South Korean boy bands refer to South Korea's all-male idol groups who account for a large portion of the K-pop industry. Korean boy bands have aided in the global spread and promotion of Korean culture through their demonstrated prominence and popularity. The emergence of hip-hop music act Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 shifted the focus of the Korean music industry to teen-centred pop music.[ 1] Idol bands of young boys or girls were formed to cater to a growing teenage audience. In 1995, Lee Soo-man , the founder of SM Entertainment , brought the idol trainee system to South Korea, which further solidified the format for idol bands and modern Korean pop culture.[ 2]
Boy bands from the late 90s and early 2000s, such as H.O.T. , Sechs Kies , Shinhwa , and g.o.d , who were trained with the idol system, are cited to help build the foundations as the first successful all-male groups in Korea and as pioneers of the first Hallyu Wave .[ 3] From 2007 onward, second generation groups, such as BigBang , TVXQ , Super Junior , 2PM , Shinee , Beast , and Infinite , continued to grow the popularity of boy bands domestically in Korea, as well as globally through the second phase of Hallyu .[ 3] The rise of groups such as Exo and BTS in 2012 and 2013 launched the third generation of boy bands and introduced K-pop to mass global appeal.[ 3] BTS, in particular, has attained mainstream Western appeal with number-one hits on the Billboard charts and multiple collaborations with several global artists, including Coldplay , Nicki Minaj , and Halsey . Other major boy bands that debuted from 2012 onward include Seventeen , NCT , Tomorrow X Together , Stray Kids , Ateez , and Enhypen , all of whom continue to garner widespread attention and build K-pop's global appeal.[ 3]
South Korean boy bands that debuted in the 90s to 2002, arranged in alphabetical order.
Best-selling boy bands [ edit ]
Best-selling generation 1 South Korean boy bands
Group and years active
Notable singles
g.o.d (1999–2005, since 2014)
H.O.T. (1996–2001, 2018-19)
"Warrior's Descendant" (1996)
"Candy " (1996)
"We Are the Future" (1997)
"Hope" (1998)
"I Yah!" (1999)
"Outside Castle" (2000)
Sechs Kies (1997–2000, 2016-21)
"School Anthem" (1997)
"The Way This Guy Lives" (1997)
"Road Fighter" (1998)
"Couple" (1998)
"Three Words " (2016)[ a]
"Be Well" (2017)[ a]
"Something Special" (2017)[ a]
"Don't Look Back" (2021)[ b]
Shinhwa (since 1998)
"Resolver" (1998)
"T.O.P (Twinkling of Paradise)" (1999)
"Only One" (2000)
"Wild Eyes" (2001)
"Perfect Man" (2002)
"Your Wedding" (2002)
"Brand New" (2004)
"Crazy" (2004)
"Once in a Lifetime" (2006)
"Venus" (2012)[ b]
"This Love" (2013)[ b]
"Memory" (2015)[ b]
"Sniper" (2015)[ b]
"Touch" (2017)[ b]
Other notable groups [ edit ]
1TYM (1998–2006, 2008)
5tion (since 2001)
Black Beat (2002–2007)
Click-B (1999–2006, 2011, 2015)
Deux (1993–95)
DJ DOC (since 1994)
Every Single Day (since 1994)
Flower (1999–2006, since 2010)
F-iV (since 2002)
Fly to the Sky (1999–2009, since 2014)
Jinusean (1997–2004, 2015–20)
jtL (2001–03)
J-Walk (2002, since 2007)
K-pop (2001–03, 2018)
Noel (2002–06, since 2011)
NRG (1997–2005, 2017–18)
Sweet Sorrow (since 2002)
The Blue (1990s, 2009, 2014)
Turbo (1995–2001, 2015–17)
U-BeS (1997–99)
UN (2000–05)
Yurisangja (since 1997)
South Korean boy bands that debuted in 2003 to 2011, arranged in alphabetical order.
