K-pop

[ key-pop ]

noun

1. pop music from Korea (often used attributively): K-pop is really great to dance to.

   a K-pop girl group;

   K-pop is really great to dance to.

K-pop

noun

1. the characteristic pop music of South Korea

Word History and Origins

Origin of K-pop¹

First recorded in 1990–95; K(orean) ( def ) + pop ²

Example Sentences

They've sold more albums than any other K-pop girl band last year, have tens of millions of fans worldwide and are arguably one of South Korea's hottest acts.

From BBC

"I get what they're saying about the role not qualifying for the legal defintion of workplace harrassment, but this just shows the need for reform in the K-pop industry", said one user on X.

From BBC

Hybe, which represents massive K-pop groups such as BTS and Seventeen, is South Korea's largest music firm.

From BBC

Starting from the 1950s and the explosion of The Beatles all the way to the current global appeal of K-pop, the Paramount+ documentary "Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands" chronicles the origins of the boyband and the surrounding frenzy around this type of group.

From Salon

Manchester is home to the UK's biggest K-Pop shop and, on Sunday morning, the staff couldn't quite believe one of the genre's biggest girl bands had landed in their city.

From BBC

About This Word

What does K-pop mean?

K-pop is a genre of pop music originating from South Korea. The genre combines such Western pop music elements as hip-hop and rock with Korean traditions, and frequently involves dance routines and singing in Korean lyrics intermixed with some English.

K-pop is especially performed by idolized boy bands and girl groups.

What are some other words related to K-pop?

J-pop
BTS
Gangnam Style

Where does K-pop come from?

K-pop stands for Korean pop, pop being short for pop music. The name for the genre is first recorded in English around 1990–95.

Strongly influenced by Western popular music, K-pop took off in 1992 with Seo Taiji and Boys, who incorporated rap, rock, and dance elements into Korean popular music.

In 1995, the entertainment company SM Entertainment was founded. It went on to launch some of the most successful K-pop early groups, including the girl group S.E.S. and boy band H.O.T. H.O.T. who helped cement the traits of the K-pop genre: attractive, intensively trained teen idols who sing in a mix of Korean and English lyrics and dance in highly choreographed videos.

In the 2000s, K-pop spread throughout Asia to such countries as China, Japan, and India in a movement called the Korean Wave—like the British Invasion, just for Korean popular music. In the 2010s, K-pop became a truly global phenomenon. The Korean rapper Psy went massively viral with his 2012 song and video, “Gangnam Style,” one of the most viewed YouTube videos of all time. In fact, “Gangnam Style” was the first YouTube video to reach one billion views.

Then a little band called BTS, with its seven, record-breaking heartthrobs, released their first single in 2013. In May 2018, they became the first K-pop group to reach #1 on the Billboard Artist 100 charts thanks to their album Love Yourself: Tear—quite an accomplishment for an album that is primarily in Korean. Their fan base, the ARMY, is many millions strong and very active on social media.

While incredibly popular, K-pop has faced criticism over concerns about cultural appropriation, high-pressure working conditions for artists, and the sexualization of minors.

How is K-pop used in real life?

K-pop is often used attributively (e.g., a K-pop group). The genre and its performers continue to prove popular all over the world.

#BLACKPINK’s #Jennie’s “SOLO” Becomes 1st K-Pop Female Soloist MV To Hit 450 Million Viewshttps://t.co/VaoibtniEG pic.twitter.com/HPehtklDSp

— Soompi (@soompi) May 4, 2020

Which Underrated #KPop Group Should You Listen To Based On Your Favorite Songs?

I already stan @NUESTNEWS, and so should you! 💫https://t.co/3QlSP2ZcVL

— BuzzFeed K-Pop (@BuzzFeedDaebak) May 2, 2020

K-pop‘s rise in popularity has led to a lot more bands, many of whom acquire huge fan bases (often referred to as stans) and cultivate major social media presences.

Hi! I’ll put my biases here so my K-pop Stan followers can get to know me a little more.🤗
Blackpink: Rosé and Lisa
BTS: Seok-jin
Twice: Jihyo and Mina
EVERGLOW: Sihyeon
ITZY: Yuna
Txt: Soobin
Red velvet: Wendy
Mamamoo: Solar
(G)I-DLE: Soojin and Yuqi
+

— I R I Sʲⁱⁿ⁷♡ (@myflowerseokjin) May 4, 2020

K-pop can also refer to the larger idol culture around the musical genre, including its often intense fandom and celebrity gossip.

More examples of K-pop:

“BTS are arguably the world’s most successful K-pop group, having accumulated millions of followers across social media since forming in 2012.”

—Tom Parfitt, Independent, April 2019

“With the world now truly entering what is largely being called the “Fourth Wave of K-pop”, we are looking at an industry standing on the precipice of much-needed change: in terms of how it treats its stars, how they connect with fans, and how its existence is gradually becoming a normal part of global music culture.”

—Billboard, July 2018