After all, what are k-pop generations?

If you follow K-pop, you’ve certainly heard about the famous generations, responsible for separating the different phases of South Korean pop music. In fact, it is a little complicated to understand the popular separation, as there is no standard that establishes when a generation begins or ends.

In an interview with Nylon magazine, the assistant professor of Korean pop culture at Arizona State University, Areum Jeongexplains that, in general, fan culture contributes to the definition of new generations, since, over time, the interaction between idols and admirers can change, especially with the arrival of new technologies that can influence the industry.

With the generations, it is possible to see more clearly the different phases of K-pop throughout its history, from its emergence in the 1990s to the present day. Today, despite some discussions, it is already considered by the South Korean media that we are in the fifth generation of K-pop, as pointed out by the Koreaboo portal.

But, do you know each generation? RECREIO presents you!

1st generation

Marking the birth of K-pop, the 1st generation is the pioneer for everything we know today. Experts argue that this era began in 1992, with the debut of Seo Taiji and Boys, considered the first K-pop group, and continued until the early 2000s.

Among the artists who were part of this period, in addition to Seo Taiji and Boys, we can mention HOT, SES, Shinhwa, Sechs Kies, Fin.KL, in addition to the soloists Good It is PSY which, despite having exploded when the third generation was in force with the track “Gangnam Style”, debuted in 2001.

2nd generation

The 2nd generation marks the growth of Hallyu, the Korean Wave, that is, when companies started to invest more in expanding k-pop and South Korean culture beyond the borders of South Korea, expanding first to the rest from Asia, before reaching the West, thanks to the rise of mp3s and the arrival of the first social networks.

This is where extremely popular items such as lightsticks and photocards emerged. Second Areum Jeong for Nylon, it is also in the second generation that “idol groups as we know them today were born”. It was at this time that the great boom of the famous “Big 3” took place, the three main k-pop companies: SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.

It is also during this period, which covers the mid-2000s to the beginning of the 2010s, that trainee systems begin to be implemented, groups with more than five members emerge, such as Super Junior (initially with 13 members) and Girls ‘ Generation, which debuted with nine, and the first foreign idols arrive in the lineups, such as Hangeng, Henry It is Zhou Mialso from Super Junior, who are Chinese.

Other great formations from this era are TVXQ!, BIGBANG, 2NE1, 2PM, Wonder Girls, miss A, SHINee, SISTAR and more.

3rd generation

With the growth of social networks and the popularization of YouTube, the 3rd generation emerges, covering approximately the years between 2012 and 2017. It is here that k-pop establishes itself internationally, reaching the status of “Global Phenomenon”, and becomes register significant numbers in important Western markets, such as the United States, while the songs also begin to mix other genres, such as rock, electronica and R&B, as pointed out by the Café com Kimchi portal.

According to Billboard Philippines, with the arrival of the third generation, the supremacy of the Big 3 decreased, giving way to the emergence of artists managed by companies considered smaller, such as BTS, from BigHit Entertainment (currently BigHit Music), who, despite Although today it is huge, even forming the HYBE conglomerate, it was not a large agency at the time when Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V It is Jungkook debuted.

It is also here that companies start to form increasingly diverse groups, requiring greater fluency in English to talk to an international audience, making it even more common to find multinational groups, such as BLACKPINK, composed of Jennie (born in Korea, but lived in New Zealand for years), Jisoo (South Corean), Lisa (Thai) and Rosé (born in New Zealand but raised in Australia).

Another major highlight of this period is the launch of famous survival programs, which seek to form new groups — whether for a limited time or not. Among the most popular, we can mention the “Produce” franchise, which created formations such as IOI, Wanna One, X1 and IZ*ONE, in addition to “SIXTEEN”, which formed TWICE, or even “WIN: Who Is Next” , who created WINNER.

Among other big names from this era, we can mention Red Velvet, EXO, SEVENTEEN, ASTRO, iKON, GOT7, WJSN, GFRIEND, NCT and much more.

4th generation

The 4th generation appears with K-pop already consolidated in the international market, around 2018, remaining until around 2022. For this reason, a big difference of this era is that, now, in addition to worrying about the South Korean public , the global audience has also become a major focus since debut.

Here, more innovative concepts began to be presented, exploring the advancement of technology, in addition to having a clearer musical identity, the evolution of promotions on social networks with the help of fans, and the emergence of more groups that are able to produce their own songs. songs.

The Covid-19 pandemic, which began in 2019, also had a strong impact on this generation. This is because, with social distancing, virtual events have become a necessity so that the industry does not stop, becoming a new trend, in addition to providing international fans with the chance to participate in events that were previously limited due to distance, helping to increase the popularity of artists.

Described by Billboard Philippines as the “girl group generation,” this era featured big names in both girl and boy groups, including Stray Kids, TXT, ITZY, (G)I-DLE, aespa, IVE, ATEEZ, LE SSERAFIM , ENHYPEN, NewJeans, LOONA and others.

5th generation

Although there are still several discussions, currently, the South Korean media already believes that we have entered the 5th generation of K-pop. Experts consider that the new era will begin in 2023, and point to groups like ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE and BABYMONSTER as the great pioneers of the time.

According to Billboard Philippines, the big trend of this new generation is to prioritize the global market with even more fluent backgrounds in English, idols who are all-rounders, that is, they efficiently perform singing, dancing and rapping skills, and, with that, the end of the famous fixed positions in k-pop (such as main dancer, main vocalist, visual, face of the group, etc.), in addition to a greater presence on social networks and the presentation of increasingly original concepts.