Melon Music Award for Album of the Year

The Melon Music Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by South Korean entertainment company Kakao M at the annual Melon Music Awards, with its inaugural online ceremony in 2005. Award winners are based on data collected from the Melon music platform and honors artists who have had exceptional performance during the recording year.^[1] Since 2009, it has comprised one of the daesang (grand prize) awards given at the event, alongside Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, and later Record of the Year—the latter of which was introduced during the 2018 ceremony.^[2]

Melon Music Award for Album of the Year
Awarded for	Top performing digital albums
Country	South Korea
Presented by	Kakao M
First award	2005 (online) 2009 (ceremony)
Currently held by	Aespa – Armageddon (2024)
Most wins	BTS (4)
Most nominations	IU, BTS (6)
Website	Official website

From 2005 to 2008, award winners were announced online, although there was no album accolade given in 2007 or 2008. The ceremony was officially held offline in Seoul starting with the 2009 awards, with Album of the Year becoming one of the ceremony's grand prizes.^[3] The ceremony has been held at various venues throughout Seoul. As of 2021, the criteria for the Album of the Year accolade currently consist of a breakdown of 60% digital sales and streaming figures, 20% evaluation from a panel of judges, and 20% online voting.^[4]

BTS is the most awarded artist in the category, having won four times in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Other artists who have won the award more than once include 2NE1, Busker Busker and IU. BTS and IU are the most nominated artists in the category, having been nominated six times.

Winners and nominees

2006 recipient Kim Jong-kook

2009 award recipient G-Dragon

Two-time award winner 2NE1 (2010–11)

Two-time recipient Busker Busker (2012–13)

2015 recipient Exo

Four-time award winner BTS, winning in 2016 and 2018–20

Two-time award winner IU (2017, 2021)

2023 award winner Ive

2024 award winner Aespa

From 2005 to 2008, the Melon Music Award winners were announced online and were based entirely on online voting.^[5] In 2007 and 2008, there was no album accolade announced by the event committee.

List of online award winners (2005–2008)

Year	Winner(s)	Album	Ref.
2005	SG Wannabe	Saldaga	[6]
2006	Kim Jong-kook	Fourth Letter	[7]
2007	No award given		[8]
2008			[9]

The Melon Music Awards were held in a traditional live format for the first time since 2009, with Album of the Year consisting of one the three daesang prizes, alongside Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. Because of this, the 2009 event is regarded as the first "official" ceremony in the show's history.^[10]

List of daesang award winners and nominees (2009–present)

Year	Winner(s)	Album	Nominees[a]	Ref.
2009	G-Dragon	Heartbreaker	2NE1 – 2NE1 1st Mini Album 2PM – 2:00PM Time for Change Brown Eyed Girls – Sound-G Davichi – Davichi in Wonderland Girls' Generation – Gee Kara – Revolution MC Mong – Humanimal Outsider – Maestro SG Wannabe – Gift from SG Wannabe	[11] [12]
2010	2NE1	To Anyone	Girls' Generation – Oh! 2AM – Can't Let You Go Even If I Die DJ DOC – Pungnyu 4Men – The 3rd Generation	[13] [14]
2011		2NE1 2nd Mini Album	Leessang – Asura Balbalta Beast – Fiction and Fact Big Bang – Tonight IU – Real	[15] [16]
2012	Busker Busker	Busker Busker 1st Album	IU – Last Fantasy Big Bang – Alive G-Dragon – One of a Kind Psy – Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1	[17] [18]
2013		Busker Busker 2nd Album	Shinee – The Misconceptions of Us IU – Modern Times Exo – XOXO G-Dragon – Coup d'Etat	[19] [20]
2014	g.o.d	Chapter 8	2NE1 – Crush IU – A Flower Bookmark AKMU – Play Taeyang – Rise	[21] [22]
2015	Exo	Exodus	Big Bang – M Shinee – Odd Toy – Da Capo Hyukoh – 22	[23] [24]
2016	BTS	The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever	Exo – Ex'Act Psy – Chiljip Psy-da AKMU – Spring Jang Beom-june – Jang Beom June 2 Album	[25] [26]
2017	IU	Palette	Exo – The War BTS – You Never Walk Alone Psy – 4X2=8 Big Bang – Made	[27] [28]
2018	BTS	Love Yourself: Tear	Blackpink – Square Up iKon – Return Wanna One – 0+1=1 (I Promise You) Bolbbalgan4 – Red Diary Page.2	[29] [30]
2019		Map of the Soul: Persona	Bolbbalgan4 – Puberty Book I Bom Jang Beom-june – Jang Beom June 3 Jannabi – Legend MC the Max – Circular	[31] [32]
2020		Map of the Soul: 7	Iz*One – Bloom*Iz Baek Ye-rin – Every Letter I Sent You Bolbbalgan4 – Youth Diary II Oh My Girl – Nonstop	[33] [34]
2021	IU	Lilac	AKMU – Next Episode NCT Dream – Hot Sauce BTS – Be Heize – Happen	[35]
2022	Lim Young-woong	Im Hero	Psy – Psy 9th IU – Pieces (G)I-dle – I Never Die NewJeans – New Jeans	[36]
2023	Ive	I've Ive	(G)I-dle – I Feel Aespa – My World Le Sserafim – Unforgiven NewJeans – Get Up	[37]
2024	Aespa	Armageddon	(G)I-dle – 2 Day6 – Fourever IU – The Winning Plave – Asterum: 134-1	[38]

Records

Most nominations

Most award nominations

Number	Artist[b]
7	IU
6	BTS
4	2NE1
	Big Bang
	Exo
3	Bolbbalgan4
	AKMU
	Psy
	(G)I-dle
2	SG Wannabe
	Girls' Generation
	G-Dragon
	Shinee
	Jang Beom-june
	NewJeans
	Aespa

Most awards

Most award winners

Number	Artist[b]
4	BTS
2	IU
	Busker Busker
	2NE1

See also

• South Korea portal
• Music portal

• Mnet Asian Music Award for Album of the Year

Notes

1. Shortlisted nominees are listed—except for 2009, where no shortlist was announced.
2. Order is listed by most recent occurrence