Grand wins at 2025 MAMAs signal generational shift and new global rivalry
K-pop’s landscape is shifting. Stray Kids and Enhypen, two of the genre’s most prominent fourth-generation boy groups, claimed two of the four grand prizes at the 2025 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong, signaling a generational handover in an industry long dominated by third-generation acts such as BTS and Seventeen.
While generational definitions in K-pop vary, groups that debuted around 2020 are widely recognized as the fourth generation. The global success of BTS’ “Dynamite” in August 2020, which topped the Billboard Hot 100, proved K-pop’s international appeal and inspired these newer groups to focus their promotional strategies abroad.
Stray Kids and Enhypen, who debuted in 2018 and 2020, respectively, have emerged as prime examples of this approach, leveraging overseas markets to achieve significant commercial and cultural impact.
Stray Kids won album of the year, while Enhypen took home fans’ choice of the year, an award determined entirely by global fan voting at K-pop’s biggest annual awards. These victories reflect more than popularity; they mark the arrival of fourth-generation acts as K-pop’s current power players.
Enhypen’s crowning moment
For Enhypen, the timing was dramatic. Just two days before their fifth debut anniversary, the group stood on the MAMA stage holding their first-ever grand prize. According to their agency, Belift Lab, the win represents “five years of blood, sweat and tears.”
The numbers back it up. Enhypen recently surpassed 20.33 million cumulative album shipments in Korea and Japan, an impressive milestone amid a contracting physical album market. Their second full-length album “Romance: Untold” became a triple million-seller, followed by consecutive double-million releases — proof of sustainable, fan-driven momentum rather than a passing trend. Offline, the group has drawn 1.5 million fans across three world tours.
Stray Kids’ own path to global success
Stray Kids have carved a different route. Self-producing much of their music, the group’s aggressive sound has propelled them onto Billboard charts and major Western festival stages, including Coachella and Lollapalooza Paris. Their fourth studio album "Karma" sold 3.03 million copies in its first week, underscoring their commercial strength among fourth-generation groups.
Both groups have proven their live performance capabilities on the global stage, blending complex choreography with stable vocals. This combination has helped erase earlier skepticism about K-pop’s musical and artistic sophistication.
While Stray Kids currently lead in album sales, Enhypen shows remarkable global fan cohesion.
However, the competition between the two groups may lose some of its spotlight once BTS returns next year, said music critic Lim Hee-yun.
“It’s natural that new groups rise when BTS isn’t active. Enhypen and Stray Kids are doing well, but BTS has such a massive fanbase that when they return, the spotlight will shift back,” Lim said.
“Stray Kids have topped album charts and headlined big festivals, but their fandom isn’t large enough to challenge the mainstream in the way BTS can. Once BTS releases good songs and starts touring, attention will likely move in their direction,” he added.
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com
