2016–2018: Formation, pre-debut activities, and Treasure EP.1 Plans for a new KQ Entertainment boy band began after a staff member discovered a letter and sample
mixtape from Kim Hongjoong, who would eventually become Ateez's leader, expressing interest in becoming a
trainee at the company.
Hongjoong became the company's first official trainee and would remain the only one until Yunho joined six months later. Over the next year, members Mingi,
San, Seonghwa, Yeosang,
Jongho, and Wooyoung joined KQ Entertainment as trainees. Many had previous training experience at other companies: Mingi at
Maroo Entertainment, Jongho at
TOP Media, and Yeosang and Wooyoung at
Big Hit Entertainment. They were known as "KQ Fellaz" prior to debuting. In late 2017, Hongjoong, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho competed on the survival reality show
Mix Nine, placing 42nd, 63rd, 72nd, and 43rd out of all male contestants, respectively. On May 18, 2018, KQ Entertainment released the
YouTube video "KQ Fellaz Performance Video I", which featured all eight Ateez members together for the first time, dancing to the song "
Pick It Up" by rapper
Famous Dex. Shortly after, the group premiered their pre-debut web series,
KQ Fellaz American Training, showcasing the eight members in
Los Angeles, California, training at
The Millennium Dance Complex. During this period, a ninth trainee, Lee Jun-young, was promoted as a member of KQ Fellaz but ultimately not added to the final line-up. For the finale of the web series, KQ Fellaz released the music video of "From", a song composed and produced by Hongjoong. The show,
Code Name Is Ateez, premiered on
Mnet on July 20. The album peaked at number seven on the weekly
Gaon Albums Chart, selling 23,644 copies in 2018.
2019: Breakthrough, first tour, and first studio album On January 3, 2019, Ateez announced their first comeback EP,
Treasure EP.2: Zero to One, with a teaser photo on their social media accounts. The EP was released on January 15, alongside a music video for the lead single "Say My Name". A music video for the track "Hala Hala (Hearts Awakened, Live Alive)" from the EP was released on February 7. On January 24, Ateez announced their first tour, The Expedition Tour, with March dates in five American cities:
New York City,
Chicago,
Dallas,
Atlanta, and
Los Angeles. The tour was then extended through April with the addition of European shows in
London,
Lisbon,
Paris,
Berlin,
Amsterdam,
Milan,
Budapest,
Stockholm,
Warsaw, and
Moscow. All American and European shows reportedly sold out. On May 17, Ateez performed at their first joint K-pop concert,
KCON 2019 Japan, in
Chiba, Japan. In early June, The Expedition Tour was extended again to visit Australian cities
Melbourne and
Sydney in August. Ateez released their third EP,
Treasure EP.3: One to All, on June 10. The lead single, "Wave", was selected via fan vote, winning in the competition over "Illusion". Music videos for both songs were released on the same day. On June 20, Ateez won their first music program award on
M Countdown for "Wave", winning a second time on
The Show five days later. On July 8, music video for the track "Aurora" was released. Ateez performed at KCON events in
New York City and
Los Angeles in July and August, respectively, and received the Soribada Award for Best Performance on August 20. On September 18, Ateez announced their third comeback with
Treasure EP.Fin: All to Action, their first studio album. It was released on October 8 with a music video for lead single "Wonderland". The album sold 165,479 physical copies in South Korea in 2019 and became the first Ateez album to reach number one on the weekly
Gaon Albums Chart. On November 3, Ateez won the Best Korean Act award at the
2019 MTV Europe Music Awards. On November 10, they released their first Japanese-language music video for the song "Utopia", originally a track on
Treasure EP.3. On December 4, their debut Japanese album
Treasure EP. Extra: Shift the Map was released, and they won the Worldwide Fans' Choice Award at the
Mnet Asian Music Awards in
Nagoya, Japan on the same day.
