The January 2026 Boy Group Brand Reputation rankings are out, and BTS has taken the top spot, followed by EXO in second and Stray Kids in third.
The Korean Business Research Institute analyzed 54,340,762 pieces of boy group brand big data collected from December 10, 2025, to January 10, 2026. Using consumer behavior analysis, they measured participation, media attention, communication, and community indexes for each group. Compared to December’s 60,343,246 data points, total data decreased by 9.95%.
The Brand Reputation Index reflects how online consumer activity affects brand interest. It measures positive and negative evaluations, media attention, consumer engagement, and interaction, with recommendation data included as a weighted factor.
The Top 5 boy groups for January 2026 are:
- BTS – RM, Jin, Suga, J Hope, Jimin, V, Jung Kook
- EXO – Suho, Chanyeol, Kai, D O, Baekhyun, Sehun, Xiumin, Chen, Lay
- Stray Kids – Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I N
- Seventeen – S Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, Dokyeom, Mingyu, The 8, Seungkwan, Vernon, Dino
- Big Bang – G Dragon, Taeyang, Daesung
BTS ranked first with a brand reputation index of 7,976,571, a 16.84% increase from December. Their participation index was 129,465, media index 918,043, communication index 2,595,623, and community index 4,333,440.
EXO climbed to second with a brand reputation index of 5,184,344, marking a 72.86% increase from last month. Their indexes included participation 235,846, media 1,276,426, communication 1,480,487, and community 2,191,585.
Stray Kids held third place with a brand reputation index of 3,553,553, showing a 35.13% decrease compared to December. Their participation index was 96,722, media 458,794, communication 1,495,935, and community 1,502,102.
SEVENTEEN and BIGBANG followed in fourth and fifth, with indexes reflecting a 30.53% decrease and 19.82% increase, respectively.
Koo Chang Hwan, head of the Korean Business Research Institute, commented, “Bangtan Sonyeondan leads the January 2026 boy group brand reputation ranking. While total data slightly decreased by 9.95% compared to December, their brand consumption, communication, and spread all showed positive growth.”
Link analysis for Bangtan Sonyeondan highlighted words like “return,” “thankful,” and “wait,” while keywords such as “full group comeback,” “Run BTS,” and “March 20” ranked highly. The positive sentiment ratio was 92.86%, with brand consumption up 17.17%, communication up 12.12%, and spread up 42.65%, while brand issues fell 32.69%.
The full January 2026 brand reputation analysis also included TWS, Cortis, X Love, Super Junior, NCT, SHINee, ENHYPEN, Wanna One, BTOB, ATEEZ, The Boyz, Monsta X, 2PM, INFINITE, Treasure, TVXQ, ASTRO, Boy Next Door, Highlight, KickFlip, ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE, B1A4, Tomorrow X Together, Alpha Drive One, VIXX, VERIVERY, EVNNE, Block B, AHOF, Cravity, Pentagon, SF9, Winner, Sechs Kies, P1Harmony, i did, FT Island, Teen Top, ONF, ONEUS, NEXZ, 2AM, Nowadays, and Close Your Eyes.
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