The era of fourth-generation boy groups Stray Kids and ENHYPEN has begun.
Stray Kids and ENHYPEN each won the grand prize at Asia's largest year-end awards show, the 2025 MAMA Awards, announcing the start of a new two-power era. Backed by powerful global fandoms, they represent mighty firepower following SEVENTEEN, who swept the third generation.
Stray Kids and ENHYPEN won the grand prizes at the 2025 MAMA Awards held at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium on the 28th and 29th. ENHYPEN took three crowns on the first day, including the grand-prize-equivalent Fans' Choice of the Year, the main award Fans' Choice, and Favorite Global Artist.
On the day, ENHYPEN said, "I didn't think we would win the grand prize today, so I'm overwhelmed that our dream has come true. Our debut anniversary is in two days. So I feel this award is a precious gift from ENGENE (our official fandom). Without ENGENE, this moment would not have existed," adding, "We will continue to work to show newer and more developed performances. We will keep moving forward."
ENHYPEN has been evaluated this year as a team with remarkable growth. In April they performed at the United States' largest music festival, Coachella, marking themselves on the global stage, and with mini album 6 Desire : Unleash they added their third double million-seller work. On July and August they held solo concerts at stadiums in Japan, and the world tour Walk the Line, which concluded in October, drew about 676,000 attendees.
Then on the 29th, Stray Kids won album of the year, the grand-prize equivalent for the second day, and the main award Fans' Choice.
After expressing condolences for the victims and those affected by the Hong Kong fire, Stray Kids said, "It's still hard to believe we received such a huge award as the grand prize. We are so happy to be able to deliver the music and performances we love to many people around the world and share joy and strength. Receiving this award makes us resolve to work even harder from now on," expressing gratitude to STAY (their official fandom).
Stray Kids' fourth studio album Karma surpassed 3 million first-week sales, ranking first in first-week sales among K-pop albums this year. It also topped the Billboard 200 for the seventh time, marking a first in the chart's 70-year history. Recognized for these achievements, they were honored with the grand prize at the 2025 MAMA Awards.
Thus, the protagonists of the 2025 MAMA Awards were fourth-generation boy groups. There is no disagreement that Stray Kids and ENHYPEN are deserving of the grand prize as skilled artists who have proven outstanding musical ability through live performances. Above all, both teams have achieved significant results this year based on steady growth, further underscoring the clear presence of fourth-generation boy groups.
[Photo] Belift Lab Inc., JYP Entertainment provided.
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