BTS, IVE, BLACKPINK Top K-Pop Rankings

BTS proved their unrivaled popularity by ranking first in the idol group brand reputation for May 2026. IVE came in second, and BLACKPINK ranked third.

The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute analyzed a total of 86,673,948 idol group brand big data from April 14 to May 14, 2026. This is a 12.57% decrease from the 99,131,825 pieces of data from April.

BTS recorded a participation index of 226,772, a media index of 747,039, a communication index of 2,278,666, and a community index of 7,355,889, achieving a total brand reputation index of 10,608,366. This is a 43.87% drop compared to 18,899,941 in April.

IVE ranked second with a brand reputation index of 5,538,659, and BLACKPINK ranked third with a brand reputation index of 5,121,648. Following them, SEVENTEEN ranked fourth with 3,450,894, and KARD ranked fifth with 2,951,852.

Gu Chang-hwan, director of the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, analyzed, "Amidst a general decrease in idol group brand big data, some groups showed a surge, indicating contrasting trends. In particular, fandom-based communication structures and community diffusion power had a decisive impact on brand reputation."