The battle of the rookie idols just got even more exciting — and AHOF has officially taken the crown this month!
On August 5, the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute released the latest brand reputation rankings for rookie idol groups, and the results have fans buzzing. AHOF ranked No. 1 for August 2025, rising above popular groups TWS and KiiiKiii, who came in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
These rankings were based on over 10.45 million data points collected from July 5 to August 5, looking at things like how often each group is talked about online, how positively or negatively they’re mentioned, media coverage, fan interactions, and overall community buzz.
To qualify, groups must have debuted after 2023, and the index considers both boy groups and girl groups.
1st: AHOF
AHOF made a massive jump this month, scoring a brand reputation score of 1,045,445, which is a whopping 1,779% increase from last month. The group, made up of Steven, Seo Jung Woo, Cha Woong Ki, Jang Shuai Bo, Park Han, JL, Park Joo Won, Zuen, and Daisuke, is clearly on fire. Fans described them as "lovable," "fresh," and "refreshing", while phrases like “blue school green grass red sneakers” and “let’s meet again there” were trending in connection to the group.
TWS
TWS, who held strong at the top in previous months, came in 2nd with 995,992 points — a slight dip of 4.19% from July. Members Shin Yu, Do Hoon, Young Jae, Han Jin, Ji Hoon, and Kyung Min are still enjoying high engagement, especially in fan communication and community buzz.
3rd: KiiiKiii
Girl group KiiiKiii took 3rd place with 914,670 points, though their score dropped by 27.74% compared to July. Members Ji Yu, Lee Sol, Soo Yi, Ha Eum, and Ki Ya continue to attract attention with their charm and style.
4th: ILLIT
Scoring 863,314 points, ILLIT (with members Yoon A, Min Ju, Moka, Won Hee, and Iroha) saw a 9.11% decrease from last month but still held their own among strong competition.
5th: BABYMONSTER
YG’s rookie girl group BABYMONSTER (Luca, Pharita, Asa, Ah Hyun, Rami, Rora, Chiquita) jumped up 76.84% to score 832,961, making a powerful comeback into the top 5.
According to research institute director Koo Chang Hwan, AHOF’s rise is thanks to strong fan love and attention-grabbing keywords. Their positive reaction rate hit 83.29%, proving they’re a group to watch.
But overall:
- Brand consumption dropped by 7.94%
- Media attention rose by 4.98%
- Fan communication slightly increased by 0.41%
- Brand spread dipped by 9.51%
Still, the competition is fierce, and fans are already excited to see how these rankings will shift in September.
Full Top 30 Rookie Idol Group Rankings (August 2025)
- AHOF
- TWS (Two Us)
- KiiiKiii
- ILLIT
- BABYMONSTER
- Hearts To Hearts
- MEOVV
- IZNA
- Baby Don’t Cry
- XLOVE
- LISÉNE
- Cats Eye
- Say My Name
- UNIS
- If I
- Artemis
- Close Your Eyes
- Eight
- Lost
- KIRAS
- Kickflip
- SOUPIA
- Hitsjis
- Nuera
- Now A Days
- Tracer
- New Beat
- Big Ocean
- A One
- Bubby
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