Who Is BLINK? A Beginner's Guide to BLACKPINK's Fandom
Published:
- Category: Fandom guide
- Artist: BLACKPINK
KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked November 6, 2026
For BLACKPINK, August 8 is the day that belongs to the fans. It's the group's debut anniversary, and the official YouTube channel's anniversary videos count the years together in their hashtags: #3YEARSWITHBLINKS in 2019, then #7YEARSWITHBLINKS, #8YEARSWITHBLINKS and #9YEARSWITHBLINKS. For the 10th in 2026, the tag was simply #WITHBLINK.
BLINK is the name of BLACKPINK's fandom. This guide covers where the name comes from, ten years of anniversaries, the difficult 10th, the official light stick and what to check before you join the official membership. Official BLACKPINK and YG channels come first. Where only the press has recorded part of the story, we link the report.
Start with the name: BLACK + PINK
BLACKPINK debuted on August 8, 2016, with "Whistle" and "Boombayah." The Korea Herald The fandom got its official name the following year. In 2017, before the single "As If It's Your Last," the group named its fan club Blink, a contraction of "black" and "pink." The Korea Herald
That's the explanation the press recorded at the time. We didn't find a YG text that explains the name in its own words, so the Korea Herald report is the source here. You'll see the name written both ways: BLACKPINK's own channels use BLINK and BLINKS, and English-language reports often write Blink.
The official channel greeted fans from the start. Four days after the debut, it posted an 18-second video titled A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS WORLDWIDE, on August 12, 2016 (Korean time).
Ten years of anniversaries
In most years since, the channel has published an anniversary video on August 8. The 2019 video, 3 YEAR DEBUT ANNIVERSARY, is the first to carry a "YEARS WITH BLINKS" hashtag. The 4th anniversary video followed in 2020. All the dates are in the table at the end.
The 5th anniversary in 2021 became a project of its own. The channel announced the [4+1 PROJECT] on June 23, 2021 (Korean time), and the program included a pop-up with BLINK. Its recap video is tagged #THANK_YOU_BLINK.
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗The 7th anniversary in 2023 came with a 22-minute video and a projection event, recapped on August 17. The 8th, in 2024, was called 'OUR AREA', and its recap video went up on September 6, 2024.
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗Our take: the hashtags tell the story better than any summary. Each year, the count of years "with BLINKS" goes up by one.
Archival photo: BLINK's "Pink Ocean" of light sticks at BLACKPINK's In Your Area tour in Thailand, January 12, 2019. Credit: ToppFanboy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Linked from Wikimedia Commons at a smaller size; no other edits by KPOP NO.1.
The 10th anniversary, and what the members said
August 8, 2026 marked ten years. The official channel posted BLACKPINK 10TH ANNIVERSARY that day.
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗The celebration itself was smaller than many fans had hoped. YG announced the event only two days before, as an in-person gathering in Seoul for 40 paying Weverse members. Applications stayed open for nine hours, and the notice said only members "available by schedule" would take part. In the end, all four members came to the Meet & Greet at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, and they also appeared together on a Weverse livestream. The 40 attendees were picked by lottery, and many fans felt that was too few for a 10th anniversary. The Korea Herald
The members answered directly. Jisoo wrote to the fan community: "I haven't forgotten that it's Blink who made Blackpink shine like this." On the livestream, she said she had wanted to see many more fans, and that she thought "there was a problem in communication." Rosé thanked fans for staying with her "from my debut at 19 to today, at 29." Lisa wrote, "Thank you truly, and I love you, for always being with us through these 10 long years."
The official channel later posted a short clip from the day.
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗We're including this because it's part of the fandom's story, and the members chose to address it themselves. What they said is the same thing the hashtags have said for years: the group counts its time in years with BLINK.
The official light stick
BLACKPINK's official light stick is known as the "Bl-ping-bong." The name combines "bong," Korean for stick, with a short form of the group's name. The Korea Herald on K-pop light sticks, November 2025 The "Pink Ocean" in the photo above shows what that light looks like from the stands.
A new version came with the DEADLINE world tour. On July 20, 2025 (Korean time), the official channel posted NEW OFFICIAL LIGHT STICK SPECIAL EDITION, tagged with the tour and the song "JUMP."
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗We didn't find an official YG page that explains which light stick versions work at which show, or how pairing works. Read the official notice for your concert before you go.
We also didn't find an official text naming BLINK's fandom colors, so we don't list any here. Pink and black are in the name, but that's not the same as an official color.
Official membership: where to look
Anyone who loves BLACKPINK can call themselves a BLINK. The official membership is separate, and it's paid. BLACKPINK's fan community is on Weverse, and the 10th anniversary event was open only to paying Weverse members. The Korea Herald
BLACKPINK's Weverse notices are only visible to people who join the community there, so we couldn't check the current membership terms for this guide. Before you join, read the latest membership notice on Weverse. Before any event, read that event's notice too. As the 10th anniversary showed, some events are open only to paying members. We don't list prices, because they change.
Official videos about BLACKPINK and BLINK
Dates are the YouTube publication dates in Korean time. Every video is on BLACKPINK's official channel.
| Type | Official video | Published, KST |
|---|---|---|
| Thank-you | A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS WORLDWIDE | August 12, 2016 |
| Anniversary | 3 YEAR DEBUT ANNIVERSARY | August 8, 2019 |
| Anniversary | 4TH ANNIVERSARY | August 8, 2020 |
| Anniversary | 5th ANNIVERSARY [4+1 PROJECT] ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO | June 23, 2021 |
| Anniversary | 5th ANNIVERSARY [4+1] POP-UP WITH BLINK | September 3, 2021 |
| Anniversary | 7th ANNIVERSARY | August 8, 2023 |
| Anniversary | 7th ANNIVERSARY PROJECTION EVENT RECAP | August 17, 2023 |
| Anniversary | 8TH ANNIVERSARY 'OUR AREA' | August 8, 2024 |
| Anniversary | 8TH ANNIVERSARY 'OUR AREA' RECAP VIDEO | September 6, 2024 |
| Tour | 2025 WORLD TOUR - Special Moments with BLINKS | April 8, 2025 |
| Light stick | NEW OFFICIAL LIGHT STICK SPECIAL EDITION | July 20, 2025 |
| Anniversary | 9TH ANNIVERSARY | August 8, 2025 |
| Anniversary | 10TH ANNIVERSARY | August 8, 2026 |
| Fan event | 10th Anniversary MEET & GREET | August 17, 2026 |
Keep exploring
New to the group itself? The BLACKPINK starter guide introduces the four members and where to start listening.
Want the music? Our album guides run from SQUARE UP and KILL THIS LOVE to THE ALBUM, BORN PINK and DEADLINE.
The BLACKPINK artist page collects every guide and news story about the group.
Sources
- BLACKPINK official YouTube channel (videos listed above)
- The Korea Herald, "Blackpink's eight most defining tracks," November 26, 2019
- The Korea Herald, "Identity, unity and pride: Everything in a K-pop light stick," November 25, 2025
- The Korea Herald, "Blackpink's 10th anniversary overshadowed by fan backlash, apologies," August 9, 2026