The Nippo-Korean boyband NEXZ made their debut at Rock in Rio 2026, marking the first time K-pop performs at the festival. The group, whose name combines "next generation" and "Gen Z," took the Mundo Stage with their seven members: Yu, Tomoya, Haru, So Geon, Seita, Hyui and Yuki, who greeted the Brazilian audience in Portuguese with phrases like "Rock in Rio, hey, are you ready to have fun?"
The members introduced themselves one by one to the Brazilian audience, and when they chose to communicate in their native language, they relied on a simultaneous translator to convey their words to the crowd. During the show, they interacted with the audience saying phrases in Portuguese like "let's move on to the next song" and "make a lot of noise."
Beyond the Portuguese interactions, the group impressed with acrobatic performances, executing backflips and doing stunts on the runway near the audience. Wearing relaxed jeans and t-shirts of rock bands like Ramones, Black Sabbath and Sonic Youth, the members showcased their typical Gen Z style while performing for the largest audience of the festival's prime-time slot.
