K-pop music has become extremely popular due to its infectious tunes, amazingly coordinated dance techniques, and endearing fandom. And if you are interested in K-pop, you probably already know that it is divided into generations according to the era, the time period, and the musical genres they portray. K-pop groups are classified into numerous generations, with the first generation being the group that launched the global K-pop industry.
In today’s article, let’s dive into the fourth generation of K-pop and get to know about the latest girl bands and boy bands that have conquered the K-pop industry.
Stray Kids
Stray Kids, a JYP entertainment boy band with eight members, made its debut on 25 March 2018. The group, which took its name from a survival game, originally consisted of nine members; however, Kim Woo-Jin left the band in 2019, leaving the remaining eight members. Stray Kids are adored by their ardent followers known as STAYS all over the world, spreading their impact from Southern Korea to the US market.
TXT
Tomorrow X Together or TXT, a boy band made up of five members and created by Big Hit Music, made their debut on 4 March 2019. Their name TXT, has a special meaning that can be summed up as, “all individuals who come together under one dream in hopes of building a new tomorrow.” The fandom name of TXT is MOA, which stands for ‘moment of alwaysness’ and all the members are considered all-rounders (vocalists, rappers, and dancers).
LE SSERAFIM
The group LE SSERAFIM is adored by their fans for their relationship with fans as well as for their incredible dancing skills and musical compositions. The group’s name is an anagram of the phrase, ‘I’m fearless,’ and their fandom name is Fear Not. The girl band released their popular single ‘Fearless’ on 2 May last year, marking their debut. The fourth-generation girl group LE SSERAFIM quickly won over their followers’ hearts. Creating American K-pop history, ‘Unforgiven,’ the first full-length album by LE SSERAFIM, debuted at number six on Billboard’s renowned Top 200 album chart, according to Billboard.
ENHYPEN
The name of the boy group was first mentioned in the final episode of ‘I-Land’. Their fandom is called ‘Connect, Discover, and Grow Together’ and they’re represented by the acronym ENHYPEN, which is derived from the hyphen symbol. The boyband is known as the fourth-generation hot icons and global K-pop rising stars among fourth-generation K-pop groups. They are the K-pop boy group that sold a million albums the fastest.
New Jeans
The five-member girl group New Jeans holds the record for releasing the most streamed album by a fourth-generation girl group debuted by the the labels ADOR and Hybe. The meaning behind the group’s name is that it will set a new trend. The youthful and gifted members – known to their fans as bunnies – were chosen during the global auditions by Big Hit Entertainment, and they have been in training for two years.
(G)I-DLE
The debut of the five-person girl group (G)I-IDLE was on 14 August 2021, under Cube Entertainment. The group is notable for their musical abilities and cross-cultural feminist concepts. Their fanbase is called Neverland. (G)I-IDLE is well-known for its releases that became instant hits, including ‘Tomboy,’ ‘Nxde,’ and ‘Queencard’.