through a series of high-profile moments. These include the BTS 2026 comeback event, a massive Seoul launch staged at Gwanghwamun, and a March Netflix documentary. Notably, the Gwanghwamun event was also livestreamed worldwide on Netflix, with a total of 18.4 million recorded. The global promotions were further bolstered by a NYC Spotify event alongside a two-night appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with performances at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Author
Diya Mukherjee is a Content Writer at Outlook Respawn with a postgraduate background in media. She has a passion for writing content and is enthusiastic about exploring cultures, literature, global affairs, and pop culture.
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