2020: Conclusion of Treasure series and start of Fever series On January 6, 2020, Ateez released their fourth EP,
Treasure Epilogue: Action to Answer, as the conclusion to their
Treasure series, alongside a music video for lead single "Answer". The EP sold 179,796 physical copies in South Korea in 2020. On February 12, Ateez released their first Japanese EP
Treasure EP.Map to Answer, with the Japanese version of "Answer" as the lead single. The group's second world tour, The Fellowship: Map the Treasure, was scheduled to begin in Seoul in February before reaching seven European cities in March and two Japanese cities and five American cities in April. The Seoul tour dates were held as planned on February 8 and 9. However, due to concerns over the
COVID-19 pandemic, the remaining tour dates were indefinitely postponed. Several tour dates had already been sold out; the shows in
Amsterdam,
Madrid, and
Moscow were reportedly since January. All dates in United States were also sold out, including some arenas with capacities of over 18,000 people. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Ateez hosted a free, virtual concert called "Crescent Party" on the
V Live app, with over 1.4 million viewers tuning into the live event on May 30. On June 26, they performed both the opening and closing stages at KCON:TACT 2020 and held their first virtual meet-and-greet with fans. On July 4, Ateez released a promotional schedule for their fifth EP,
Zero: Fever Part.1, their first release following the conclusion of the
Treasure series. The lead single, "Inception", was voted by fans over the track "Thanxx". The EP was released on July 29, and Ateez received their third and fourth music program awards for "Inception" on August 4 and 5, on
The Show and
Show Champion. Music video of the other single, "Thanxx", was released on August 24.
Zero: Fever Part. 1 sold 379,052 physical copies in South Korea in 2020, Ateez's first album to be certified platinum by the
Korea Music Content Association, and made Ateez the second fourth-generation boy group to generate one million total sales as rookies. They performed a cover of
Turbo's "The Black Cat Nero" and won the episode, making them the first fourth-generation group and the sixth idol group overall to win on the program. On October 31, Ateez released a special Halloween music video version of "The Black Cat Nero", featuring the original artist
Kim Jong-kook. On November 15, it was announced that member Mingi would temporarily suspend promotional activities with the group in order to receive treatment for and recover from symptoms of
psychological anxiety. At the
2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Ateez won the Worldwide Fans' Choice and
Discovery of the Year awards. During their performance at the show, it was announced that they would be joining
The Boyz and
Stray Kids on the inaugural season of
Kingdom: Legendary War, an Mnet competition show which aired in April 2021. On December 19, Ateez were the only idol group invited to the
Immortal Songs year-end finale "King of Kings", where they performed their version of
Seo Taiji and Boys' "Anyhow Song". According to an official
Twitter survey, Ateez were the fifth most tweeted-about musician in the United States in 2020, after
BTS,
Kanye West,
Beyoncé, and
Drake, and the 10th most tweeted-about K-pop group in the world.
2021: Fever series, Kingdom and domestic promotions On January 31, Ateez received their first Bonsang (main award) at the 30th
Seoul Music Awards. They returned to
Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend for a third time and won the episode on February 6 by performing a rendition of
Rain's "
It's Raining", making them the only K-pop boy group with multiple wins on the program. On March 1, their sixth EP,
Zero: Fever Part.2, was released with a music video for promoted single "Fireworks (I'm the One)" (). Ateez received their fifth music show win on
The Show on March 9 for the song.
