The Melon Music Awards () is a major music awards show that is held annually by Kakao Entertainment (a Kakao company) through its online music store Melon. The event was initially a fan-voted award conducted entirely online from 2005 through 2008, and has been officially held offline in Seoul since 2009.
The award show uses digital data from the Melon music platform, online voting and judges' evaluation—to base its awards on artists who have performed exceptional during the year.
History The awards show underwent a logo rebranding starting with the 2019 edition. The 2020 Melon Music Awards was held for 4 days from December 2 to 5, dubbed as "MMA Week," and was broadcast online due to government restrictions imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Host venues
Year Date Venue City Ref. 2009 December 16, 2009 Olympic Hall Seoul 2010 December 15, 2010 Kyung Hee University Hall of Peace 2011 November 24, 2011 Olympic Gymnastics Arena 2012 December 14, 2012 2013 November 14, 2013 2014 November 13, 2014 2015 November 7, 2015 2016 November 19, 2016 Gocheok Sky Dome 2017 December 2, 2017 2018 December 1, 2018 2019 November 30, 2019 2020 December 2–5, 2020 Virtual event rowspan="2" 2021 December 4, 2021 2022 November 26, 2022 Gocheok Sky Dome Seoul 2023 December 2, 2023 Inspire Arena Incheon 2024 November 30, 2024 2025 December 20, 2025 Gocheok Sky Dome Seoul 2026 November 14–15, 2026
Judging criteria Division Online Voting Digital Sales Judge Score Grand prizes 20% 60% 20% Best New Artist Main prizes 20% 80% — Genre Awards 30% 40% 30% Popularity Awards 60% 40% — Special Awards — — 100% Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year Top 10 Artist, Millions Top 10 Album Rap/Hip Hop, Ballad, R&B, Rock, OST, Trot, Pop, Dance, Folk/Blues, Indie Netizen's Choice Award, Hot Trend Award Record of The Year, Music Video Award, Song Writer Award, MBC Music Star Award, Performing Arts Award, Global Star Award, QQ Asia Artist Award, Hall of Fame Award, Kakao Hot Star Award
Grand prizes The four grand prizes (known as daesangs):
Artist of the Year Album of the Year Song of the Year
+ Record of the YearYearWinner 2018 Wanna One 2019 BTS 2021 Aespa 2022 BTS 2023 NCT Dream 2024 (G)I-dle 2025 Jennie
Main prizes Top 10 Artist Award YearWinners 2009 2PM Girls' Generation Kara K.Will G-Dragon 8eight Super Junior 2NE1 Brown Eyed Girls Davichi 2010 2AM IU DJ DOC CNBLUE Lee Seung-gi T-ara 4Men 2011 f(x) Secret Beast Big Bang Sistar Super Junior Leessang Lena Park 2012 Psy Busker Busker Infinite T-ara Huh Gak 2013 Shinee G-Dragon Exo Ailee Dynamic Duo Davichi 2014 g.o.d Winner Taeyang 2NE1 Girl's Day AKMU 2015 Shinee Girls' Generation Hyukoh Apink Big Bang San E Zion.T Toy 2016 Bewhy Taeyeon BTS GFriend Mamamoo Zico Twice Red Velvet AKMU 2017 Heize Winner IU Big Bang Wanna One Bolbbalgan4 2018 iKon BtoB Apink Mamamoo Blackpink 2019 Heize Taeyeon Chungha MC the Max Jannabi Jang Beom-june 2020 Kim Ho-joong Baek Ye-rin IU Oh My Girl Zico Baekhyun Lim Young-woong Blackpink Iz*One 2021 Heize Lee Mu-jin Lil Boi NCT Dream Aespa Ash Island AKMU 2022 (G)I-dle NewJeans MeloMance Be'O Ive Seventeen 2023 Le Sserafim Jungkook Aespa 2024 Riize IU Plave Day6 TWS 2025 Rosé BoyNextDoor Jennie G-Dragon Lim Young-woong Ive NCT Wish
