The 15 Best K-Pop Bands You Need to Be Listening to RN

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K-pop, aka Korean popular music, has taken the world by storm. You're probably familiar with some of the most popular K-pop bands like BTS, Blackpink, and SEVENTEEN. The genre is infused with traditional Korean sounds while celebrating western musical influences like hip-hop, electronic dance, and R&B. Since its debut in the mid-1990s, K-pop has created a wave of successful groups during its rise to pop-culture dominance.

Over the years, K-pop bands have captivated audiences and developed massive fan bases with inspiring and uplifting songs. K-pop band members, also known as idols, work tirelessly and go through extensive vocal, media, and choreography training before they hit the stage for the first time in groups ranging from four to 21.

While the groups stay busy releasing music as a collective or celebrating solo projects every few months — K-pop stars often venture off into acting, fashion, and other creative industries. If you're looking to get into K-pop music and don't know where to begin, here's a rundown of the 15 best K-pop groups.

1BTS

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Originally known as the Bangtan Boys, BTS is a South Korean boy band with tremendous success following their 2013 debut. With four No. 1 albums and five consecutive No. 1 singles, BTS has also made history as the first Korean band to perform at the American Music Awards in 2017 and became the first Asian act to win the American Music Award for Artist of the Year. The seven-member group has an estimated net worth of $100 million, with each idol having around a $20 million individual net worth.