BTS has come a long way since releasing its first album in 2013, and in the decade-plus that has passed, the K-pop stars have managed to become the biggest group in the world.

While the 2020s have seen the boy band’s seven members — RM, Jin, Jung Kook, Suga, j-hope, Jimin and V — releasing solo projects, smashing records (both as a group and in personal endeavors), going on tour and fulfilling their civic duties by performing mandatory service in the South Korean military, the past few years make up only a portion of the K-pop group’s wild ride overall. The members’ illustrious music career formally kicked off when they debuted with 2 Cool 4 Skool, which — though a far stretch from the bigger Billboard Hot 100-topping hits that would later cement them as international superstars, such as “Butter,” “Dynamite” and “Permission to Dance” — established the septet as a force to be reckoned with, and one that would only continue to grow with the aid of its devoted ARMY fanbase.

After multiple album and single releases in the years that followed, BTS has created a career that only few storied music acts can dream of — culminating in the release of ARIRANG in March 2026. Grounded in Korean history and culture, the project marks the band’s first full-length LP since reuniting post-military, debuting atop the Billboard 200 and opening with a historic 641,000 equivalent album units sold, with lead single “Swim” also debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Here, Billboard is looking back at all of BTS’ biggest achievements since debuting more than a decade ago. Check out the group’s career-defining milestones in chronological order below.