Best-selling boy bands [ edit ]
Best-selling generation 2 South Korean boy bands
Group and years active
Notable singles
Platinum-certified albums[ 4]
2AM (2008–14, since 2021)
—
2PM (2008–17, since 2021)
—
B1A4 (since 2011)
—
Beast / Highlight (since 2009)
"Bad Girl " (2009)[ c]
"Shock " (2010)[ b] [ c]
"Breath" (2010)[ b]
"Beautiful" (2010)[ b]
"On Rainy Days" (2010)[ b]
"Fiction" (2011)[ b]
"I Knew It" (2012)[ a]
"Midnight " (2012)[ b] [ c]
"Beautiful Night" (2012)[ b]
"Will You Be Alright?" (2013)[ a]
"I'm Sorry" (2013)[ b]
"Shadow" (2013)[ b]
"Sad Movie / Kurisumasu Kyaroru no Koro ni wa" (2013)[ c]
"No More" (2014)[ a]
"Good Luck " (2014)[ a]
"12:30" (2014)[ b]
"Adrenaline" (2015)[ c]
"Kimi wa Dou?" (2015)[ c]
"One" (2015)[ c]
"Hands Up" (2015)[ c]
"Can't Wait to Love You" (2015)[ c]
"This Is My Life" (2015)[ c]
"Gotta Go to Work" (2015)[ b]
"YeY" (2015)[ b]
"Saigo no Hitokoto" (2015)[ e]
"Stay Forever Young" (2015)[ c]
"Guess Who?" (2016)[ e]
"Butterfly" (2016)[ b]
"Ribbon" (2016)[ b]
"Freaking Cute" (2016)[ c]
"Whole Lotta Lovin'" (2016)[ c]
"It's Still Beautiful" (2017)[ b]
"Plz Don't Be Sad" (2017)[ a]
"Calling You" (2017)[ b]
"Can Be Better" (2017)[ b]
—
BigBang (2006–18, 2022)
—
Block B (since 2011)
"I'll Close My Eyes" (2012)[ b]
"Nillili Mambo" (2012)[ b]
"Very Good" (2013)[ b]
"Jackpot" (2014)[ b]
"H.E.R" (2014)[ b]
"A Few Years Later" (2016)[ b]
"Toy" (2016)[ b]
"Yesterday" (2017)[ a]
—
CNBLUE (since 2009)
—
F.T. Island (since 2007)
"Lovesick" (2007)[ a]
"Thunder" (2007)[ a]
"Until You Come Back" (2007)[ a]
"After Love (2007)[ b]
"Love Love Love" (2010)[ a]
"Hello Hello" (2010)[ b]
"Severely " (2012)[ b]
"I Wish" (2012)[ b]
—
Infinite (since 2010)
—
MBLAQ (2009-15)
"Ah Yeah" (2009)
"Y" (2010)[ b]
"Your Luv" (2011)[ c]
"Mona Lisa" (2011)[ b]
"Baby U!" (2011)[ c]
"Scribble" (2012)[ b]
"This Is War" (2012)[ b]
—
Shinee (since 2008)
SS501 (2005-10, since 2024)
"Warning" (2005)
"Never Again" (2005)
"Snow Prince" (2005)
"4Chance" (2006)
"Kokoro " (2007)[ c]
"Distance " (2007)[ c]
"Deja Vu" (2008)
"Lucky Days " (2008)[ c]
"U R Man" (2008)
"Love Like This" (2009)
"Love Ya" (2010)[ b]
—
Super Junior (since 2005)
Teen Top (since 2010)
"Clap" (2010)
"Going Crazy" (2012)[ b]
"Be Ma Girl" (2012)[ b]
"Miss Right" (2013)[ b]
"Rocking" (2013)[ b]
"Missing " (2014)[ b]
—
TVXQ (since 2003)
Other notable groups [ edit ]
South Korean boy bands that debuted in 2012 to 2017, arranged in alphabetical order.
