TWS's 'Aegyo Challenge' Continues to Captivate Fans Worldwide

The 'Aegyo Challenge' by the group TWS remains a hot trend.

According to Pledis Entertainment, TWS's (Shin Yu, Do Hoon, Young Jae, Han Jin, Ji Hoon, Kyung Min) mini 4th album title track 'OVERDRIVE' secured the 6th spot on TikTok's 'Viral 50' music chart as of November 8th. The song is also making a strong comeback into the top 10 of the 'Top 50' chart, which ranks the most popular songs based on views and user engagement on TikTok.

The cumulative views of the 'Aegyo Challenge' compilation video on TWS's official Instagram have reached approximately 180 million. Despite being a month and a half since it topped Instagram's 'Reels Rising Audio' chart on October 21st, it continues to be a hit.

The challenge has transcended mere celebrity promotion and is widely used in everyday life, maintaining its popularity. Thousands of posts depicting various scenarios such as 'friends wanting to reconcile after a fight,' 'students aspiring to enter college,' and 'grandparents wanting to play with their grandchildren' have been uploaded on various short-form video platforms. It is also frequently used in videos showcasing the cuteness of children and pets.

The 'Aegyo Challenge' involves a playful shoulder-shaking dance move to the chorus of 'OVERDRIVE,' expressing an uncontrollable love with diverse expressions and the members' charming smiles. The easy-to-follow moves, combined with the cute 'aegyo' elements contrasting TWS's refreshing and powerful performance, have garnered significant attention.

Top stars have further fueled the challenge's popularity by participating in a 'aegyo' relay at year-end award ceremonies, taking social media by storm. At the '10th Anniversary Asia Artist Awards 2025 (AAA)' held on December 6th, top stars attempted the 'Aegyo Challenge' during interviews. Global fans responded positively online, saying, "The cheerful and lovely atmosphere makes me smile," and "Their cute and shy expressions are adorable." The 'Aegyo Challenge' even trended on X (formerly Twitter) that day.

The 'Aegyo Challenge' fever is boosting the song's performance on music charts. 'OVERDRIVE' debuted at 87th on Melon's November monthly chart and has remained on the weekly chart for six consecutive weeks. The day after 'AAA' (December 7th), the song jumped 17 spots on Bugs, a major domestic music chart, sparking hopes for a chart resurgence.

TWS continues to shine on various stages. They will perform at the '2025 Music Bank Global Festival IN JAPAN' on December 14th, the '2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon' on December 25th, 'Countdown Japan 25/26' on December 27th, and the '2025 MBC Gayo Daejejeon' on December 31st.

Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter one@tenasia.co.kr