Zero: Fever Part.2 was certified double platinum on July 8, having sold over 500,000 copies. On March 24, Ateez released their first original Japanese studio album
Into the A to Z with "Still Here" as the lead single. In addition to their music releases, the group and individual members participated in various Korean television programs. In March, Yeosang became a co-host of
SBS MTV's music program
The Show. Meanwhile, Yunho, Jongho, Seonghwa, and San were cast in the
KBS2 television drama
Imitation, which aired from May to July. The competition show
Kingdom: Legendary War that Ateez participated in alongside five other K-pop boy groups first aired on April 1. For the final round, they released the song "멋 (The Real)" on May 28, which Mingi participated in recording but not performing. The group finished in third place overall. On May 22, Ateez returned to
Immortal Songs for a fourth time, winning with their performance of
Psy's
"Right Now" and consequently tying with
Mamamoo for most wins by an idol group on the show. On July 9, KQ Entertainment confirmed that San tested positive but was asymptomatic for
COVID-19. All members except Mingi suspended their activities to enter self-isolation until July 23, and San stayed at a treatment center until he was released on July 19. On July 19, it was announced that Mingi would be returning to group activities. On July 28, Ateez released their first Japanese single "Dreamers", which served as the fifth ending theme for the 2020 reboot anime series
Digimon Adventure. On August 4, Ateez announced an album collaboration with
Kim Jong-kook titled
Season Songs, with lead single "Be My Lover" (), which was released on August 16. On August 19, it was announced that Ateez collaborated with American
a cappella group
Pentatonix on the single "A Little Space", set for digital release the following day. On September 13, Ateez released their seventh EP,
Zero: Fever Part.3. The lead single "Deja Vu" was voted on by fans over the track "Eternal Sunshine". Pre-orders for the EP surpassed 800,000 copies, more than double that of their last release
. It debuted at number one on the
Billboard World Albums Chart, and the group reached a new peak on the
Billboard World Digital Songs Chart with "Deja Vu" charting at number four. The EP debuted at number 42 on the
Billboard 200, their first appearance on the chart. Ateez also topped the
Billboard Emerging Artists Chart. Domestically, they received their sixth music show win on
MBC M's
Show Champion for "Deja Vu" on September 22. The EP received double platinum certification on November 11, having surpassed the 500,000 copies sales mark. On October 31, They performed at the SBS Super Concert in Daegu, where Yunho was appointed as one of the hosts. On November 14, it was announced on their virtual concert "Fever: eXendtion edition" that the group's third world tour, The Fellowship: Beginning of the End, would be held in 2022. The world tour was scheduled to begin with three dates in Seoul in early January and proceed to five cities in the US in the latter part of the month before concluding on March 1 after shows in six European cities. On December 10, Ateez released their first repackaged EP,
Zero: Fever Epilogue, featuring the lead singles "Turbulence" () and "The Real (Heung version)" (). The album included tracks previously introduced as performances on
Kingdom, and was certified platinum.
2022: Two world tours, Beyond: Zero, The World EP.1: Movement, The World EP.Paradigm and Spin Off: From the Witness Ateez held their first offline concerts in two years in Seoul from January 7 to 9. The Fellowship: Beginning of the End world tour continued with six sold-out shows in
Chicago,
Atlanta,
Newark,
Dallas and
Los Angeles in the United States in January. On January 18, it was announced that Yeosang would continue his role as co-host of
The Show for a second year. On January 23, Ateez won the main award on the 31st
Seoul Music Awards. On January 31, they released the
promotional single "Don't Stop" through
Universe Music for the platform Universe. On February 3, it was announced that Ateez would appear on Global Spin Live at the
Grammy Museum on February 8. They performed and participated in an interview, as well as an audience question-and-answer segment on the live event. The European leg of the Fellowship: Beginning of The End world tour was rescheduled to late April and May; eight shows in
Madrid,
London,
Paris,
Berlin and
Amsterdam were held, while the
Warsaw show was cancelled. Three additional shows in
Yokohama, Japan in mid-July were also announced. On May 25, Ateez released their second Japanese EP,
Beyond: Zero, with lead single "Rocky (Boxers Ver.)". The EP charted at number two on the
Oricon weekly album chart,
Line Music weekly album chart and
Billboard Japan Top Album Sales chart. On June 30, they performed at the Jeddah K-pop Festival in Saudi Arabia. On July 3, they closed the second day of UNI-KON 2022 in Seoul. On July 29, Ateez released their eighth Korean EP
The World EP.1: Movement, featuring the lead single "Guerrilla". Pre-orders exceeded 1.1 million copies, making it their first million-selling EP. Album sales in the first week totalled to over 930,000 physical copies, and the EP topped South Korea's
Circle Album Chart for two consecutive weeks. The album charted at number three on
Billboard 200 in the United States, Ateez's first top 10 on the main chart. The group wrapped up their album promotions with six music program awards for "Guerrilla", winning first places on