Millions Top 10 Album Award YearWinners 2023 (G)I-dle – I Feel Aespa – My World BSS – Second Wind Ive – I've Ive Jungkook – "Seven" Le Sserafim – Unforgiven Lim Young-woong – "Do or Die" NCT Dream – ISTJ NewJeans – Get Up Seventeen – FML 2024 Taeyeon – To. X Aespa – Armageddon Plave – Asterum 134-1 Ive – Ive Switch Jungkook – Golden IU – The Winning Lim Young-woong – "Warmth" Riize – Riizing NewJeans – How Sweet Day6 – Band Aid 2025 Jennie – Ruby Rosé – Rosie Plave – "Caligo Pt. 1" Ive – Ive Empathy G-Dragon – Übermensch IU – A Flower Bookmark 3 Lim Young-woong – "Im Hero 2" Riize – Odyssey BoyNextDoor – No Genre Seventeen – Happy Burstday
New Artist of the Year Award
Genre Awards
Best Rap/Hip Hop YearWinnerSong 2010 Supreme Team "Dang Dang Dang" 2011 GD & TOP "Oh Yeah" (feat. Park Bom) 2012 Dynamic Duo "Without You" 2013 Baechigi "Shower of Tears" (feat. Ailee) 2014 San E & Raina "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" 2015 Mad Clown "Fire" (feat. Jinsil) 2016 Zico "Eureka" (feat. Zion.T) 2017 Dynamic Duo & Chen "Nosedive" 2018BTS"Fake Love" 2019 Epik High "Lovedrunk" (feat. Crush) 2020 Yumdda, Paloalto, The Quiett, Deepflow, Simon Dominic "I'mma Do" (feat. Woo Won-jae, Keem Hyo-eun, Nucksal, Huckleberry P)
Best Ballad YearWinnerSong 2010 Gummy "Because You're A Man" 2011 Kim Bum-soo "Please" 2012 K.Will "Please Don't" 2013 Huh Gak "Monodrama" (with Yoo Seung-woo) K.Will "Love Blossom" 2014 M.C the Max "Wind That Blows" 2015 Baek Ah Yeon "Shouldn't Have" (feat. Young K) 2016 Jung Eun-ji "Hopefully Sky" Im Chang-jung "The Love I Committed" 2017 Yoon Jong-shin "Like It" 2018 Roy Kim "Only Then" 2019 Taeyeon "Four Seasons" 2020 Davichi "Dear"
Best R&B YearWinnerSong 2014 Fly to the Sky "You You You" 2015 Naul "Living in the Same Time" 2016 Baekhyun & Suzy "Dream" 2017 Suran "Wine" 2018 IU "Bbibbi" 2019 Heize "We Don't Talk Together" 2020 Baek Ye-rin "Square (2017)"
Best Rock YearWinnerSong 2010 Hot Potato "Confession" 2011 CNBLUE "Intuition" 2012 Nell "The Day Before" 2013 Cho Yong-pil "Bounce" 2014 CNBLUE "Can't Stop" 2015 Kim Sunggyu "The Answer" 2016 Ha Hyun-woo "Don't Cry" 2017 Kim Hee-chul & Min Kyung-hoon "Sweet Dream" 2018 Kim Hee-chul & Min Kyung-hoon "Falling Blossoms" 2019 N.Flying "Rooftop" 2020 IU "Eight" (feat. Suga)
Best Trot YearWinnerSong 2010 Jang Yoon-jeong "Come On" 2015 Hong Jin Young "Love Wifi" 2016 Hong Jin Young "Thumbs Up" 2017 Hong Jin Young & Kim Young Chul "Ring Ring (Composer ver.)" 2018 Hong Jin Young "Goodbye" 2019 Hong Jin Young "Love Tonight" 2020 Lim Young-woong "Trust in Me"
Best Pop YearWinnerSong 2012 Maroon 5 "Payphone" (feat. Wiz Khalifa) 2013 Bruno Mars "Young Girls" 2015 Mark Ronson "Uptown Funk" (feat. Bruno Mars) 2016 Justin Bieber "Love Yourself" 2017 Ed Sheeran "Shape of You" 2018 Camila Cabello "Havana" (feat. Young Thug) 2019 Billie Eilish "Bad Guy" 2020 Sam Smith "To Die For" 2022 Charlie Puth "That's Hilarious" 2023Charlie Puth "That's Not How This Works" (feat. Dan + Shay) 2024 Benson Boone "Beautiful Things"
Best Dance YearWinnerSong 2014 Male Block B "Her" Female Apink "Mr. Chu" 2015 Male BTS "I Need U" Female Red Velvet "Ice Cream Cake" 2016 Male Exo "Monster" Female GFriend "Rough" 2017 Male Exo "Ko Ko Bop" Female Twice "Knock Knock" 2018 Male Wanna One "Boomerang" Female Blackpink "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" 2019 Male BTS "Boy with Luv" (feat. Halsey) Female Chungha "Gotta Go" 2020 Male BTS "Dynamite" Female Blackpink "How You Like That"
Best Folk/Blues YearWinnerSong 2014 Akdong Musician "200%" 2015 10cm "Sseudam Sseudam" 2016 10cm "What The Spring??" 2017 Jung Eun-ji "The Spring" 2018 Hong Jin-young "Good Bye"
