The Melon Music Awards (MMA) have long served as a barometer of success in South Korean music. Launched in 2005 by Kakao Entertainment through its Melon streaming platform, the ceremony began as a fully online, fan-voted event before transitioning to an offline show in Seoul in 2009. Since then, the MMAs have grown into one of K-pop’s most influential annual honors, blending digital performance, fan engagement, and industry expertise.
What sets the Melon Music Awards apart is their data-driven foundation. Winners are determined through a weighted system that combines Melon’s streaming and download data, online fan voting, and professional judges’ evaluations.
At the top of MMA history stands BTS. The global supergroup holds the record for the most Daesang wins, with 13 grand prizes across the ceremony’s four highest categories. Their dominance throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s mirrors their unprecedented digital performance and international reach, making their record one of the defining achievements in MMA history.
IU follows as one of the most decorated solo artists the show has ever seen with five Daesang awards.
Beyond the Daesangs, several artists have amassed impressive overall win totals. G-Dragon, both as a soloist and as a member of BIGBANG, remains one of the most influential figures in MMA history, recognized for shaping modern K-pop’s sound and image. In more recent years, groups like aespa and NewJeans have rapidly climbed the rankings.
Big Bang
Wins: 7
Beast
Wins: 9
NewJeans
Wins: 9
2NE1
Wins: 9
Girls’ Generation
Wins: 12
Lim Young-Woong
Wins: 13
IVE
Wins: 13
G-Dragon
Wins: 14
Aespa
Wins: 17
Exo
Wins: 17
IU
Wins: 27
BTS
Wins: 40
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