From tears in the crowd to Artist of the Year: BTS's journey at the American Music Awards

There are awards, and then there are nights that define an entire career. For BTS, the American Music Awards, the AMAs for short, are exactly that kind of place, since nowhere else is it clearer just how far they've come. Their story with that stage covers almost the group's entire journey, from the moment they were just a curious newcomer from Korea to the moment they became the biggest name of the night.

It all started in November 2017, at the 45th AMAs in Los Angeles. BTS did something no Korean group had done before, performing their hit DNA and becoming the first K-pop group to perform at a major American awards show, and also their very first American television appearance of any kind. For the members, it was a moment full of meaning. Ahead of the performance, RM admitted that as kids of thirteen or fourteen, they used to watch AMA footage on YouTube, and couldn't believe they'd now be standing on that same stage themselves.

What happened that night exceeded expectations. They walked out one by one, coming together into flawless choreography, and the crowd's reaction was incredible. Part of the audience was so moved that people were openly crying, well-known musicians filmed them in admiration, and actor Jared Leto, who came out right after them, said he needed a moment to recover from what he'd just seen. On top of all that, the venue rang with loud, coordinated fan chants, spelling out the members' full names in rhythm, showing America what real K-pop energy looks like. That night, millions of posts went up online about their performance.

Years of steady rise followed that debut. BTS came back to the AMAs year after year and regularly took home the Favorite Social Artist award, confirming the strength of their global community. But the real turning point came in 2021. That year, BTS won the night's top award, Artist of the Year, beating out names like Taylor Swift, Drake, and The Weeknd. That made them the first Asian act in history to win that prestigious, fan-voted award. They marked the night further with a performance too, playing My Universe together with Coldplay and closing with Butter. In his speech, RM said seven boys from Korea, brought together by a love of music, had found love and support from fans all over the world, calling the whole story a miracle.

Then came the crowning moment, 2026. At the 52nd AMAs, held May 25 in Las Vegas, BTS took home three awards and were among the biggest names of the night. They won Song of the Summer for the single SWIM off the album ARIRANG, Favorite Male K-Pop Artist, and were named Artist of the Year for the second time in their career. In that category, they beat out enormous competition, from Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars to Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, and Harry Styles.

That second win for Artist of the Year carries extra weight in the history books too. It made BTS one of the rare few acts to win that award more than once, and with two wins they tied groups like One Direction for the most wins of that title. They made the whole night even more special by having all seven members present to accept the award, fresh off the stage themselves, since they were in the middle of a run of sold-out Las Vegas concerts those very days. Accepting the award, RM told fans they'd done it again, and thanked ARMY for standing by them for thirteen years now, while Jungkook added with a smile how wonderful it was to be there again.

Add it all up, and BTS now hold fourteen AMA wins, and their story with that stage perfectly sums up their whole journey. From a group America was just getting to know in 2017, to two-time Artists of the Year outshining the world's biggest names, few groups can say they both debuted and became the night's biggest name twice on the very same stage.