The Show,
Show Champion and
Music Bank. On August 22, Ateez performed at KCON 2022 LA and were selected to perform the LA version of KCON 2022's signature song "Poppia". On September 8, it was reported that Hongjoong and Yunho had been chosen as DJs for
MBC Radio's
Idol Radio Season 3 and that the show would incorporate Ateez's colours by adopting a "space pirate" concept. On September 9, Ateez released an original soundtrack for the web drama
Mimicus, titled "Let's Get Together". Ateez performed in several joint concerts across Asia during September and October, including Kpop Land 2022 in
Jakarta, K-pop Masterz Ep.2 in
Manila and
Bangkok, KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia in
Riyadh, Powerful
Daegu K-pop Concert Restart, and KCON 2022 Japan in
Tokyo. On October 8, Ateez received the Artist of the Year Bonsang, as well as the Best Performer award at
The Fact Music Awards. Ateez opened their second world tour of the year, The Fellowship: Break The Wall, with two sold-out concerts in Seoul on October 29 and 30. They embarked on the North American leg, comprising eleven shows in
Oakland,
Anaheim,
Phoenix,
Dallas,
Chicago,
Atlanta,
Newark and
Toronto. They closed the 2022 part of the tour with two shows in
Chiba, Japan. KQ Fellaz 2, a pre-debut boy group from the same label as Ateez, served as the opening act of all the shows except for the one in Canada. On November 30, Ateez released their third Japanese EP,
The World EP.Paradigm, featuring the lead single "Paradigm". It ranked first on the weekly edition of the
Oricon Albums Chart, as well as on the Oricon Weekly Combined Album Chart. The album also ranked first on the
Billboard Japan Top Album Sales chart with 124,584 physical copies sold in the first week, making it Ateez's first EP to top these charts. On December 7, Ateez released the soundtrack song "Like That" for the anime
Lookism, an adaptation of the eponymous webtoon. On December 15, it was announced that the group would release the opening theme "Limitless" for the anime
Duel Masters WIN. On December 22, KQ Entertainment released a comeback trailer for Ateez's first Korean single album,
Spin Off: From the Witness, which was released on December 30, led by the single "Halazia". The single album entered the top 10 of
Billboard 200 at number seven and the
Billboard's Top Album Sales at number two, making it their third and second time on the two charts, respectively. "Halazia" brought Ateez their 13th music show trophy, winning first place on
Music Bank on January 6.
2023: Continuation of the Break the Wall world tour, Limitless, The World EP.2: Outlaw and The World EP.Fin: Will After finishing their domestic promotions for
Spin Off: From the Witness, Ateez promoted their EP
The World EP. Paradigm in Japan from January 29 to February 3. On February 10, the group embarked on the European leg of the Fellowship: Break The Wall world tour in
Amsterdam, followed by eight shows in
Berlin,
Brussels,
London,
Madrid,
Copenhagen and
Paris. On March 8, Yeosang was announced to continue as one of the hosts of
The Show for a third consecutive year. On March 19, Ateez performed at KCON Thailand at the
IMPACT Arena. On March 22, the group released
Limitless, their second Japanese single album, including the opening song of the same name they recorded for the anime
Duel Masters WIN. Between April and May, Ateez performed in multiple events such as the 2023 Lovesome Festival in Seoul, the K-POP Super Live at Seoul Festa 2023, the Dance Day Live 2023 in Tokyo, and KCON Japan 2023 in Chiba. They also carried out six encore concerts out of the Fellowship: Break The Wall tour in
Seoul,
Tokyo and
Chiba. The group released their ninth EP
The World EP.2: Outlaw on June 16. It became the group's most successful comeback, reaching No.2 on the
Billboard 200, No.1 on the
Billboard Top Albums Sales Chart and No.10 on the
UK Officials Albums Chart. On June 17, Ateez appeared on
Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend for the sixth time. They performed their rendition of the song "Highway in the Gale", originally sung by Yoo Jung Seok and won their fourth trophy making them the K-Pop idol group with the most wins on the show. On July 8, Ateez opened their Asian leg of The Fellowship: Break The Wall world tour in
Taipei, followed by concerts in
Hong Kong and
Bangkok. As a part of the world tour, they held a solo concert in
Jeddah on July 20, becoming the first fourth-generation idol group to do so. On August 23, they continued on with the Latin American leg of the world tour with shows in
Mexico City,
São Paulo,
Santiago and
Bogotá. They played their first ever stadium concert at the
Allianz Parque in São Paulo. On September 9, they resumed their Asian leg of the tour with a concert held in Singapore. They closed the tour on the 16th with a show in
Manila. On December 1, the group released their second studio album,
The World EP.Fin: Will. The album reached No.1 on the
Billboard 200, and No.2 on the
UK Officials Album Chart. They sold over 1.7 million copies in the first week, making it their third million seller album following
The World EP.1: Movement and
The World EP.2: Outlaw. This album also earned them their first ever triple crown on
KBS Music Bank. On December 27, it was announced that Hongjoong and Yunho would be stepping down as DJs for
MBC's Idol Radio.