Best-selling boy bands [ edit ]
Best-selling generation 3 South Korean boy bands
Group and years active
Notable singles
Platinum-certified albums[ 4]
Astro (since 2016)
"Baby" (2017)[ m]
"After Midnight" (2021)[ b]
"Candy Sugar Pop" (2022)[ b]
B.A.P (2012–19, since 2024)
"No Mercy" (2012)[ c]
"Warrior " (2013)[ c]
"One Shot" (2013)[ c]
"1004 (Angel)" (2014)[ b]
"Excuse Me" (2014)[ c]
"Feel So Good" (2016)[ c]
"Fly High" (2016)[ c]
"Wake Me Up" (2017)[ c]
"Honey Moon" (2017)[ c]
"Hands Up" (2017)[ c]
—
BtoB (since 2012)
—
BTS (since 2013)
Day6 (since 2015)
"You Were Beautiful" (2017)[ b]
"Time of Our Life" (2019)[ b] [ j]
"Welcome to the Show" (2024)[ b]
"Melt Down" (2024)[ a]
—
Exo (since 2012)
Got7 (since 2014)
iKon (since 2015)
—
Monsta X (since 2015)
"Hero" (2015)[ c]
"Beautiful" (2017)[ c]
"Spotlight" (2018)[ c] [ d]
"Livin' It Up" (2018)[ c] [ d]
"Shoot Out" (2018)[ c] [ d]
"Alligator" (2019)[ c] [ d]
"Wish on the Sky" (2020)[ c]
"Love Killa" (2020)[ c]
"Wanted" (2021)[ c]
NCT [ au] (since 2016)
NU'EST (2012-22)
"Nanananamida" (2017)[ c]
"Bet Bet" (2019)[ m]
"I'm in Trouble" (2020)[ b]
"Inside Out" (2021)[ b]
Seventeen (since 2015)
The Boyz (since 2017)
"Maverick" (2021)[ b]
"Roar" (2023)[ b]
Chase (2020)
Thrill-ing (2021)
Be Aware (2022)
Phantasy Pt.1: Christmas in August (2023)
Phantasy Pt.2: Sixth Sense (2023)
Phantasy Pt.3: Love Letter (2024)
VIXX (since 2012)
"Voodoo Doll" (2013)[ b]
"Eternity " (2014)[ b]
"Error" (2014)[ b] [ c]
"Love Equation" (2015)[ b]
"Can't Say" (2015)[ c]
"Chained Up" (2015)[ b]
"Hana-Kaze" (2016)[ c]
"The Closer" (2016)[ b]
—
Wanna One (2017-19)
Winner (since 2013)
"Empty" (2014)[ a]
"Color Ring" (2014)[ b]
"Sentimental" (2016)[ b]
"Baby Baby" (2016)[ b]
"Really Really" (2017)[ a]
"Fool" (2017)[ b]
"Love Me Love Me" (2017)[ b]
"Everyday" (2018)[ b]
"Millions " (2018)[ b]
"Ah Yeah" (2019)[ b]
—
Other notable groups [ edit ]
South Korean boy bands that debuted since 2018, arranged in alphabetical order.
Best-selling boy bands [ edit ]
Generation 4 South Korean boy bands that have multiple platinum-certified albums, including one double platinum-selling album, from Korea Music Content Association [ 6] .
Best-selling generation 4 South Korean boy bands
Group and years active
Notable singles
Platinum-certified albums[ 4]
Ateez (since 2018)
"Dreamers" (2019)[ c]
"Limitless" (2023)[ c]
"Not Okay" (2024)[ c]
"Birthday" (2024)[ c]
BoyNextDoor (since 2023)
Enhypen (since 2020)
Plave (since 2023)
"The 6th Summer" (2023)[ at]
"Merry PLLIstmas" (2023)[ b]
"Way 4 Luv" (2024)[ b]
"Pump Up the Volume!" (2024)[ a]
"What If" (2024)[ b]
Asterum: The Shape of Things to Come (2023)
Asterum: 134-1 (2024)
Riize (since 2023)
Stray Kids (since 2018)
Tomorrow X Together (since 2019)
"9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)" (2019)[ c] [ d]
"Drama" (2020)[ c] [ d]
"Good Boy Gone Bad" (2022)[ c] [ x]
"Deja Vu" (2024)[ at]
"We'll Never Change" (2024)[ e] [ ax]
Treasure (since 2020)
TWS (since 2024)
Zerobaseone (since 2023)
Other notable groups [ edit ]
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn Number-one song on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart , formerly Gaon Digital Chart.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em en eo ep eq er es et eu ev ew ex ey ez fa fb fc fd fe ff fg fh fi fj fk fl fm fn fo fp fq fr fs ft fu fv fw fx fy fz ga gb gc gd ge gf gg gh gi Top-ten song on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart , formerly Gaon Digital Chart.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em en eo ep eq er es et eu ev ew ex ey ez fa fb fc fd fe ff fg fh fi fj fk fl fm fn fo fp fq fr fs ft fu fv fw fx fy Top-ten song on Japan's Oricon Singles Chart .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj The song is certified Gold in physical sales, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 5]
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av Number-one song on Japan's Oricon Singles Chart .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k The song is certified Gold in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ The song is certified Platinum in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai The song is certified Gold in streaming, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 14]
^ The song is certified 2× Platinum in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ a b c d e f g h i The song is certified Platinum in streaming, by the Korea Music Content Association .[ 11]
^ a b c d e f The song is certified Platinum in download, by the Korea Music Content Association .[ 10]
^ a b Top-ten song on the Billboard Global 200 .[ 8]
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Top-ten song on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 .
^ Circle Chart did not exist at that time. However, the song received 3,000,000 sales.
