[17][18] Winwin joined as dancer for NCT U's "The 7th Sense"[18] at their first live performance in China at the 16th Music Feng Yun Bang Awards[19] at the same month.

On January 28, 2016, SM founder and producer Lee Soo-man announced plans for a new boy group called NCT to be made up of several different units based in different cities around the world.

[28][29] Journalists have theorized that distancing WayV from the NCT label was a result of tense relations between China and South Korea.

[6] On January 17, 2019, WayV debuted with their first digital EP The Vision with a Chinese version of NCT 127's "Regular" as the lead single.

[38][39] The group had their first comeback stage for the album on MBC Music's Show Champion on October 30, marking their first performance in South Korea.

[40] On November 5, the group released an English version of "Love Talk", which debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales.

[47][48] Awaken the World was preceded by an online game designed for smartphones, challenging players to unlock teaser images of the individual members.

[49][50] Both the album's physical edition and the music video of its lead single "Turn Back Time" were released following a delay to remove potential issues with the outfits used in its promotional visual content.

[58][59] Subsequently, the group released a Korean version of "Turn Back Time" digitally with an accompanied similar music video.

[61] The single ranked at number one on QQ Music's Daily Digital Sales chart and earned Gold certification within hours of its release.

[75][76] On June 23, WayV released a new song "Everytime" as part of the soundtrack album for Chinese drama Falling Into Your Smile.

[83][87] To support the album, WayV embarked on an eponymous global fanmeeting tour, starting with two shows in Seoul on February 11.

[88] WayV subsequently held their first solo event in Japan titled "The First Vision" at Pia Arena MM in Kanagawa on May 6–7, 2023.

[92] WayV released their second studio album, On My Youth, on November 1, 2023,[93] which earned the group their second South Korean Platinum certification after Kick Back.

[95][96] On June 3, 2024, WayV released their fifth EP Give Me That[97] and the lead single of the same title along its music video both in Chinese and Korean at the same time.

[113] WayV has endorsed and collaborated with multiple brands, including Skechers,[114] Carslan,[115] Cigalong Beauty,[116] and Maeil Barista Rules.

[117] On July 23, 2020, WayV donated through the China Social Welfare Foundation's charity project to help victims and front-line flood relief workers in Jiangxi and Hunan.

[118] In the group's interview, WayV stated their musical influences range from Jay Chou to Rihanna, Michael Jackson, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, and Justin Bieber.