The Top 10 Most Popular K-Pop Girl Groups Worldwide

Top 10 Best K-Pop Girl Groups Worldwide:

1. BLACKPINK

This K-pop girl group is undoubtedly one of the most popular South Korean groups worldwide. They received first positions on various charts since their very debut in 2016 (when they released singles “Whistle” and ”Boombayah”). On top of that, their music videos to songs ”Kill This Love” and ”How You Like That” are considered the most viewed mvs on the first day of release. This K-pop girl band is definitely setting new records.

The members of Blackpink are the most powerful South Korean celebrities (according to Forbes Korea). These girls are the first among female K-pop groups to play at Coachella and win the MTV Music Video Award. There’s no chance you haven’t heard about them – they are highly popular on social media platforms with an immense amount of followers on Spotify and YouTube.

• Members: Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo, Lisa
• Years Active: 2016–present
• Labels: YG Entertainment, Interscope Records
• Production Company: YG Entertainment, Avex
• Associated Acts: YG Family
• Studio albums: Blackpink In Your Area, The Album

2. Apink

Here’s the next popular K-pop girl group on the list! Debuted in far 2011, became known around the globe by their girlish, innocent image. They differ from many other South Korean acts not attempting to impress everyone by their dancing skills or sexy looks.

Moreover, if you think of it, that image wouldn’t even suit their music style, which can be described as a bubblegum pop genre full of cheery lyrics. Later, they added R&B and dance-pop with hip hop beat and even the energetic vibe of urban pop. If talking about even a much later period of their art, they switched to a more mature sound. As for the lyrics, they began using less melancholy.

• Members: Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jung Eun-ji, Son Na-eun, Kim Nam-joo, Oh Ha-young
• Years Active: 2011–present
• Labels: UMG (EMI), Cube, Play M
• Production Company: Play M Entertainment (formerly A Cube Entertainment)
• Studio albums: Une Annee, Pink Memory, Pink Season, Pink Revolution, Pink Doll, Pink Stories

3. Oh My Girl

This popular K-pop girl group debuted in far 2015. The next year, they already held a sold-out concert. Oh My Girl even set the record of the fastest South Korean rookie girl group to sold out the tickets! In 2017, they saw mainstream success topping major charts in South Korea and getting their first show win (the Show and the Show Champion). Soon after that, the band gained popularity on Mnet’s show “Queendom”.

• Members: Hyojung, Mimi, YooA, Seunghee, Jiho, Binnie, Arin
• Years Active: 2015–present
• Labels: WM Entertainment
• Studio albums: Oh My Girl Japan Debut Album, The Fifth Season, Oh My Girl Japan 2nd Album, Eternally

4. Red Velvet

Here’s one of those super talented groups who have largely contributed to the worldwide promotion of K-pop culture. Red Velvet is one of the best and most popular K-pop groups globally (Time magazine) They are even named ”the best idol group alive” (Billboard)!

It’s difficult to label them either as ”sexy” or ”pure and cute” type of groups. Unlike many other bands, they try not to fit into a specific type of image. Yes, it’s impossible to label them as this or that, as they combine both sides! The ”red” half shows them as intense and vivid personalities, while the “velvet” half opens them up from an elegant, more feminine perspective. If talking about their musical side, ”red” represents the pop genre, while ”velvet” primarily relates to R&B and ballads.

They are destroying stereotypes and even help transform the passive image of women in their country. Moreover, Red Velvet is one of those few K-pop groups to perform in North Korea and the first ones to do so for a very long time (2003)!

• Members: Seulgi, Wendy, Irene, Joy, Yeri
• Years Active: 2014–present
• Labels: SM, Avex Trax
• Associated Acts: SMTOWN, SM Rookies, Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi
• Studio albums: The Red, Perfect Velvet

5. TWICE

Created through the TV show Sixteen, these girls are one of the most prolific K-pop artists. One of the most popular K-pop girl groups, Twice made their debut in 2015. Since then, they have been frequently releasing new songs and music videos, which helped them rise to the highest echelon of Korean artists. BTS and Blackpink are the only K-pop bands who have got more views on Youtube than Twice.

Their single ”Cheer Up” was even used as campaign songs during the 2017 presidential elections in South Korea. That same year, they became the number one among recording artists (according to Forbes Korea).

Twice has become the first K-pop girl band to hold a Japanese dome yours. What’s more, they established themselves as global K-pop leaders. The group has a significant international following and even went on tour in the USA, connecting with their fans outside of Asia.

• Members: Nayeon, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, Momo, Jeongyeon
• Years Active: 2015–present
• Labels: Warner Japan, JYP, Republic
• Associated Acts: JYP Nation
• Studio albums: Twicetagram, BDZ, &Twice, Eyes Wide Open

6. (G)I-DLE

The members of this Korean girl band are often described as different personalities who complement each other when uniting together. The name of the group speaks for itself – the ”I” points out individuality and ”Dle” means ”I” in Korean language (plural form), which is included in the name because of the individual personality of each member.

(G)I-DLE doesn’t come from the “big three” record labels but is one of the most popular girl groups in Korea and other countries. They debuted in 2018, the next year they started to expand into the Japanese marketplace, and soon after that further into the American marketplace.

The band released their 2020s album that became the second one among best selling girl group albums of all time! On top of that, they are the ones who set the record for a K-pop girl band to top the iTunes Top Albums chart.

