K-Pop aka Korean Popular Music has taken the entire world by storm. This genre of music has also created a successful wave of groups and bands to rise to the position of pop-culture dominance. If you are aware of the current world of music, you probably heard about groups like BTS, Blackpink, or SEVENTEEN. These groups have music that has combined traditional Korean musical elements with modern Western styles, and music lovers from all over the world cannot seem to get enough of it. So let's see which the top 7 K-pop groups are currently ruling over the world of music.
1. BTS
Members - Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook
You must be living under a rock if you have not heard a single thing about the world's biggest boy band now, BTS. Originally known as the Bangtan Boys, this South Korean band gained immense success on its debut. Soon this success overseas and this is the first ever boy band that opened the door of Korean pop music to the world. To date, the band has received five consecutive No. 1 singles and four No. 1 albums and made history by performing at the American Music Award and being the first Asian act to win the Artist of the Year award.
2. Blackpink
Members - Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa
This is the four-member girl K-pop group that is considered the biggest girl group in the world. Blackpink made history as the first K-pop girl band to even perform at the Coachella in 2019. It also became the highest-charting K-pop girl band on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. Known for their diverse choreography, creative music, and style, the group also secured their own Netflix documentary in 2021.
3. SEVENTEEN
Members - S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino.
SEVENTEEN is hailed as one of the leading superstars of K-pop. With thirteen members and three units, you would see individual songwriting and insane choreography skills that put focus on each thirteen member of the band. In their career, the group has sold over 10 million albums and gathered more than 2 billion streams.
4. EXO
Members - Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun.
Founded by SM Entertainment in 2011, this is another one of the leading boy bands of K-Pop. With 'Don't Mess Up My Tempo's release in 2018, the band became the first South Korean artist who debuted in the 21st century to sell 10 million albums. In 2023, the band also became "septuple million sellers", which means it has sold more than one million copies apiece for seven different albums.
5. Twice
Members -Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu.
This South Korean girl group was founded by JYP Entertainment and debuted in the industry in 2015 with the EP ‘The Story Begins’. After debuting the band’s music video for ‘Like Ooh-Ahh’ garnered 50 million views on YouTube, which makes it the most-viewed debut music video for any K-pop group. In 2021, the group’s music video for ‘Breakthrough’ garnered 100 million views. This made Twice the band with the most music videos to surpass 100 million views. Just after a month, when the group released ‘Taste of Love’, it broke Fifth Harmony's record as the biggest first week for a girl group EP.
6. Red Velvet
Members - Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy.
Just like Blackpink, this is another talented four-member girl group that is immensely talented and versatile. In 2015, the group's 'Ice Cream Cake' became the best-selling album on South Korea's Hanteo chart. In 2017, Red Velvet's album 'The Red Flavor' also debuted at No. 1 on the BillboardWorlds Album Chart. The girl group also made history as the first K-pop girl group to have three No. 1 albums debut on the World Albums Chart.
7. Stray Kids
Members - Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N.
Founded by JYP Entertainment through the 2017 reality show of the same name, Stray Kids is another leading K-pop boy band that is making its way into the world of international music. Often abbreviated as SKZ, this band has a long list of awards and achievements that would put any other artist to shame. It became the second K-pop artist in RIAA history to achieve U.S. gold certifications for multiple albums. Known for their fashion and style as well, it also became the first South Korean band to attend the Met Gala.
