The year 2025 changed everything for K-pop girl groups.
BLACKPINK finished their “Deadline” World Tour with 1.8 million fans watching them perform, while KATSEYE, created through Netflix’s Dream Academy show, became TikTok’s Global Artist of the Year.
If you’ve been on Twitter or Reddit lately, you know this isn’t just a simple comparison. Fans are seriously debating this.
So let’s look at the real facts: performance numbers, chart rankings, awards, and what fans are actually saying online.
BLACKPINK VS KATSEYE: At A Glance (Key Metrics & Awards)
Here’s where the numbers tell the first part of the story: one group with years of success versus one with fast-growing fame.
| Metric | BLACKPINK | KATSEYE | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Subscribers | 99.5M | 6.93M | BLACKPINK | Worldwide reach, popular music videos |
| Instagram Followers | 58.6M | 8.1M | BLACKPINK | More fans and bigger influence |
| Spotify Monthly Listeners | 32.6M | 24.3M | BLACKPINK | More people are streaming their music |
| Awards & Nominations | MAMA, Golden Disc, Circle Chart, Seoul Music Awards, Billboard recognitions | HYBE newcomer/global awards, MTV VMA Push Performance, international collaborations | BLACKPINK | More awards and a longer history |
| TikTok Viral Trends | “Pink Venom”, “DDU-DU DDU-DU” | “Touch”, “Gnarly”, “It Girl” | KATSEYE | Better at going viral and trending |
| Chart Performance (Top Songs) | “Pink Venom” (#1 Billboard Global), “Jump” (#3 Circle Chart) | “Touch” (#5 Global HYBE Chart), “Gnarly” (#2 TikTok Viral Global) | BLACKPINK | Higher chart positions and bigger impact |
BLACKPINK wins in awards, streaming numbers, and years of success. KATSEYE wins in TikTok trends and puts out new content. The older group owns the big achievements, while the newer group owns the social media apps.
BLACKPINK Profile
BLACKPINK comes in second with 12.3% global preference, making them the 2nd most popular K-pop group worldwide. The four-member South Korean girl group under YG Entertainment changed what worldwide K-pop success looks like.
Known for powerful stage presence, hit songs like “Pink Venom” and their late-2025 surprise single “Jump,” they have a huge social media following and years of content.
They’re fashion and lifestyle icons who’ve worked with Dior, Chanel, and Celine, representing one of the most influential K-pop girl groups in the world.
Their strengths: stage experience, viral hits, brand deals, fashion influence, and success on Spotify and YouTube.
KATSEYE Profile
KATSEYE is officially a Global Girl Group, managed by both HYBE and Geffen Records, and debuted on June 28, 2024.
Their multicultural lineup, with six members from six different cultures, brings a worldwide appeal that traditional K-pop groups can’t match.
They delivered smooth choreography and viral singles like “Touch,” “It Girl,” and “Gnarly” from their second EP, Beautiful Chaos.
Growing presence on TikTok (where they won Global Artist of the Year 2025), YouTube, and Spotify puts them as the next-generation global pop act. MTV gave them Push Performance of the Year for “Touch.”
Their edge: fresh energy, viral social media impact, multicultural representation, an engaged fandom, and potential international recognition.
BLACKPINK VS KATSEYE: Detailed Comparison
Let’s break down what separates the K-pop blueprint from the new global system, where years of success meet fast-rising popularity.
1. Performance & Training
YG Entertainment’s trainee system created BLACKPINK through years of hard training, resulting in consistent stage presence and individual star power. Each member grabs your attention.
HYBE’s global method created KATSEYE through Dream Academy, picking talent for multicultural appeal and perfectly synchronized dancing rather than the traditional Korean training process.
BLACKPINK delivers live vocals with confidence. KATSEYE delivers TikTok-perfect choreography with exact precision. Different approaches, different results.
2. Popularity & Metrics
BLACKPINK’s 99.5 million YouTube subscribers and 32.6 million Spotify monthly listeners prove their staying power. Their “Deadline” World Tour made over $300 million in revenue. Rosé’s “APT.” won at the Grammys and VMAs in 2025.
But here’s the interesting part: KATSEYE has made their name as the Top K-pop Artist of the Year 2025 in Spotify’s viral rankings, driven by “Gnarly” getting 30 billion TikTok views across all trends.
Awards? BLACKPINK owns MAMA, Golden Disc, and Circle Chart trophies. KATSEYE just started collecting them.
3. Branding & Cultural Influence
BLACKPINK represents fashion history and worldwide collaborations, Jennie with Chanel, Jisoo with Dior, Rosé with Saint Laurent, and Lisa with Celine. They’re walking advertisements for luxury brands.
KATSEYE represents next-generation “It Girl” appeal with multicultural branding that speaks to Gen Z across continents. They’re what happens when you skip the Seoul training dorms and go straight to Los Angeles studios.
4. Industry Impact
BLACKPINK paved the way for worldwide K-pop by proving Western audiences would accept Korean acts without changing language or style. Coachella 2023. Born Pink Tour. They opened doors.
KATSEYE represents the social media-driven, globalized pop method, proof that you can build a girl group for streaming algorithms rather than music show rankings. They didn’t break into the system. They rewrote it.
BLACKPINK VS KATSEYE: Reddit Insights
Fans don’t hold back online, and Reddit threads show the real debates between those who support the established stars and those who love the viral challengers.
u/No_Doubt7313
No_Doubt7313 appreciates both groups and their respective talents. They observe that KATSEYE appears more engaging in recent performances, which makes BLACKPINK seem less exciting in direct comparison.
However, they note that BLACKPINK’s worldwide fame still leads in actual numbers. The comment raises the question of whether current stage energy should be weighted more heavily than established history.
u/heesasinger
Heesasinger notes that all BLACKPINK members have individual star status, which strengthens the overall group image. They observe that few groups can match even one member’s individual popularity, and BLACKPINK has four such members.
The comment highlights that combining strong individual recognition with group chemistry creates a formula that newer groups cannot easily replicate.
u/garlo_
BLACKPINK members are all stars, which makes the group’s image even stronger. Few groups can match even one member’s individual popularity, let alone four.
Points out that strong individual star power combined with group chemistry creates an unbeatable formula that rookies can’t copy overnight.
Verdict: Different Lanes, Different Legacies
BLACKPINK dominates in global reach, streaming, awards, and chart rankings. KATSEYE shows strong potential through TikTok trends, content output, and a rising global presence, but hasn’t yet matched BLACKPINK’s overall industry impact.
Based on current facts and numbers, BLACKPINK remains the top worldwide K-pop girl group. KATSEYE represents the next generation of viral success, showing how the industry is changing.
Both groups matter in their own ways, BLACKPINK for their proven legacy, KATSEYE for their fresh approach to global pop music.
FAQs
KATSEYE leads in TikTok trends and 2025 streaming growth, but BLACKPINK still wins overall popularity, awards, YouTube subscribers, and Instagram followers worldwide.
Traditionally, groups like TWICE and aespa competed, but KATSEYE now represents a new challenge through multicultural appeal and Western market strategies.
KATSEYE is marketed as a Global Girl Group under HYBE, mixing K-pop training methods with international talent, creating debate over genre classification.
No. BTS remains unmatched in worldwide influence, album sales, and cultural impact. KATSEYE is rising but hasn’t reached that level yet.
BLACKPINK currently holds the title based on awards, streaming numbers, chart performance, and worldwide recognition, though competition grows with new acts like KATSEYE.