2024: Towards the Light: Will to Power world tour, Not Okay, Coachella, Golden Hour: Part. 1 and 2, Mawazine and Birthday Ateez started the year by opening their world tour Towards the Light: Will to Power in
Seoul, South Korea. The sold-out concerts were held on January 27 and 28 at the
Jamsil Indoor Stadium. The tour continued as they performed at the
Saitama Super Arena in
Saitama, Japan on February 3 and 4 which were sold-out on both days. On February 6, Ateez were named as
Record Store Day's first K-Pop Artist of the Year. On February 28, Ateez released their third Japanese single "Not Okay". It debuted No. 2 on the
Oricon Singles Daily Chart, No. 1 on Recochoku Daily Album Chart, No. 2 on the
Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales Chart and No. 4 on
Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart. On March 5, it was announced that Yeosang would be stepping down as co-host for
SBS MTV's
The Show after three years. On March 11, Hongjoong was featured in
Chung Ha's single "Eenie Meenie". On March 28, it was reported that Ateez will be a part of the first K-pop exhibition hosted by the
Grammy Museum from April 10 to June 10. On March 31, Ateez performed at
KCON Hong Kong 2024. On April 12 and 19, Ateez became the first K-pop boy group to grace the stage at
Coachella, one of the biggest music festivals in the world. On April 20, Ateez were invited to throw the first pitch for the
LA Dodgers in a
MLB game against the
Mets. On April 26 and 28, Ateez performed at
Cartier 'Crystallization of Time' exhibition and 'High Jewelry Gala Dinner' in Seoul. On May 25, Wooyoung threw the first pitch for the
Lotte Giants against the
Samsung Lions in
Busan. On May 26, Ateez performed at the
Yonsei University 'AKARAKA' Festival. On May 29, they performed at the
Sungkyunkwan University Festival. On May 31, Ateez released their tenth EP
Golden Hour: Part.1 along with the lead single "
Work" and its music video. The EP debuted No.2 on the
Billboard 200, No.1 on the
Billboard Top Albums Sales Chart, No.4 on the
UK Official Albums Chart, No.1 on the UK Official Physical Albums Chart and No.1 on the
Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales Chart. The group also became the first South Korean musical act to score three new top 10 titles on the UK Official Albums Charts ranking in the span of a year. On June 2, Ateez performed at the K-Wave Concert Inkigayo. On June 10, they made their US television debut on
The Kelly Clarkson Show. On June 23, Ateez became the first South Korean musical act to perform and headline the
Mawazine festival, the second largest music festival in the world. The group took the OLM Souissi stage as one of the two artists scheduled to play that day and attracted huge crowds of spectators. On June 28 and 29, they performed at the BEAT AX Vol.4 music festival held at the
Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan and on June 30, they performed at Show! Music Core in Japan. On July 1, Ateez collaborated with the Japanese boy group
Be:First for the single "
Hush-Hush". On July 6 and 7, Ateez held their fanmeeting titled ATINY's Voyage: From A to Z in Seoul. On July 14, Ateez embarked on their North American leg of the Towards the Light: Will to Power world tour with shows in
Tacoma,
Oakland,
Los Angeles,
Phoenix,
Arlington,
Duluth,
New York,
Washington D.C,
Toronto and
Rosemont. This tour also marked some of their first ever stadium venues in North America which included the
BMO Stadium,
Globe Life Field and
Citi Field. On August 7,
Mirani released the single "Hit Me Up" featuring Mingi. On August 17 and 18, Ateez performed at the
Summer Sonic festival held in Osaka and Chiba. On August 21 and 22, Ateez held a second 'ATINY's Voyage: From A to Z' fanmeeting in Tokyo. On September 4, Ateez collaborated with the Japanese boy group Be:First for the second time for the digital single "Royal". On October 1, Ateez released their fourth Japanese single "Birthday". It debuted No. 3 on the
Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales Chart and No. 4 on the
Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart. On November 15, Ateez released their eleventh EP
Golden Hour: Part.2, with the lead single "
Ice on My Teeth". It debuted at No. 1 on the
Billboard 200.