Best Indie YearWinnerSong 2014 Standing Egg "Lean on Me" (feat. Park Se-young) 2015 Standing Egg "The Sunlight Hurts" (feat. Wheein & Obroject Yundak) 2016 Bolbbalgan4 "Galaxy" 2017 MeloMance "Gift" 2018 MeloMance "Fairy Tale" 2019 MeloMance "You&I" 2020 Bolbbalgan4 "Leo" (feat. Baekhyun)
Best OST YearWinnerSongDrama/TV Show/Film 2009 Future Liger "Let's Dance" Infinite Challenge 2010 Lee Seung-gi "Losing My Mind" My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox 2011 Sunny Hill "Pit-a-Pat" The Greatest Love 2012 Seo In-guk & Jung Eun-ji "All For You" Reply 1997 2013 Yoon Mi-rae "Touch Love" Master's Sun 2014 Lyn "My Destiny" My Love from the Star 2015 Loco & Yuju of GFriend "Spring is Gone By Chance" A Girl Who Sees Smells 2016 Yoon Mi-rae "Always" Descendants of the Sun 2017 Ailee "I Will Go to You Like the First Snow" Goblin 2018 Paul Kim "Every Day, Every Moment" Should We Kiss First? 2019 Gummy "Remember Me" Hotel del Luna 2020 Jo Jung-suk "Aloha"Hospital Playlist 2021 Lee Mu-jin "Rain and You" Hospital Playlist 2 2022 MeloMance"Love, Maybe"Business Proposal 2023 Lim Jae-hyun "Heaven" It Was Spring 2024 Eclipse (Byeon Woo-Seok)"Sudden Shower"Lovely Runner 2025 Huntrix (Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami) & KPop Demon Hunters Cast "Golden" KPop Demon Hunters
Best Performance YearWinner 2020 Male Monsta X 2021 MaleThe Boyz 2022 Male Tomorrow X Together Female Le Sserafim 2023 MaleSeventeen FemaleAespa 2024 MaleBoyNextDoor FemaleAespa 2025 MaleRiize FemaleIllit
Popularity awards
Netizen's Choice Award YearWinnerSong 2010 Super Junior "Bonamana" 2011 Super Junior "Mr. Simple" 2012 Beast "Midnight" 2013 Exo "Growl" 2014 Beast "Good Luck" 2015 Big Bang "Bang Bang Bang" 2016 Exo "Monster" 2017 Exo "Ko Ko Bop" 2018 BTS "Idol" 2019 BTS "Boy with Luv" 2020 BTS "Dynamite" 2021 BTS "Butter" 2022 Lim Young-woong "If We Ever Meet Again"
Hot Trend Award YearWinnerWorkTopic 2010 Girls' Generation "Hoot" Music 2011 Infinite Challenge "West Coast Expressway Music Festival" Variety Series 2012 Trouble Maker "Trouble Maker" Collaboration 2013 Crayon Pop "Bar Bar Bar" Music Rose Motel "Longtime Lovers" Music 2014 Soyou & Junggigo "Some" Collaboration 2015 Infinite Challenge "Yeongdong Expressway Music Festival" Variety Series 2016 Zico "I Am You, You Are Me" Radio Star 2017 Suran & Suga "Wine" Singer and Producer 2018 Loco & Hwasa "Don't" Collaboration 2019 AB6IX — Produce 101 Alumni 2020 Mr. Trot 6 — Reality Show 2021 Brave Girls "Rollin' Music 2022 Le Sserafim "Fearless" Music 2023 Jungkook "Seven" Soloist & Unit 2024 QWER — Music 2025 Woodz "Drowning" Music
Special awards
Music Video Award YearWinnerMusic Video 2010 Hwang Soo-ah Ga-in's "Irreversible" 2011 Cha Eun-taek T-ara's "Roly-Poly" 2012 Cho Soo-hyun Psy's "Gangnam Style" 2013 Lee Gi-baek Beast's "Shadow" 2014 Won Tae-yeon Melody Day's "Another Parting" 2015 Naive Creative Production Park Jin-young's "Who's Your Mama?" (feat. Jessi) 2016 Shin Hee-won Red Velvet's "Russian Roulette" 2017 Choi Yong-su BTS' "DNA" 2018 Ko Yoo-jeong GFriend's "Time for the Moon Night" 2019 VM Project Architecture Kang Daniel's "What Are You Up To" 2021 Yong Seok Choi, Guzza TXT's "0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You)" (feat. Seori) 2022 Samson (G)I-dle's "Tomboy" 2023 Naive Creative Production STAYC's "Bubble" 2024 Yoon Seung-rim, Jang Dong-ju Ive's "Heya" 2025 Jinooya Makes KiiiKiii's "I Do Me"
Songwriter Award