RESCENE has taken the No. 1 spot in the September 2026 girl group brand reputation rankings, finishing ahead of BLACKPINK at No. 2 and IVE at No. 3. The monthly ranking was released on September 13 by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute and was based on 56,780,397 pieces of big data collected from August 13 through September 13.
The result extends a strong late-summer run for RESCENE. The group also ranked No. 1 in the August girl group brand reputation list, meaning September marks another month in which the five-member act has outpaced several of K-pop’s most established girl groups in this specific data set.
Important context: this ranking is not a music chart and does not directly measure album sales, streaming totals, concert attendance or global fandom size. It is a proprietary big-data index designed to track online participation, media attention, communication and community activity around girl-group brands.
September 2026 Girl Group Brand Reputation Top 10
| Rank | Girl Group |
|---|---|
| 1 | RESCENE |
| 2 | BLACKPINK |
| 3 | IVE |
| 4 | TWICE |
| 5 | Red Velvet |
| 6 | aespa |
| 7 | KiiiKiii |
| 8 | fromis_9 |
| 9 | Girls’ Generation |
| 10 | Hearts2Hearts |
Why RESCENE Ranked No. 1
The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute calculates its girl group ranking using four core components: a participation index, media index, communication index and community index. Together, those categories are intended to show how actively consumers engage with a group, how much media attention the group receives, how frequently people communicate about the brand and how widely related discussion spreads through online communities.
Korean coverage citing the institute reported that RESCENE remained especially strong in communication and community activity. The group’s positive-to-negative analysis was also reported at 94.78 percent positive, indicating that the online conversation measured by the institute was overwhelmingly favorable during the collection period.
Terms linked with RESCENE in the institute’s analysis included “LOVE ATTACK” and “REMINE”, while high-ranking related expressions included words associated with support and positive momentum. Those signals help explain why RESCENE remained at the top even as globally dominant groups such as BLACKPINK and IVE continued to generate major media attention of their own.
RESCENE’s Rise Is Becoming Hard to Ignore
What makes the September result especially notable is RESCENE’s relatively short career compared with many of the names around them. BLACKPINK, TWICE, Red Velvet and Girls’ Generation have all spent years building large international fan bases and recognizable global brands. RESCENE, by contrast, is still emerging into the wider K-pop mainstream.
Yet the group has appeared repeatedly near the top of several Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute rankings in recent months. RESCENE also ranked first in the institute’s September rookie idol group analysis, while individual members have performed strongly in rookie-idol and girl-group individual brand rankings.
That does not mean RESCENE has suddenly surpassed every veteran group in sales or worldwide streaming. It does mean the group is generating a level of Korean online attention that is unusually high for an act at this stage of its career.
BLACKPINK Jumps to No. 2
BLACKPINK placed second in the September ranking. Korean reports citing the institute put BLACKPINK’s brand reputation index at 5,313,288, up 34.73 percent compared with August.
The jump comes during another period of intense individual activity for Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa. The four members continue to generate global attention through solo releases, television appearances, fashion campaigns, brand partnerships and international events even when the group is not promoting a new BLACKPINK album at the same time.
BLACKPINK ranked fourth in the August girl group brand reputation list, so the move to second place in September illustrates how quickly the institute’s monthly index can react to shifts in media visibility and online conversation.
For more BLACKPINK coverage, see KWaveScope’s recent stories on LISA’s Always Lalisa TIFF premiere and ROSÉ’s “new trick” project with Apple.
IVE Holds Third Place
IVE took third place in September. Korean coverage reported a brand reputation index of 4,041,874, down 8.24 percent from the previous month.
Even with that decline, IVE stayed firmly inside the top three. That consistency is important because the group remains one of the strongest fourth-generation girl groups in South Korea, with high public recognition and a large domestic and international fandom.
TWICE moved into fourth place, while Red Velvet completed the top five. aespa ranked sixth, followed by KiiiKiii, fromis_9, Girls’ Generation and Hearts2Hearts.
What Does “Brand Reputation” Actually Measure?
The term can be confusing for international fans because “brand reputation” sounds like a definitive popularity ranking. It is not. The institute describes the index as a big-data measurement based on consumer online behavior and brand-related activity.
- Participation: consumer interaction and direct engagement with the brand.
- Media: the volume and impact of media attention.
- Communication: discussion and interaction around the brand.
- Community: the spread of brand-related content and issues across online communities.
Because the methodology is built around online attention, rankings can move sharply from one month to the next. A comeback, viral performance, controversy, advertisement, television appearance or major event can all increase the amount of data connected with a group.
That is why these results should be considered alongside more conventional metrics such as Circle Chart, Hanteo, Spotify, YouTube and Billboard rather than used as a replacement for them.
