RESCENE has held on to the top spot in the September 2026 girl group brand reputation rankings. The Korean Business Research Institute released the monthly list on September 13. BLACKPINK climbed to second place with a strong score increase. IVE, TWICE, and Red Velvet completed the top five. The rankings were built from big data collected between August 13 and September 13. They measure consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community activity for girl groups across South Korea.
RESCENE Keeps the Number One Spot
RESCENE earned a brand reputation index of 5,678,739 for September. The group stayed at the top for another month. Their keyword analysis showed LOVE ATTACK and REMINE as the most searched phrases linked to them. Related terms included delightful, surpass, and cheer on. The positivity-negativity analysis for RESCENE showed a score of 94.78 percent positive reactions. This high score shows strong public goodwill toward the group.
The group has had a remarkable run this year. RESCENE also topped the September rookie idol group brand reputation rankings with an index of 7,457,923, a 10.03 percent rise from August. Member Woni also took the number one spot in the individual rookie idol rankings with a score of 2,857,659. RESCENE’s rise has been one of the biggest stories in K-pop this year.
BLACKPINK Rises with a Big Score Jump
BLACKPINK took second place with a brand reputation index of 5,313,288. This marked a 34.73 percent increase from their August score. The jump shows growing public interest in the group. BLACKPINK celebrated their 10th debut anniversary in August 2026. Member Rosé is also set to release a new collaboration track titled New Trick on September 17. The music video was shot using the iPhone 18 Pro. These activities have kept the group in the news and boosted their brand score.
IVE Takes Third Place
IVE ranked third with a brand reputation index of 4,041,874. The group remains one of the most recognised acts in K-pop. However, the month also brought some challenges. Their agency, Starship Entertainment, announced legal action against online harassers. A netizen who spread false video material about IVE received a prison sentence in September. Starship also filed additional criminal complaints over defamation targeting member Jang Won Young. Despite these issues, IVE held a strong position in the rankings.
TWICE and Red Velvet Complete the Top Five
TWICE rose to fourth place with a brand reputation index of 2,739,730. This was a 12.09 percent increase from last month. The group has been active in Japan with their third single Wake Me Up, which topped the Oricon Daily Singles Chart. TWICE also won first place in the female group category of the AAA 2026 popularity award pre-voting with 31.74 percent of votes.
Red Velvet rounded out the top five with a brand reputation index of 2,380,934. The group achieved their first Perfect All-Kill for both the group and their agency, SM Entertainment. This achievement added to their strong showing in the September rankings.
The Full Top 30 for September
The Korean Business Research Institute released the complete top 30 list. Here are the rankings for September 2026.
- RESCENE
- BLACKPINK
- IVE
- TWICE
- Red Velvet
- aespa
- KiiiKiii
- fromis_9
- Girls’ Generation
- Hearts2Hearts
- LE SSERAFIM
- OH MY GIRL
- ILLIT
- Apink
- i-dle
- BABYMONSTER
- ITZY
- MAMAMOO
- izna
- WJSN
- NMIXX
- Girl’s Day
- EXID
- I.O.I
- STAYC
- H1-KEY
- KISS OF LIFE
- KATSEYE
- tripleS
- MEOVV
How the Rankings Are Calculated
The Korean Business Research Institute compiles these rankings every month. The process uses big data analysis. The institute looks at four main areas. These are consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community indexes. Consumer participation tracks how much the public engages with a group. Media coverage measures how often the group appears in news and articles. Interaction looks at social media activity and fan engagement. Community indexes check how groups are discussed in online communities.
The data for September was collected from August 13 to September 13. This period included several major K-pop events. BLACKPINK’s anniversary celebrations, Rosé’s upcoming release, TWICE’s Japanese chart success, and Red Velvet’s Perfect All-Kill all fell within this window. The institute then assigns a brand reputation index to each group based on these factors.
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What the Rankings Show About K-Pop Right Now
The September rankings show a few clear patterns. RESCENE is a rising force. The group has held the top spot for multiple months. Their high positive reaction score of 94.78 percent shows that the public views them warmly. BLACKPINK remains a major power even in their 10th year. Their 34.73 percent score increase shows that long-standing groups can still grow their brand.
IVE, TWICE, and Red Velvet continue to hold strong positions. Each group has had active releases or achievements this month. The presence of newer groups like KiiiKiii, Hearts2Hearts, and ILLIT in the top 15 shows that fresh acts are also building their brands. Girls’ Generation and Apink represent older generations still ranked in the top 14. This mix of new and established groups shows the depth of the K-pop girl group scene.
Also Read: RESCENE Members Sweep Top 5 Spots in September Rookie Idol Brand Reputation Rankings
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