So I'm probably more critical of Twice, their position, direction, management etc than 99% of people on this site (I'm sure other Twice fans will attest to this) but anytime we come around to award season I feel like people downplay Twice. Not just their past but also their present (to an extent they've become desensitised to what they do).
Twice swept basically every GG award in 2016 and some people seem to think Aespa should be doing the same but the fundamental difference people are missing when you compare the two is context. Twice were a massive anomaly at that time with what they were achieving and the numbers they were pulling against every girl group (and 99% of bg's) in multiple metrics, not just their own gen.
Similarities - have taken over SK (though exposure not as big as Twice), have taken over their gen and had a huge song
Differences - context. Even if you want to look at it with a negative stance and say weaker competition, good timing, a smaller kpop market etc, it doesn't matter. Twice's position within the GG scene relatively in 2016 is night and day to Aespa in 2021.
Twice basically sweeped every girl group award in 2016 because:
- They were an anomaly against every other girl group at the time in physicals. This wasn't them selling a bit less than their closest competitor or a tiny bit more, but them selling 3/4 times more against every gg. TCL1 was the 5th best selling album of the year, only behind 2 BTS/EXO albums. The last time a GG sold above 350k was SNSD back in 2011.
- Only gg in the last 10 years to top the Melon year-end chart (note award shows are done close to calendar years). Before them it was Tara with Roly-Poly in 2011
- Set international records - before BP/BTS it was Twice setting the Youtube records for kpop. Rookie Twice with Cheer Up beat Big Bang's record for quickest to 100m which TT itself then broke
- Broke into Japan - self-explanatory. Laid the path to dominate for the next 5/6 years in Japan with only one group in BTS, the biggest anomaly in kpop ever, challenging and eventually surpassing them there
- Were the most popular group in the country in 2016 and beat every other group on Gallup to showcase that
Long story short - Aespa's achievements are massively impressive, but they won't walk away with every GG award because they don't dominate in multiple metrics against all gg's like Twice did in 2016 (or BP last year) to make it a slam dunk. The 3rd gen still achieve a lot so their competition is not just their own gen (who they do dominate in most facets already).