In their first appearance at the American Music Awards since completing their military service, BTS swept every category they were nominated in — delivering a triumphant comeback on music’s biggest fan-voted stage.
Las Vegas belonged to BTS on Monday night. At the 52nd American Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+, the seven-member South Korean supergroup took home three trophies — including the night’s most coveted honour, Artist of the Year — completing a clean sweep of every category in which they were nominated. It was a homecoming that the group’s devoted ARMY fanbase had been waiting years for, and it did not disappoint.
Las Vegas belonged to BTS on Monday night. At the 52nd American Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+, the seven-member South Korean supergroup took home three trophies — including the night’s most coveted honour, Artist of the Year — completing a clean sweep of every category in which they were nominated. It was a homecoming that the group’s devoted ARMY fanbase had been waiting years for, and it did not disappoint.
Las Vegas belonged to BTS on Monday night. At the 52nd American Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+, the seven-member South Korean supergroup took home three trophies — including the night’s most coveted honour, Artist of the Year — completing a clean sweep of every category in which they were nominated. It was a homecoming that the group’s devoted ARMY fanbase had been waiting years for, and it did not disappoint.
“ARMY, we made it once again. Our biggest thanks and gratitude goes to all ARMYs all over the world, who stood by us for the past 13 years.”
— RM, accepting Artist of the Year at the 2026 AMAs
Beyond the awards, BTS also put on a show. The ceremony opened with a pre-taped performance by the group — filmed at their concurrent run of stadium shows at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — and they later took the stage live to perform “Hooligan,” a track from their 2026 comeback album ARIRANG. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in March, earning the group their seventh chart-topper in the United States with 641,000 equivalent album units in its opening week. The Song of the Summer win for “SWIM” confirmed what the charts had already been saying — that BTS’s return has been one of the most impactful musical comebacks in recent memory.
Beyond the awards, BTS also put on a show. The ceremony opened with a pre-taped performance by the group — filmed at their concurrent run of stadium shows at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — and they later took the stage live to perform “Hooligan,” a track from their 2026 comeback album ARIRANG. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in March, earning the group their seventh chart-topper in the United States with 641,000 equivalent album units in its opening week. The Song of the Summer win for “SWIM” confirmed what the charts had already been saying — that BTS’s return has been one of the most impactful musical comebacks in recent memory.
For BTS, the evening was more than a trophy haul — it was a statement. After years of a phased hiatus as each member fulfilled his military obligations, the group has returned not merely intact but reinvigorated, and the fans who refused to look away have been rewarded with chart history, a new album, and now, once again, the biggest fan-voted award in American music.
