If the only K-pop song you can name is Psy’s massive viral hit Gangnam Style, get ready to have an entire world of new music opened up in front of you. We’ve collected together the 50 best K-pop songs from the last 25 years or so to give you the perfect introduction to this wonderfully varied, vibrant, and exciting musical world. If you’re an established fan, there should be plenty for you to enjoy too, whether it’s seeing your favorite featured, or being re-introduced to some older classics. Every list proclaiming to countdown the best of anything is always going to be somewhat subjective, and this is no exception. It has mostly been compiled by one person but with considerable input from fans, colleagues, friends, and online sources, plus many hours of listening to hundreds of songs. Your choices will always inevitably differ in some way, and my own personal preferences will have swayed some of the inclusions too, but there is a more serious problem that’s not always discussed. Any list like this faces the discography conundrum. What do I mean? Almost all the groups on this list have made many excellent, iconic songs, with releases sometimes spread over many years. Some groups could even be considered to have an almost perfect discography, where the group nails its “sound” and then consistently puts out superb, unmissable music. Choosing one song from such strong back catalogs is an almost impossible task. There is an upside to this, and it’s possibly the most important takeaway. If you like one of the songs on this list, it’s a really good idea to go on and listen to other songs from the same group. I almost guarantee you’ll find one you like just as much, or perhaps even more. Also remember this if your favorite song is missing, but your favorite group is still represented. There are a few rules that help clarify what has made it onto the list. Only groups are featured, not single singers (apart from a couple of notable exceptions), solo projects, or collaborations, and it doesn’t include songs groups release specifically for Japan or other regions. This all helps keep the list manageable. For the most part, each group is only featured on the list once. This means that while I may personally think many groups deserve multiple slots, and that my own bias would see a lot of IZ*ONE songs feature, this doesn’t really do the massive variety and incredible talent in the industry any justice. The final rule, which has been mostly followed, is to do with generations. This nebulous concept separates time periods in K-pop history and takes into consideration everything from musical and visual style to promotional activities, and the way songs are recorded and marketed. It’s widely accepted that the K-pop industry is in its fourth generation at the moment. Approximately 10 songs from each generation have been featured. Taking the song count to 50 is a selection of key K-pop songs included due to their global influence, popularity, and familiarity to those who may not consider themselves to be K-pop “fans” as such. These are likely to have been the introduction to K-pop music for people outside South Korea. While they may not all be considered “the best,” they are incredibly important, and deserve to be recognized due to their cultural impact, and as the likely conduit into K-pop fandom for many outside Korea. Right, that’s enough information, clarification, and caveats. Here is our list of the best K-pop songs of all time, and while we’ve included videos with each entry if you want to casually listen along, all 50 songs can be heard in our YouTube Music playlist here.
Gangnam Style, Psy
Yes, we mean the League of Legends song. It’s performed by Miyeon and Soyeon, two members from the K-pop group (G)I-dle, along with Madison Beer and Jaira Burns, and sung in both English and Korean. It’ll be familiar to players of Beat Saber, and like Gangnam Style, will be many people’s first touchpoint for K-pop.
This won’t be the only mention of global K-pop sensation BTS on our list, but it’s a song many non-K-pop fans recognize. A wonderful summery song that was incredibly popular internationally, it’s also one of the best BTS songs in Beat Saber, and has been used by Samsung to advertise the Galaxy S20 FE, along with other promotional activities for the brand.
Blackpink probably need little introduction, having found massive international success, performing everywhere from the Coachella festival to TV appearances including The Late Late Show, and collaborating with artists like Lady Gaga. Kill This Love is one the group’s best-known anthemic, hard-hitting songs.
Mellow and tuneful, iKON’s Love Scenario was controversial in South Korea after its release, with parents concerned about kids being exposed to the addictive properties of the song, and lyrics some considered inappropriate for young ears. They could be right, as once you listen, you’ll definitely be humming it for a while afterward.
Pick Me‘s lyrics symbolize the connection between an idol and their fans, making it the ideal theme song to Korean music channel Mnet’s various “survival” shows, where prospective idols battle it out in a competition for a place in a new group. A different arrangement has been performed by the trainee members for each show, with this version for the Produce 48 series being the most iconic.
Like Blackpink, Twice have a massive, well-deserved international following, but an entirely different concept and sound. This is perfectly illustrated by the often impossibly cute and catchy TT, the title of which refers to the emoticon for crying, that represents a different side to K-pop girl groups’ music to, for example, Blackpink’s Kill This Love.
Candy, H.O.T. (1996)
Get Up, Baby V.O.X. (1997)
Dreams Come True, S.E.S. (1998)
Funky Tonight, Clon (1999)
Pure Love, Koyote (1999)
Coming of Age Ceremony, Park Ji Yoon (2000)
Come Back Home, Seo Taiji & Boys (2000)
Eternal Love, Fin K.L. (2000)
Perfect Man, Shinhwa (2002)
No.1, BoA (2002)
Hot, 1tym (2003)
Into the New World, Girls’ Generation (2007)
Mirotic, TVXQ! (2008)
Nobody, Wonder Girls (2008)
Gee, Girls’ Generation (2009)
Sorry, Sorry, Super Junior (2009)
Bad Girl, Good Girl, Miss A (2010)
Never Let You Go, 2am (2010)
Fiction, Beast (2011)
Roly Poly, T-ara (2011)
I am the Best, 2NE1 (2011)
Pinochio (Danger), f(x) (2011)
Sherlock, Shinee (2012)
The Chaser, Infinite (2012)
Fantastic Baby, BigBang (2012)
Growl, Exo (2013)
Luv, Apink (2014)
Mamma Mia, Kara (2014)
Closer, Oh My Girl (2015)
Crazy, 4Minute (2015)
Playing with Fire, Blackpink (2016)
DNA, BTS (2017)
Thanks, Seventeen (2018)
Love Bomb, Fromis_9 (2018)
Bad Boy, Red Velvet (2018)
Superhuman, NCT 127 (2019)
Helicopter, CLC (2020)
Mago, Gfriend (2020)
Panorama, IZ*ONE (2020)
Thunderous, Stray Kids (2021)
Eleven, Ive (2021)
Fearless, Le Sserafim (2022)
Attention, NewJeans (2022)
Honorable mentions include:
Dejavu, Nuest
Touch my Body, Sistar
Le Voya9e, Kep1er
Fiesta, IZ*ONE
Tempo, Exo
I’m So Sick, Apink
As You Wish, WJSN
Love so Sweet, Cherry Bullet
Butterfly, Loona
Mr. Simple, Super Junior
Twilight, WEi
Bang bang bang, BigBang
Ddu, du, ddu du, Blackpink
Boom Bboom, Momoland
I Can’t Stop Me, Twice
Easy, WJSN The Black
