BTS Takes Three MTV VMAs, Led by Song of the Year for 'Swim,' as Lisa Wins Best Pop and Swift Sets Record

LOS ANGELES — BTS won all three categories in which they were nominated at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, led by song of the year for "Swim," while Blackpink's Lisa took home best pop, the first prize of the night, at a ceremony where Taylor Swift and Madonna dominated the top honors.

The show was held at Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles and hosted by Snoop Dogg, according to CelebrityAccess and Billboard. It aired live on CBS, and CelebrityAccess reported that the broadcast began later than planned after the network's Baltimore Ravens-Dallas Cowboys game ran long.

BTS won song of the year for "Swim," the title track of the group's fifth studio album, "Arirang," beating a field that included Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas," HUNTR/X's "Golden," Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter's "Bring Your Love," Olivia Dean's "Man I Need," PinkPantheress' "Stateside" with Zara Larsson, and Raye's "Where Is My Husband!," according to Variety's list of nominees. "Swim" also won best K-pop, where BTS edged out Blackpink, Cortis, Katseye, Le Sserafim, featuring BTS member J-hope, and Lisa, Gulf News reported. The group also won best group, a fan-voted category.

BTS was nominated for song of the year in 2021 with "Dynamite" but did not win, and that the group returned five years later to take the trophy. It said Rosé became the first Asian solo artist to win the category last year with "APT." alongside Bruno Mars, and that BTS is now the first Asian group to win it, making this the second consecutive year a K-pop-related song was named song of the year. The outlet also said BTS added to its best group history with a win this year after taking the award four years in a row from 2019 to 2022. CelebrityAccess reported that all three of BTS's awards were among the categories announced outside the live television broadcast.

BTS thanked fans in a social media post after the wins. "We're truly honored to win BEST GROUP, SONG OF THE YEAR, and BEST K-POP at the 2026 #VMAs. Thank you, ARMY," the group wrote, according to MissMalini.

Lisa won the first award of the evening, best pop, for "Dream," featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi, Billboard reported. She is the second Asian artist to win the category after BTS in 2020 and the first Asian solo artist to do so. It reported that she shed tears when her name was called and, after greeting the audience in English and Thai, said, "The dreams I held late at night brought me here today. Thank you." Lisa was also among the night's performers, Billboard reported.

Elsewhere, Swift and Madonna split the biggest honors. Madonna won seven Moon Persons, including artist of the year, best dance and best collaboration with Carpenter for "Bring Your Love," Gold Derby reported. CelebrityAccess said she also opened the show with her first VMA performance in 23 years. Swift won video of the year for "The Fate of Ophelia" and best direction for "Opalite," and she received the first MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, presented by Dakota Johnson. The honors pushed her past Beyonce to become the most-awarded artist in VMA history, CelebrityAccess reported. Gold Derby put her career total at 32. Swift then premiered the video for her new song, "Patient Zero," which she released Friday.

Other winners included Sienna Spiro for best new artist, chosen by fans over Bighit Music's Cortis, according to Gulf News. Cardi B and Kehlani won best hip-hop for "Safe," Bruno Mars won best R&B for "I Just Might," Olivia Rodrigo won best alternative for "the cure," Bad Bunny won best Latin, and Ella Langley won best country, MissMalini reported. Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award. Kacey Musgraves performed a tribute to Dolly Parton, and Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims honored George Michael.

The K-pop wins carry symbolic weight because of how the awards have treated the genre. The best K-pop category was created in 2019, and K-pop fans have criticized it for segregating their artists from major categories such as video of the year and artist of the year, according to Wikipedia. Song of the year is one of the major categories, which is why BTS's win there stood out to the outlets covering the ceremony.

The results also show how K-pop's presence at U.S. awards shows has grown. "Golden," the song from Netflix's animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," was among the nominees for song of the year, and Le Sserafim, Blackpink, Katseye and Cortis were all in contention in the best K-pop category.

The VMAs, launched in 1984, remain among the major popular music awards in the United States. BTS and Lisa left with four trophies between them, while Swift and Madonna divided the night's top prizes.