2025: Continuation of "Towards the Light: Will to Power" world tour, Golden Hour: Part. 3, In Your Fantasy edition, "In Your Fantasy" world tour and contract renewal On January 18, Ateez began the European leg of their world tour, Towards the Light: Will to Power, with shows in
Lyon,
Milan,
Zurich,
London,
Manchester,
Amsterdam,
Barcelona,
Cologne,
Copenhagen,
Berlin,
Paris and
Brussels. They also became the first K-pop group to hold and sell-out a concert in Europe's largest indoor venue,
Paris La Défense Arena. The tour concluded on March 23 following two encore performances in Seoul. On March 7, Seonghwa made his runway debut during
Paris Fashion Week for
Isabel Marant's Fall/Winter 2025 collection, after previously modeling for their Spring 2025 campaign alongside
Kate Moss. On March 18, Ateez won
iHeartRadio's K-Pop Artist of the Year award. On March 28 and 29, Ateez held a third 'ATINY's Voyage: From A to Z' fanmeeting in Kobe. On March 31, Ateez announced their fifth world tour, In Your Fantasy, covering South Korea, North America, and Japan. On April 23, they were nominated for the
American Music Awards' Favorite K-Pop Artist award. On May 14, Ateez released the concert film,
Towards the Light: Will to Power, showcasing their January 2024 performance at the Jamsil Arena in Seoul. The film was screened across Asia, North America, Europe, and other countries, and presented by CJ 4DPLEX and Trafalgar Releasing via
ScreenX,
4DX,
Ultra 4DX, and traditional 2D formats. On June 10,
Gallant released "Underpressure!" featuring Wooyoung, after performing the song together on June 1 prior to its release for the
Seoul Jazz Festival. On June 13, Ateez released their twelfth EP
Golden Hour: Part.3, with the lead single "
Lemon Drop". It debuted at No. 2 on the
Billboard 200. "Lemon Drop" debuted at No. 69 on the
Billboard Hot 100, marking Ateez's first entry on the chart and making them the third K-pop boy group to chart on the
Billboard Hot 100. in August 2025 On July 10, it was announced that all eight members of the group had decided to renew their contracts with KQ Entertainment for the next 7 years. They opened the North American leg of In Your Fantasy world tour with shows in Atlanta, New York, Baltimore, Nashville, Orlando, Chicago, Tacoma, San Jose, Los Angeles, Glendale, Arlington and Mexico City. On July 11, Ateez released the deluxe version of their twelfth EP ''Golden Hour: Part.3 'In Your Fantasy Edition''', with the lead single "
In Your Fantasy". The title debuted at No. 68 on the
Billboard Hot 100. On September 13, Ateez continued their world tour, In Your Fantasy, with shows in Saitama, Nagoya and Kobe. On September 17, Ateez released their second Japanese full-length album
Ashes to Light.
2026: Continuation of "In Your Fantasy" world tour and Golden Hour: Part. 4 On January 17, Ateez held their second fanmeeting, titled Dawn:26, in Seoul. On January 24 and 31, they held concerts as part of their In Your Fantasy world tour in Taipei and Jakarta. On February 6, the group released their thirteenth EP,
Golden Hour: Part.4 with the title track "Adrenaline". It debuted No. 3 on the
Billboard 200. The EP also debuted No. 1 on the
Circle Album Chart and sold over 1.5 million copies during the first week of release, making it their sixth million seller. The group secured five music show wins, which also marked their first-ever wins on both
Show! Music Core and
Inkigayo. From February 22 to April 4, they held multiple concerts in Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Macau and Bangkok. ==Artistry==