The 16 Best K-Pop Bands You Need to Be Listening to RN

Originally known as the Bangtan Boys, BTS is a South Korean boy band with tremendous success following their 2013 debut. With four No. 1 albums and five consecutive No. 1 singles, BTS has also made history as the first Korean band to perform at the American Music Awards in 2017 and became the first Asian act to win the American Music Award for Artist of the Year. The seven-member group has an estimated net worth of $100 million, with each idol having around a $20 million individual net worth.

But it might be a while until we hear new music from BTS. During their annual FESTA event, the band announced in a video uploaded to YouTube that they are taking a "hiatus." Although a rep for BTS confirmed that they are not disbanding but, "will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats."

Blackpink, a four-member K-pop girl group, made history as the first K-pop girl band to perform at Coachella in 2019 and once again as the highest-charting K-pop girl group on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. Known for their style and choreography, the group has expanded into sponsorships with MAC Cosmetics and the Calm app. Blackpink even secured its very own Netflix documentary and in 2021, group member Lisa went solo and released her debut.

With 13 members and three units, SEVENTEEN is revered as one of K-pop's leading superstars. The former Seventeen Magazine cover stars celebrate over 2 billion streams and boast over 10 million albums sold. They kicked 2021 off with a bang coming in as the first group with two No.1s on Billboard Top album sales and were nominated for the Best K-pop award at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.

ITZY made their debut in 2019 and made history as the first and only K-pop girl group to achieve a "Rookie Grand Slam" or be awarded Rookie of the Year at all five major Korean music awards shows. They also made history as the second South Korean girl group to chart more than one hit on the Billboard Global 200 with the release of their single, "In The Morning."

After making their debut in 2020, ENHYPEN won four "Rookie of the Year" Awards. All seven of the group's members serve as global ambassadors for Ami Paris, and they've garnered over 100 million views between the music videos for their singles, "Given-Taken," "Drunk-Dazed" and "Tamed-Dashed."

(G)I-DLE, a K-pop girl band, was formed as a six-piece group in 2018. In 2020, the group set the highest record for a South Korean girl group and the fourth girl group to sell 100,000 copies in the first week of sales following the release of their third EP I Trust in 2020.

BIGBANG was formed through a television series called Big Bang Documentary in 2006. For years, the R&B-inspired quintet made waves as one of the biggest K-pop bands of the 2000s. Due to South Korea's mandatory military service requirement, members of the group enlisted in the military in 2017. Reports of a possible comeback emerged as members Taeyang and Daesung were discharged from the Korean military in November 2019. Fresh after his discharge from the military, Big Bang leader, G-Drag, announced his sneaker new collaboration with Nike, a pair of sneakers called the Nike Air Force 1 Para-Noise.

With over 100 million digital and physical records sold, Girls' Generation is one of the biggest K-pop girl groups. From their debut in 2007 until their final release as a group in 2018, Girls' Generation paved the way and made history in the process. In 2018, they made it into the Guinness World Records after winning 13 trophies at the MelOn Music Awards, making them the artists to have won the most awards at the show. Their group members have since moved on as successful DJs, actresses, and variety show hosts.

The four-member K-pop girl group released their first single "Happiness" in 2014. After a new member was added to the group in 2015, Red Velvet's Ice Cream Cake became the best-selling album on South Korea's Hanteo chart. Their album The Red Flavor debuted at No.1 on the Billboard World Albums chart in 2017, marking the group's third chart-topping album. They made history as the first K-pop girl group to have three No. 1 albums debut on the World Albums Chart. The group's members are proud ambassadors for Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo Global, and Tod's. They've also landed endorsements with Converse Korea.

Tomorrow X Together, also known as TXT, made their debut EP, The Dream Chapter: Star, in 2019. The music video for the EP's lead single made history as the most viewed K-pop debut music video within 24 hours for a boy group, after "Crown" garnered 14.5 views in one day. They premiered at No.1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart and received their first-ever MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best K-pop. Their follow-up The Dream Chapter: Magic debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's World Album chart. TXT's success continued as they were awarded GQ Japan's Men of the Year Pop Icon Award.

Known for incorporating martial arts and street dancing in their live performances, GOT7 released their first EP, Got It?, in 2014. The group's second studio album Flight Log: Turbulence, debuted at No.1 on Billboard's World Albums chart. The group collaborated with Adidas in a unique performance of their single "Look" in 2018. In April 2020, GOT7 released their 11th EP Dye and broke their record for first day and first week sales. The group later announced that their contracts with JYP Entertainment expired and would be leaving the company. In February 2021, GOT7 released their single, "Encore."

Twice was founded as part of the Sixteen competition survival show. They released their debut EP The Story Begins in October 2015. The music video "Like Ooh-Ahh" garnered 50 million views on YouTube, making it the most-viewed debut music video for any K-pop group. They kicked off their first concert in 2017 and continued to amass success as they released follow-up albums. In May 2021, Twice's video "Breakthrough" garnered 100 million views, making them the girl group with the most music videos to surpass 100 million views. One month later, Twice broke Fifth Harmony's record as the biggest first week for a girl group EP with the release of Taste of Love.

A subunit of the South Korean boy band NCT, NCT 127 debuted in July 2016 with their single "Fire Truck." After releasing their EP NCT #127, they won Best New Group at several South Korean music award shows. In 2020, they released Neo Zone, which became their first top-five entry on the US Billboard 200 chart. The group's 2021 release Sticker debuted at No.3 on the US Billboard 200 chart, making it the highest-ranking K-pop album in 2021.

TVXQ! is renowned as one of the most celebrated and accomplished K-pop duos of all time. The group, which was originally founded as a quintet, got its start in 2003. After releasing two of their best-selling albums O-Jung.Ban.Hap in 2006 and Mirotic in 2008, the group won the Golden Disk Award for album of the year. Internal conflict led to members leaving the group in 2010. After a year-long hiatus, TVXQ! remaining members Yunho and Changmin released the follow-up albums Tone and Time in 2011 and 2013. In 2018, they became the first international artist in Japan to bring one million people to a single tour in the country. They also celebrated having the most-attended and highest-grossing K-pop concert in Japan with their 2013 show Time tour.

SuperM is a supergroup comprised of seven members from four SM Entertainment boy groups. After the release of their self-titled EP in 2019, SuperM saw its first US Billboard 200 No.1, making them the first Asian artists to top the chart with a debut release. In November 2019, SuperM was announced as Korean Air global ambassadors. That same month, the group revealed that proceeds of their new song "Let's Go Everywhere" would be donated to the Global Poverty Project's Global Citizen campaign. They also partnered up with Prudential insurance company to launch its "We Do Well Together" campaign.

Dreamcatcher consists of seven members: Dami, JiU, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, Handong, Gahyeon, and SuA. They debuted in 2017 and have since released three albums, titled The Beginning of the End, 1st Album [Dystopia: The Tree of Language], and most recently, [Apocalypse: Save us]. In April 2022, their song "Maison" made its debut on Billboard's Hot Trending Songs list, entering at No. 17. Their sound contrasts significantly from the typical K-pop beats, offering lots of punk-rock melodies full of guitar riffs.