^ Circle Chart did not exist at that time. However, the song peaked at #4 on the MIAK charts for the month of January 2004. It entered the Circle Album Chart in 2014 and peaked at #12 for the week of January 12–18, 2014.
^ The song is certified 2× Platinum in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ The song is certified 3× Platinum in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ a b c The song is certified Platinum in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ a b The song is certified Gold in retail sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The song is certified Platinum in physical sales, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 5]
^ The song is certified Platinum by Music Canada .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k The song is certified Platinum in streaming, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 14]
^ The song is certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The song is certified 2× Platinum in physical sales, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 5]
^ a b c d e f g The song is certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America .
^ a b c d The song is certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association , and Silver by the British Phonographic Industry .
^ a b c d e The song is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America .
^ a b c The song is certified Million in physical sales, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 5]
^ a b The song is certified 3× Platinum in streaming, by the Korea Music Content Association .[ 13]
^ The song is certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association , Gold by the British Phonographic Industry , and Gold by Music Canada .
^ The song is certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association .
^ The song is certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association .
^ a b The song is certified 2× Platinum in streaming, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 14]
^ a b c d e f Number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 .
^ a b c d e f g Number-one song on the Billboard Global 200 .[ 7]
^ a b c The song is certified 2× Platinum in streaming, by the Korea Music Content Association .[ 12]
^ a b c The song is certified Diamond in physical sales, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 5]
^ a b The song is certified 5× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America .
^ The song is certified 2× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association , Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry , 5× Platinum by Music Canada , 2× Platinum in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan , and Platinum by Recorded Music NZ .
^ a b c The song is certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America .
^ a b c d Top-ten song on the Billboard Global 200 .[ 7]
^ The song is certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry , 3× Platinum by Music Canada , and Platinum in digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .
^ a b The song is certified 3× Platinum in streaming, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 14]
^ The song is certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association , Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry , and Gold by Music Canada .
^ a b Top-ten song on the Billboard Hot 100 .
^ a b c d e f g Top-ten song on Billboard South Korea Songs .
^ The group consists of 25 members divided into six different sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127 , NCT Dream , WayV , NCT DoJaeJung (three members from NCT 127), and NCT Wish .
^ a b Number-one song on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 .
^ a b c Top-ten song on the Billboard Global 200 .[ 9]
^ a b The song is certified 3× Platinum in physical sales, by the Recording Industry Association of Japan .[ 5]
^ K-Pop: A New Force in Pop Music . Korean Culture and Information Service . 2011. pp. 63–66. ISBN 978-8973751662 .
^ "한국 최초 연습생 출신 가수 김완선 보아가 벤치마킹.(in korean)" . chosunilbo . April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021 . [Lee Soo-man training system benchmarked Korean trainee singer Kim Wan-sun in the 1980s, and then the trainee system was introduced.]
^ a b c d Bell, Crystal (September 12, 2023). "K-Pop's Fifth Generation Is Coming. What Does That Mean?" . Nylon . Retrieved January 4, 2024 .
^ a b c d "Circle Chart Album Certifications" . Circle Chart . Retrieved November 7, 2024 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Certifications Search – Gold Disc" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved September 22, 2024 . Note: To retrieve album certifications, type in the group's name in the box "アーティスト" and click the "検索" button
^ "Girl groups get the ears, boy bands the dollars" . JoongAng Daily . December 16, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2024 . [Female and male K-pop groups have different target audiences, according to pop music critic Cha Woo-jin. While boy bands focus on forming a deep, although often narrow, relationship with their loyal fans, girl groups aim for a wider pool of listeners.]
^ a b c "BTS | Biography, Music & News | Billboard" . Billboard . Retrieved September 21, 2024 .
^ "Bigbang | Biography, Music & News | Billboard" . Billboard . Retrieved September 23, 2024 .
^ "Stray Kids | Biography, Music & News | Billboard" . Billboard . Retrieved September 22, 2024 .
^ "Certification - Download" . Circle Chart . Retrieved September 22, 2024 .
^ "Certification - Streaming" . Circle Chart . Retrieved September 22, 2024 .
^ "Certification - Streaming" . Circle Chart . Retrieved September 22, 2024 .
^ "Certification - Streaming" . Circle Chart . Retrieved September 22, 2024 .
^ a b c d e "Certifications Search – Streaming" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved September 22, 2024 . Note: To retrieve song certifications, type in the group's name in the box "アーティスト" and click the "検索" button.