Introducing the A-to-Z Guide to K-Pop

When an idol is asked to do aegyo, it means fans want to see them perform cute, childlike gestures, like doing a nursery rhyme in a baby voice or smiling with bunny ears. The performance is usually followed by cringes from the idol and cheering cringes from everyone around them.

The four-member girl group rose to the top of the charts quickly after their late 2020 debut, thanks to their experimental sound in title tracks like “Next Level” and “Savage.” They’re also K-pop’s biggest AI hybrid group, with KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE, and NINGNING all having AI avatars that perform with them and flesh out their intricate group concept.

Bias is the K-pop term for a fan’s favorite group member, which can either stay the same or change as one gets to know the group. Some fans have multiple biases, or bias the entire group (aespa fans who bias the whole group would be OT4). There are also bias wreckers, or members who capture a fan’s attention and might make them rethink their bias.

Bangtan Sonyeondan—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—has become the most popular group in the world, helping bring K-pop to global mainstream acclaim. They’re the first idol group ever to be nominated for a Grammy, and they have 25 Guinness World Records. While most people know them by their English-language releases "Dynamite" and "Butter," their extensive discography is a lot of fun to check out. Their fandom name is ARMY.

Since their debut in 2016, BLACKPINK has become the biggest girl group in the world, thanks to their badass, confident image and viral music videos like “Kill This Love” and “DDU-DU DDU-DU.” Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa have gotten even bigger internationally since their debut; they were the first K-pop group to perform at Coachella, and they’re the subjects of the Netflix documentary BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky. They’re also fashion industry darlings and ambassadors for luxury houses including Chanel and Saint Laurent.

Comeback is the K-pop term for each new release from a group or soloist after their debut, encompassing the lead single, called a title track; the music video, or MV; and the round of promotions on music and variety shows. The idols’ companies will also drop several teasers and concept photos ahead of their MV releases and keep fans updated on their schedules of events. Idols will have multiple releases a year; more than six months is considered a long time between comebacks.

Each comeback has an overall concept, with every element (the song, choreography, styling, set design) capturing the central theme. Some of the most popular K-pop concepts are cute, dark, sexy, elegant, badass, retro, summer, and quirky. An idol group or soloist can also have an overall concept that influences their discography and even their name. An example: Red Velvet’s concept is in their name, with Red being their colorful and upbeat side, and Velvet being their smooth, sensual side.

Each title track comes with its own choreography, performed in the video and onstage. Along with the MV, idols will release a dance practice video of themselves performing in casualwear in their company’s practice rooms. If you want to learn a dance, check out the practice video to see the whole thing in one shot.

These videos originated in K-pop as clips that would focus on one member of a group onstage. Fans who wanted to follow their bias through a performance would look up a fancam from a concert or music show. The term has now evolved to include compilations of an idol’s pictures, with international musicians, actors, fictional characters, and even election results getting in on the action.

Fans and enthusiasts have used generations to categorize the evolution of K-pop since its origins in the ’90s. The first generation (or 1st gen) spans from the first K-pop group ever, Seo Taiji and Boys, to the early ’00s, with H.O.T. and BoA. 2nd gen started in the mid-2000s, as groups like Girls’ Generation, Big Bang, and 2NE1 moved toward a more futuristic sound and got their first overseas popularity. The 3rd gen includes groups who debuted in the mid-2010s, like BTS, EXO, and TWICE. We’re currently in the 4th gen, where hyper-pop and noise music is more common, with groups like Stray Kids, aespa, and ATEEZ. Though most of the generations are set, there’s also tons of debate over groups who fall in between, like whether BLACKPINK is 3rd or 4th gen.

Even if you never took notice of K-pop until “Gangnam Style” or BLACKPINK, you probably heard Girls’ Generation’s “Gee” at least once in 2010. The nine-member girl group, also called So-nyuh Shi-dae or SNSD in Korean, ruled the K-pop industry throughout the 2010s, and they’re now the definition of “your favorite group’s favorite group.” Though the group now takes extended hiatuses, members like Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Yoona are now super popular soloists, actors, and models.

K-pop is more than a genre of music; it’s an industry with a regimented training system and intense demands of its artists. The soloists and group members who go through training for several years and debut under an entertainment company are called idols. In addition to music, idols are usually brand ambassadors, actors, radio presenters, or variety show hosts. They’re also required to keep up a clean image for their fans; when they are caught dating or doing anything untoward, it’s called a scandal.

Lightsticks are a must-have when attending a K-pop concert. The battery-operated accessories emit a bright light when turned on, and they’re designed after each group’s identity, often using their logo. At concerts, the ocean of fans’ lightsticks can be synced to either all match one color or put on an intricate light show. Even if you don’t make it to a show, they can serve as cute decor or an ultra-bright flashlight in emergencies.

Most releases for idols are mini albums, shorter projects like EPs for Western artists. Considering the massive amount of output, it works for a group with several comebacks a year to put out five to seven songs at a time. Sometimes idols even put out single albums, with a title track and an extra song. It will take groups a couple years to have their first full album, but when they do, they’re typically big, with at least 12 songs.

For popular idols, each comeback includes appearances on several Korean music shows. These weekly programs are similar to TRL, with around 10 performances a show. Each also ends with an encore for the group who is the most popular that week, based on album sales, fan voting, and expert analysis. Music show wins are a huge deal, with most groups getting emotional after their first win.

Each piece of merchandise released by an artist usually includes a photocard, or a wallet-sized picture of a member. The cards are randomly distributed, and there are large subcultures within each group’s fandom around collecting or trading them. Fan artists also make their own photocards, among other merch, to sell on Etsy and other platforms.

Each member of an idol group is typically given an official position that matches their skills and contributions to the group. The groups are composed of vocalists, rappers, and dancers ranked by levels; mains are the best of each category and are featured the most, followed by leads and subs. There’s also a leader who keeps the group together, a visual who is the best-looking member, a maknae who’s the youngest member, and a center or face of the group. There are some groups that forgo positions, like BLACKPINK, LOONA, and TXT.

Though K-pop is mostly known for boy and girl groups, soloists are also a big part of the industry. Some idols, like IU and Chung Ha, debut as soloists, while others do their own solo projects while being a part of a group, or go solo after their groups disband. Some of the most popular soloists today, including CL, SUNMI, Taemin, and Taeyeon, are members of popular 2nd gen groups.

Sometimes entertainment companies with several idols or larger idol groups form subunits that make comebacks together separate from the main group activities. Groups including EXO and WJSN have charted with subunits like EXO-CBX and WJSN The Black. The “limitless” boy group NCT took the subunit to a new level, as the 23 members perform through the separate units: NCT 127, NCT Dream, NCT U, and WayV.

Idols connect with their fans throughout the year through livestreams and self-produced content like variety and travel shows on the app V Live. Groups also started holding live virtual concerts on the app during the pandemic. Though V Live has the most groups, many have also started using the Weverse platform by BTS’s entertainment company HYBE. Instead of livestreaming, Weverse hosts recorded video content and a message board where idols can post and comment directly on fans’ posts.