Why VMA 2025 & K-pop Was Called “A Mess” – Complete Breakdown of the Controversy

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2025. For K-pop fans, it turned into one of the most frustrating nights in recent memory.

What should have been a celebration of global music turned into confusion and anger. The reason was the way MTV handled the K-pop category.

The loudest debate came from Lisa’s win. She walked away with the award for “Best K-pop” for her collaboration track Born Again with Doja Cat and Raye. On paper, it seemed like a huge achievement. In reality, it sparked immediate backlash.

The song is in English. There is no Korean lyric anywhere in it. Two of the three artists are not Korean.

Doja Cat is American, Raye is British. Even Lisa herself is not Korean. She is Thai, although she is part of BLACKPINK. For fans, the win made no sense.

Social media erupted. Posts mocked the decision, pointing out how strange it was to give a K-pop award to three non-Koreans for an English track. Some compared it to giving “Best K-pop” to One Direction or even Lionel Messi. The mood was sharp, sarcastic, and bitter.

This wasn’t Lisa’s first time facing criticism like this. She previously won with Rockstar, another mostly English track, and fans already questioned its placement. That history made this new win feel like a repeated mistake rather than an accident.

The Nomination Battle: BTS vs BLACKPINK

The anger didn’t start with Lisa’s win. It began weeks earlier, when MTV announced the nominations. Fans noticed something odd. MTV nominated all four BLACKPINK members for Best K-pop individually.

At the same time, the list left out two BTS members, Jin and J-Hope, completely. It included only Jimin, for his single Who.

ARMYs immediately voiced their frustration. To them, it looked like favoritism toward BLACKPINK. They argued the nominations felt more like “attendance awards,” given to artists expected to show up at the event.

Others demanded to know the actual rules. Who decided the nominations? Why did they exclude some artists while letting others dominate? MTV offered no clear answers.

This dispute exposed a larger issue: the definition of “K-pop” itself. What exactly qualifies? Is it about the language of the song? Is it about the nationality of the artist?

Or is it simply any music released by idols tied to K-pop groups? The lack of clarity only added more heat to the debate.

Fans pointed out that English collaborations by idols could easily fit into categories like Best Pop or Best Collaboration. Yet they keep getting placed under Best K-pop. It felt like MTV was boxing artists into a label while ignoring what the music actually sounded like.

Performances, Snubs, and Overshadowed Wins

Beyond the category chaos, the event itself added to the drama. Lisa, the winner of Best K-pop, didn’t even attend. She sent a short pre-recorded message instead.

Some fans speculated that the controversy surrounding her nomination played a role in her absence. Others suggested she might have skipped because she is focusing on another major event, the Emmy Awards 2025, where she has a choreography nomination.

KATSEYE, a newer group, also faced disappointing treatment. They won “Push Performance of the Year” but were only given a pre-show stage. Fans felt their high-energy act deserved main broadcast exposure. It felt like a missed chance to spotlight fresh K-pop talent.

Yet not everything was negative. Rosé had a breakthrough moment. She won “Song of the Year” for APT, her collaboration with Bruno Mars. This was historic — the first time a K-pop artist had ever won that award.

Her speech touched many, as she spoke about her teenage self dreaming of such a moment. Unfortunately, even this landmark achievement was partly drowned out by the noise of the Best K-pop debate.

Other K-pop presence included KATSEYE’s performance and appearances by the cast of KPop Demon Hunters. BLACKPINK’s members were scattered across multiple nominations. On paper, it looked like strong representation. But the execution made it feel hollow.

Why Fans Called It “A Mess”

The term “mess” kept showing up across fan discussions. That word captured the sense of confusion and disappointment. Fans pointed to several reasons.

First, the category definition felt inconsistent. English-language tracks with no Korean involvement were winning. Meanwhile, actual Korean-language releases were ignored.

Second, the nominations seemed biased. BLACKPINK members were heavily favored, while BTS members were oddly excluded. For many, it felt like politics rather than merit.

Third, the debate over what counts as K-pop deepened. Is the industry global now, or should cultural and linguistic roots matter more? MTV’s choices avoided answering this question, leaving everyone frustrated.

And finally, the night wasted opportunities. Instead of celebrating K-pop’s global growth with fairness, the show ended up fueling fan wars. The fighting between fandoms overshadowed real achievements, like Rosé’s historic win.

The Bigger Picture

The controversy of the 2025 MTV VMAs highlights the gap between Western award shows and the reality of K-pop. K-pop is global now, but it still comes from a specific cultural and linguistic background.

Mixing categories without clear rules risks undermining that identity.

Fans are now demanding reform. They want MTV to clearly explain the criteria for nominations.

Fans want English collaborations to be placed where they belong, in broader pop categories. They want transparency that treats all artists equally.

Until then, the mistrust will continue. Fans will keep questioning whether these awards reflect real achievements or just industry politics.

At the end of the day, the 2025 MTV VMAs will be remembered not for the wins, but for the arguments. Instead of building unity, the event left fans more divided.

What could have been a night of celebration became a debate about fairness, language, and respect for the genre.

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