• Members: Minnie, Soojin, Yuqi, Shuhua, Soyeon, Miyeon
• Years Active: 2015–present
• Labels: Cube, Universal Japan, Republic
• Studio albums: Dumbi Dumbi

7. ITZY

Here’s the first girl band from JYP Entertainment since TWICE made its debut (2015). ITZY (that means ”is there”) debuted in 2019 with the music video ”Dalla Dalla” (which means ”different” in Korean). They chose this so-called self-love anthem to be the song that sets them apart from other Korean acts.

In a saturated K-pop world, standing out is a challenge. However, ITZY and their songs focus on breaking free from set standards and letting yourself embrace your uniqueness. Even if there’s a stereotype about K-pop ”factory girls” (that people in the West cling on), the new generation of K-pop artists is moving on. ”They keep talking, I keep walking”, as they day in ”Icy”, one of their songs.

This successful girl group is not only famous because they are coming from one of the biggest K-pop agencies. ITZY had gained a lot of their popularity as may if its members have competed on various television shows. Mnet’s TV show Stray Kids is one of the projects where they appeared. There, they appeared as a project group against the band Stray Kids.

Almost a couple of weeks after their debut, ITZY became known as the fastest girl group to win the show. They received their first win on the music show M Countdown, which is a super good sign for a rookie group.

• Members: Lia, Yeji, Chaeryeong, Ryujin, Yuna
• Years Active: 2019 – present
• Labels: JYP Entertainment

8. MAMAMOO

The girl band officially debuted in 2014 and made their first live performance on Mnet Countdown. MAMAMOO has been formed by RBW. As you can see, they are not signed under some big Kpop company, but they are still on stage (there are many cases when once popular Kpop groups go out of the spotlight in several years). Moreover, they win music shows with each comeback.

Like many groups from this list, MAMAMOO stands out among other K-pop acts not following the regular norms of endless cuteness. Their music videos are rather fierce than girlish.

• Members: Moonbyul, Solar, Wheein, Hwasa
• Years Active: 2014 – present
• Studio albums: Melting; Reality In Black
• Labels: RBW; Victor Entertainment
• Associated Acts: Esna

9. Gfriend

Here’s another popular K-pop girl group that is not formed by a big company. GFriend debuted in 2015 under Source Music. Despite being formed by a small company, they won various female rookie awards in the first year of their career.

With time, they’ve matured and changed school uniforms and pastels to quite a minimalistic look. The girl started showing their darker sides using glitter tears and moody lipsticks (mv ”Apple”). They’ve also grown as individuals and as a group.

• Members: Yerin, Yuju, Sowon, SinB, Umji, Eunha,
• Years Active: 2015 – present
• Studio albums: LOL; Time for Us; Walpurgis Night
• Labels: Source Music; King Records

10. Loona

Colorful, emotional, with incredible dance routines, K-Pop music videos are taking over the world by storm. However, how a new group can stand out or even change the game of such a loved phenomenon? Blockberry Creative’s girl group, Loona (“Girl of the Month”), is changing K-Pop creating a whole brand new world. Unlike other bands, Loona’s members had been debuting as soloists (and after that as sub-units) until their unification into one group. They had been teasing their fans since 2016 until they officially debuted as a whole assemble in 2018.

It’s not just a group with music videos, it’s Loonaverse where each of the members is located on different universe planes and represents their color and animal, or maybe even fruit, supernatural powers, or locations. They have created a contagious universe that is a true visual masterpiece with storytelling. Loona is the world where music, visuals, and dance are connected and where everything is somewhat twisted and has a hidden meaning. To understand this universe, you have to delve into their music videos, again and again, re-watching them and realizing that there’s always something that you have missed. Moreover, the fact that the group’s singles are not released in chronological order makes your experience as a viewer even more fun.

• Members: HeeJin, HaSeul, YeoJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Yves, Chuu, Go Won, Olivia Hye, ViVi, HyunJin, HeeJin, Choerry
• Years Active: 2016 – present
• Music videos: “The Carol” (HeeJin, HyunJin, HaSeul), “Let Me in” (HaSeul),”I’ll Be There” (HeeJin & HyunJin), “Around You” (HyunJin),”ViViD” (Acoustic Mix) (Heejin), “ViViD” (HeeJin), “Kiss Later” (YeoJin), “My Sunday” (HeeJin & HyunJin), “My Melody” (HaSeul & YeoJin), “Love&Live” (Loona 1/3), “You and Me Together” (Special MV) (Loona 1/3), “Everyday I Love You” (ViVi), “Sonatine” (Loona 1/3), “Everyday I Need You” (ViVi), “Eclipse” (Kim Lip), “Singing in the Rain” (JinSoul), “Rain 51db” (Loona 1/3), “Love Cherry Motion” (Choerry), “Girl Front” (Loona Odd Eye Circle), “Loonatic” (Lyric ver.) (Loona Odd Eye Circle), “Sweet Crazy Love” (Loona Odd Eye Circle), “new” (Yves), “Around You” (Special Ver.) (Hyunjin), “The Carol 2.0” (Lyric ver.) (ViVi, Choerry, Yves), “Heart Attack” (Chuu), “One&Only” (Go Won), “Egoist” (Olivia Hye), “love4eva” (Loona yyxy), “Favorite”, “Hi High”, “Butterfly”, “So What”, “Why Not?”, “Star”
• Labels: Blockberry Creative