Melon Music Awards 2026 Announces Lineup — Here’s What We Know
The Melon Music Awards 2026 (MMA2026) is officially shaping up to be one of the major K-pop events of the year. The 18th edition of the annual awards ceremony will take place over two days for the first time, bringing artists and fans together at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome.
The first lineup included PLAVE, RIIZE, NCT WISH, ALPHA DRIVE ONE and LNGSHOT. Melon later added YENA, ILLIT, RESCENE and Hearts2Hearts to the performer lineup. (Kakao Entertainment)
When Is the Melon Music Awards 2026?
MMA2026 will be held on:
November 14–15, 2026
The ceremony will take place at:
Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea
This will be the first time in MMA history that the awards ceremony is held across two days.
The event is the 18th edition of the Melon Music Awards and will be held under the theme “Connect,” with the main slogan “K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse.” (Kakao Entertainment)
Why Is MMA2026 Being Held Over Two Days?
For 2026, Melon has expanded the ceremony from a single-day awards show into a two-day event.
The organizers have described the expanded format as a way to bring more artists and fans together while creating a larger festival-style experience around K-pop.
The two-day format also gives MMA2026 more room for performances and activities surrounding the awards ceremony. (Soompi)
MMA2026 Confirmed Lineup
The currently announced performer lineup includes:
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- LNGSHOT
- NCT WISH
- PLAVE
- RIIZE
- 82MAJOR
- NCT DREAM
- NCT 127
- TWS
- AND2BLE
- ATEEZ
- ILLIT
- Hearts2Hearts
- RESCENE
- YENA
More artists may be announced as the event approaches. (Soompi)
First MMA2026 Lineup
The first performer announcement focused on five boy groups:
PLAVE
PLAVE joins MMA2026 following the group’s strong chart performance with their April mini album Caligo Pt.2.
The album’s title track, “Born Savage,” reached No. 2 on Melon’s TOP100 and No. 1 on the HOT100. All five songs from the mini album also entered Melon’s TOP100. (Kakao Entertainment)
RIIZE
RIIZE is also part of the first MMA2026 lineup.
The group released their second mini album II in June 2026. The album became RIIZE’s fourth million-selling release, while all of its tracks entered Melon’s TOP100. (Korea Herald)
NCT WISH
NCT WISH will return to the MMA stage following the release of their first full-length album, Ode to Love.
The album reached No. 1 on Melon’s HOT100 and No. 3 on the TOP100, while first-week sales exceeded 1.82 million copies. (Korea Herald)
NCT WISH is also preparing for another comeback with their fourth mini album I SPY in October 2026, giving fans another reason to follow their activities leading into MMA2026.
ALPHA DRIVE ONE
Rookie group ALPHA DRIVE ONE was also included in the first lineup.
The group debuted in January 2026 with their first EP Euphoria. Its lead track “FREAK ALARM” reached No. 1 on Melon’s HOT100, while all of the EP’s tracks entered the TOP100. (Korea Herald)
LNGSHOT
LNGSHOT completes the first MMA2026 lineup.
Both LNGSHOT and ALPHA DRIVE ONE will make their official MMA stage debuts as active artists at the 2026 ceremony. (Kakao Entertainment)
Second MMA2026 Lineup
Melon expanded the performer lineup on September 21 with four additional artists:
- YENA
- ILLIT
- RESCENE
- Hearts2Hearts
The announcement adds more girl groups and a solo artist to the previously announced boy-group-heavy lineup. (Soompi)
ILLIT
ILLIT will perform at MMA2026 following another active year for the group.
The group released their fourth mini album It’s Me in April and is also preparing their fifth mini album BREAK EVEN, scheduled for October 26.
Their appearance at MMA2026 will come shortly after the new release, making the ceremony part of ILLIT’s upcoming promotional period. (The Asia Business Daily)
RESCENE
RESCENE is another newly announced performer.
The group is preparing their fourth mini album PULSE, scheduled for November 3, just days before MMA2026 begins.
RESCENE’s inclusion therefore comes during a particularly active period for the group. (Soompi)
Hearts2Hearts
SM Entertainment’s girl group Hearts2Hearts has also been added to the lineup.
Their appearance gives the expanding MMA2026 lineup another newer-generation girl group.
YENA
Solo artist YENA rounds out the second lineup announcement.
She released her fifth mini album LOVE CATCHER earlier in 2026, with the title track “Catch Catch” reaching No. 4 on Melon’s TOP100. (The Asia Business Daily)
What Is the Theme of MMA2026?
MMA2026 is being held under the theme “Connect.”
The official slogan is:
“K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse”
The theme reflects Melon’s focus on connecting artists and global K-pop fans through music.
The expanded two-day format is part of that broader approach, turning the awards ceremony into a larger festival-style event. (Soompi)
What Is the New Global Top 10 Award?
MMA2026 will also introduce changes to some of its award categories.
Melon launched the Global-K Chart, an integrated chart that incorporates music data from Korea, Japan and China through Melon, Tencent Music and LINE MUSIC.
A new Global Top 10 award category is connected to this chart and replaces the previous Millions TOP10 category. (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The change gives MMA2026 a new way to incorporate international music consumption and fandom activity into the awards.
Where Will MMA2026 Be Held?
The ceremony will take place at:
Gocheok Sky Dome
Seoul, South Korea
The venue will host both days of MMA2026 on November 14 and 15.
Gocheok Sky Dome is one of Seoul’s major indoor venues and has hosted numerous large-scale K-pop concerts and events.
What’s Next for Melon Music Awards 2026?
With the first and second performer lineups already announced, more information about MMA2026 is expected in the weeks leading up to the ceremony.
Future announcements may include:
- Additional performers
- Award nominees
- Voting information
- Performance details
- Event schedule
- Ticket information
- Red carpet details
- Additional special stages
Melon is expected to continue updating fans as the November event approaches.
Melon Music Awards 2026 Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Melon Music Awards 2026 |
| Also Known As | MMA2026 |
| Edition | 18th |
| Date | November 14–15, 2026 |
| Venue | Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul |
| Format | Two-day event |
| Theme | Connect |
| Slogan | K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse |
| First Lineup | PLAVE, RIIZE, NCT WISH, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, LNGSHOT |
| Second Lineup | YENA, ILLIT, RESCENE, Hearts2Hearts |
| New Award Category | Global Top 10 |
| More Artists | To be announced |
Follow MMA2026 Updates
The 2026 Melon Music Awards will be the first two-day edition of the ceremony, with a growing lineup of K-pop artists already confirmed for November.
As Melon announces more performers, nominees, voting details and event information, KWaveHub will continue to cover the latest MMA2026 updates.