RESCENE’s September Brand Reputation Score: 8,491,288
Detailed Korean reporting citing the institute gives RESCENE a September brand reputation index of 8,491,288, up 4.90 percent from 8,094,531 in August. The total is made up of four components: participation 559,164, media 1,883,853, communication 3,146,365, and community 2,901,906.
| RESCENE index component | September 2026 score |
|---|---|
| Participation | 559,164 |
| Media | 1,883,853 |
| Communication | 3,146,365 |
| Community | 2,901,906 |
| Total | 8,491,288 |
The four components add up exactly to 8,491,288, providing an additional cross-check on the reported total. This represents a 4.90 percent month-on-month increase for RESCENE.
September 2026 Top 30 Girl Groups
The reported top 30 for September are: 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 and MEOVV.
Why This Ranking Matters for RESCENE
For RESCENE, the bigger story is not simply the number “1.” It is the repetition. One strong month can be driven by a single event, but staying near the top across multiple brand-related rankings suggests the group has built sustained attention rather than a one-day spike.
The next question is whether that online momentum converts into measurable growth in music consumption, album sales, international touring demand and long-term fandom expansion. Those are different metrics, but they will determine whether RESCENE’s current visibility becomes a durable step forward in the group’s career.
How to Read RESCENE’s No. 1 Ranking
RESCENE’s No. 1 position is meaningful, but it should be read in the right context. The September 2026 girl group brand reputation ranking measures the volume and intensity of online activity connected with each group during a specific collection period. It is therefore best understood as a snapshot of current attention rather than a permanent hierarchy of the biggest girl groups in K-pop.
For RESCENE, the most striking part of the result is the scale of the communication and community components. Together, those two categories account for more than six million points of the group’s 8,491,288 total score. That suggests the group was not only being mentioned by media outlets but was also being actively discussed, shared and circulated across online communities. For a relatively young act, that kind of sustained conversation can be a valuable sign that awareness is spreading beyond a narrow core fandom.
At the same time, the ranking should not be used to claim that RESCENE has overtaken BLACKPINK, IVE or other veteran groups in every measure of popularity. BLACKPINK remains one of the world’s most commercially powerful K-pop acts, while IVE continues to perform strongly in domestic charts, album sales and touring. The institute’s index captures a different type of momentum: how intensely a group is being talked about and interacted with online during the measured month.
This distinction is especially important for international readers. A brand reputation ranking can rise quickly after a comeback, viral clip, television appearance, advertisement or major fan discussion. It can also fall the following month even if a group’s album sales or streaming totals remain strong. In that sense, the index is useful for spotting changes in attention, but it should be combined with chart data, sales figures, streaming performance and live-event demand before drawing broader conclusions about market position.
What RESCENE Needs to Prove Next
The next stage for RESCENE is converting this attention into durable growth. Reaching No. 1 for a second consecutive month gives the group a stronger story than a single surprise appearance at the top. Repetition can help attract new listeners, media coverage and brand opportunities because it signals that the group’s name is continuing to circulate even after the initial spike of interest.
However, long-term growth will depend on what happens outside this ranking. Future releases will need to show whether the current visibility translates into higher streaming numbers, stronger physical sales, larger showcase or concert demand and wider recognition outside South Korea. International fandom growth will be particularly important because many of the groups surrounding RESCENE in the ranking already have established audiences across North America, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia.
Another useful indicator will be whether RESCENE can maintain strong positive sentiment while becoming more visible. The reported 94.78 percent positive ratio is notable, but larger public exposure usually brings more varied reactions. If the group can continue expanding while preserving high engagement and favorable discussion, that would be a stronger sign that its current momentum is developing into a stable brand rather than remaining a temporary online trend.
For now, the September result confirms one clear point: RESCENE is receiving unusually strong attention for a group at this stage of its career. Finishing ahead of BLACKPINK and IVE in this specific monthly index does not settle the broader question of which girl group is the most popular, but it does make RESCENE one of the most closely watched emerging names in Korean online fandom data this month.
Why the September Ranking Is Worth Watching
Monthly brand reputation lists are most useful when readers follow the direction of movement rather than focusing only on one rank. BLACKPINK’s 34.73 percent rise from August, IVE’s 8.24 percent decline and RESCENE’s 4.90 percent increase show three different patterns inside the same data set. BLACKPINK gained sharply, IVE remained highly ranked despite a lower score, and RESCENE stayed in first place by maintaining strong communication and community activity.
That is why September’s ranking is more informative as a trend map than as a winner-takes-all popularity contest. It shows which names are gaining conversation, which groups are holding attention and where online interest may be shifting. If RESCENE continues to rank near the top in the coming months while its streaming, sales and live metrics also improve, the September result could later be seen as an early signal of a much broader rise.
Sources
- Star News — September 2026 girl group brand reputation results
- Soompi — September Girl Group Brand Reputation Rankings
- Star News — August 2026 girl group brand reputation results
KWaveScope editorial note: Brand reputation rankings are proprietary big-data indicators. They should be interpreted separately from official sales, streaming and chart rankings.
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