BLACKPINK Turns 10: Every Record They Broke, Every Milestone That Changed K-Pop

Jisoo's message to BLINKs on August 8 did not open with celebration. "This anniversary feels like a day full of sorry," she wrote on the fan platform, adding that she had always wanted to show her best self and bring happiness in hard moments, but that seeing so many BLINKs upset made her heart heavy. She closed with a direct apology and the reminder that it is BLINKs who made BLACKPINK shine.

That note set the emotional temperature for the group's 10th debut anniversary, a milestone that lands with genuine pride and genuine tension in roughly equal measure.

All four members gathered at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul's Yongsan district that afternoon for a meet-and-greet with 40 fans selected through a pre-event lottery. The reunion mattered more than it might have otherwise: Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo, and Lisa now operate under four separate labels (ODD ATELIER, The Black Label, Blisoo, and LOUD, respectively), each with their own packed schedules, and some fans had quietly wondered whether a full-group appearance on the actual anniversary was realistic. They coordinated and showed up.

The museum itself has become something of a meaningful venue for the group. In February, BLACKPINK held a DEADLINE listening session there and participated as audio guides for the museum's artifacts. For the 10th anniversary, the National Museum Cultural Foundation collaborated with BLACKPINK on a seven-piece Heritage Collection through its cultural goods brand Muds.

Still, the fan reaction was mixed. Among BLINKs, 40 spots for an event of this scale felt like a quiet acknowledgment of how little group activity the anniversary is wrapped around. DEADLINE, released in February, was the group's first full-member album in four years, and while it sold 1.77 million copies in its first week, a domestic encore tour has not materialized. The anniversary meet-and-greet, meaningful as it is, is essentially the group's main commemorative event.

The other members posted their own messages. Jennie shared a group photo on social media and wrote that she feels more deeply, as time passes, how much strength it gave her to know BLINKs were always waiting. Rosé, who debuted at 19 and is 29 today, reflected on growing up imperfectly in public and thanked fans for watching that growth with kindness. Lisa wrote simply that every joyful and difficult moment has been possible because BLINKs were there.

The warmth in those messages is not performative; the decade behind them earns it.

What ten years actually looks like on paper is remarkable. BLACKPINK debuted on August 8, 2016, with "Whistle" and "Boombayah." Six years later, BORN PINK became the first album by an Asian female artist to simultaneously top the US Billboard 200 and the UK Official Albums Chart, a double that no female group had pulled off since Destiny's Child in 2001. The group has placed 11 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, a record for K-pop female acts. Their track "JUMP" reached number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and Global (excl. US) charts simultaneously, another first for a K-pop girl group. The group also holds 11 BPI single certifications in the UK, the most of any K-pop girl group.

In 2023, they became the first Asian artists to headline Coachella as the main stage act, and their DEADLINE world tour this year brought them to London's Wembley Stadium, the first K-pop girl group to perform there. The LA SoFi Stadium dates sold out both nights.

The YouTube numbers are their own category. BLACKPINK's official channel crossed 100 million subscribers in February, the first music artist channel anywhere in the world to reach that number. Cumulative views on the channel have since passed 42.6 billion. On Spotify, they remain the most-streamed female group globally.

Solo momentum has, if anything, accelerated that reach. Rosé's collaboration with Bruno Mars, "APT.," became a genuine global phenomenon and earned her the Video of the Year award at the 2025 MTV VMAs, the first K-pop artist to win in that category. Jennie's debut full-length solo album Ruby, released in March 2024, was followed by a headlining set at Lollapalooza Chicago this year. Jisoo starred in the Netflix series Monthly Boyfriend, which premiered in March and brought her a Rising Star award at the Cannes Series Festival. Lisa performed at the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles in June.

Music critic Lim Hee-yoon put it plainly: "BLACKPINK opened a new era of idol culture. From early in their careers, all four members were luxury brand ambassadors, that created a new template. They built synergy, broke into mainstream audiences beyond the fanbase, and each member's individual brand power is still exceptional."

The tension fans feel on this anniversary is, in a way, a byproduct of how well each member has thrived independently. The bigger the solo careers get, the more precious and rare the group moments become. Jisoo's apology was honest about that. So was the fact that all four of them cleared their schedules to be in the same room, with 40 fans, at a museum they clearly have affection for, on the exact right day.