INDIO, CALIFORNIA — Katseye opened the Sahara Stage at Coachella 2026 on Friday, April 10, delivering a multi-song debut set that included the live premiere of their latest single "Pinky Up" and a surprise guest performance. The group performed as a five-member act at 8 p.m. PT in Indio, California, and is scheduled to perform both weekends of the festival.

The set featured a stage design styled as "Katseye City," with rooftop dance scenes and structures named after the group's song titles. Katseye performed "Mean Girls," "Touch," "Game Boy," "Internet Girl," "Gabriela," "My Way," "M.I.A.," "Gnarly," and "Pinky Up" during the set. Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami of Huntr/x made a surprise appearance, joining Katseye on stage to perform "Golden," which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award, the Critics Choice Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Rei Ami said during the set, "We worked our asses off. We've had the door shut in our faces. We were told we were too little, too much."

The group performed without member Manon Bannerman, who was on hiatus. Hybe and Geffen Records announced in February 2026 that Bannerman would take a temporary hiatus to focus on her health and wellbeing. On April 9, Hybe confirmed that Bannerman remained on hiatus and would not appear in the Coachella performance. "I'm healthy and taking care of myself. I'm happy and I'm healthy. Thank you for always being there for me," Bannerman posted on WeVerse. Hybe said the group would fulfill all planned obligations during the hiatus, including three iterations of Lollapalooza and the Coachella performance.

The remaining members — Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeung — carried the performance. "I think Coachella is going to be a very huge and iconic moment for us. We want it to be very grand and this big pivotal moment for us," Raj said in an interview with Nylon before the set. She also said during the performance, "There will be many more Coachellas after today."

Katseye cited Beyoncé's 2018 Coachella set and Blackpink's 2019 and 2023 performances as inspirations for their festival debut. Beyoncé became the first Black woman to headline Coachella in 2018, and Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to perform at the festival in 2019 and the first K-pop group to headline in 2023. BINI became the first Filipino group to perform at Coachella 2026 before Katseye's set.

Katseye participated as trainees on the 2023 reality competition series "Dream Academy" and was later featured in a Netflix docuseries. The group released the EP "SIS (Soft Is Strong)" in 2024 and "Beautiful Chaos" in 2025. "Gnarly," co-written by Alice Longyu Gao, became their first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in 2025, and "Internet Girl" debuted at number 29 on the chart. Katseye received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 2026, and "Gabriela" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.