Among them was Best Asian Pop Music Performance, a category the Academy said would recognize artistic excellence in pop music originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, and requiring meaningful use of one or more Asian languages. Critics, including many music industry observers, have argued the category functions less as recognition and more as a structural barrier, effectively steering K-pop and other non-English Asian pop acts away from competing in marquee general-field categories such as Album of the Year. Support for the band's stance also came from within the American and Korean music industries. With BTS out of contention, the inaugural Best Asian Pop Music Performance award will go to another act when nominees are announced in mid-November, with groups including ATEEZ, Stray Kids, Hearts2Hearts, BINI and CORTIS among those considered contenders. The eligibility window for the new category runs through Aug. 28, leaving several months for additional qualifying releases to enter contention before nominations are finalized.