“Have you seen K-Pop Demon Hunters?” To anyone who did video streaming this year, it was the most-asked question in chat, but for good reason. The way-better-than-expected movie Sony sold to Netflix at a loss became the year’s most significant cultural touchstone, capping a banner year for K-pop as a whole.
It certainly didn’t hurt that the film was “non-denominational”, as musicians from multiple labels participated, whether through production assistance from YG’s Teddy Park or having “Takedown” performed by three members of Twice (from JYP Entertainment). Even Ejae, who not only performed in the film but also co-wrote several of the songs, was a former SM Entertainment trainee, making K-Pop Demon Hunters the rising tide that lifted all boats.
While Netflix’s most-watched film of all time certainly turbocharged the genre’s popularity, it was a year of mixed messaging. While Twice greatly benefited from some demon-slaying, “Jump” was the divisive Blackpink comeback that only proved how dynamic the quartet’s solo careers had become. G-Dragon proved he could have a hit decades into his career, NMixx finally broke into the top of the charts through sheer talent and perseverance, and seemingly unstoppable lowercase powerhouses like aespa and the newly rebranded i-dle proved that even their popularity and cultural influence had limits.
Everywhere you looked, it was a wild story: TWS imploding, Hybe’s new boy group hope Cortis having difficulty breaking out of a tight viral dance gimmick, the Black Label having a banner year pushing out AllDay Project and actually-good songs for Meovv, Starship’s KiiiKiii losing the plot completely, Hearts2Hearts overperforming in the best way possible, Kiss of Life exhibiting just how hard it is to come back from cancellation, and XLOV showing that there is a genuine audience for a group that presented as unapologetically queer. Even the furries tried breaking in this year.
So where does that leave us? With a year when traditional K-pop gravity had shifted. Surefire bets were no longer sure shots. Hot new rookies scored music show wins in droves. A particular animated movie may have pushed a massive swath of Western audiences into a variety of K-pop rabbit holes, but these 15 songs are the ones that cut through the noise.
15. Dayoung – “Body” (Starship)
It’s hard to say where Starship went wrong with WJSN, but it’s also hard to think of where they went right. After releasing their first singles in 2016, the group would eventually find minor success, but they rarely had opportunities to capitalize on it. This problem was writ large following their 2022 win on the competition show Queendom 2, where they received a “Premium Comeback Special” and then released no new songs afterward.
Instead of waiting for an official disbandment announcement, Dayoung decided to step out in the spotlight in a big way, dropping 2025’s must-hear summer dance anthem at the start of September. “Body” is an audacious, breezy number that feels effortless in execution. Produced in part by Jisoo’s recent go-to collaborators, the Wavys, “Body” radiates an intensely flirtatious charm, as bright synths and that pounding chorus combine to produce healing aural sunbeams.
Its lyrics may be relatively surface-level, but its impact was immediate, sold off the strength of Dayoung’s confident dancing and performance. Throughout the promotional cycle, Dayoung was in charge of her actions, embracing this new persona with a wink to the audience. It’d be hard for Hyolyn to give up her Queen of the Summer crown, but if there were any heir apparent, Dayoung would unquestionably be in the running.
14. Super Junior – “Express Mode” (SM)
“This right here is a 100% certified slapper.” It’s hard to think of a cheesier way to start a song, but against all odds, Super Junior found a way to have a way to turn unbridled camp into a genuine dance-pop hit some 25 years into their career. The reason why “Express Mode” works so well is that it’s not trying to recreate the magic of classic hits like “Sexy, Free & Single” or “Mamacita”: it’s content with its percolating synth lines, its harder-than-expected pop chorus, and its lyrics about breaking up one’s routine to reach some sort of “Express Mode” which isn’t clearly defined.
Logic doesn’t really come into play at all with this track, and therein lies its true charm: it’s not trying to be some edgy sort of NCT cool, and instead is just a fun track that these men in their late 30s and early 40s can still pull off moves to. The group shows up in full, delivering the material with a straight face to produce a song that, as it turns out, is genuinely a “100% certified slapper.” Over two and a half decades into their career, they stayed relevant not by chasing trends but by being true to themselves.
13. NCT WISH – “poppop” (SM)
When you sort YouTube results for “NCT Wish” by popularity, the top result is NCT U’s song “Make a Wish (Birthday Song)”, which speaks more to NCT U’s popularity as a subunit than to NCT Wish’s poor branding. While the sixth and (allegedly) final spinoff of the NCT brand started with a cutesy concept not too dissimilar from NCT Dream, Wish lacked a consistent vision. For every stunner like “Wish”, there was bland boy crush sounds like “Hands Up” and the generic posturing of “Dunk Shot”, which relied on tired machismo instead of anything different in the marketplace.
Aided by SM’s powerhouse songwriter Kenzie, “poppop” is an effortless bubblegum fantasy, using rhythmic vocal plosives and a shouted chorus to deliver the K-pop equivalent of a pure sugar rush. The boys are engaged, the choreography is catchy, and, as the later single “Surf” proved, 2025 really might be the year they stop being compared to their NCT brethren and are viewed as a distinct sonic entity all their own. In other words, this is the year when they really pop, pop, pop, popped.
12. Twice – “This is For” (JYP)
Twice were always an unbashed K-pop sensation, but as they grew in popularity, their songs weren’t always embraced back home. For a group whose effervescent, bubbly megahits used to regularly have music videos with view counts in the hundreds of millions, their efforts in the 2020s barely made a dent on Korean charts, their YouTube plays dropping considerably.
While 2024’s “Strategy” got them back into their wheelhouse, the exposure from the group’s integration with K-Pop Demon Hunters drew all the more attention to “This Is For”, the delectable title track from their ninth overall album. As much an empowerment anthem as a dancefloor workout, this English-language single radiates good vibes, from its rhythmic basslines to that rising vocal pre-chorus that Twice have all but trademarked.
It may not break any ground artistically, but Twice songs don’t need to, ‘cos their artistic cohesion and love of a tight melody have made their tracks the kind of gems that could last as long as Girls’ Generation all-timers. “This is for all my ladies / Who don’t get hyped enough / If you’ve been done wrong / Then this is your song, so turn it up!” Good advice to heed.
11. ILLIT – “빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance)” (Belift Lab)
Some K-pop groups get painted into a corner. Acts ranging from EXID to recent breakouts TWS hit with a dynamite song that becomes so omnipresent their label seems unafraid to stray from it, instead making these acts record endless soundalikes until the novelty has worn off. With 2024’s “Magnetic” becoming a true global star-making mega-smash, HYBE’s Belift Lab seemed afraid to break the girls of Illit out of that legendary “stuttery sticcato chorus”. Instead, it featured similar vocal tics being featured prominently in singles like “Cherish (My Love)” and “Tick-Tack”.
While there is a post-chorus iteration of this trait on “빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance)”, the fear of this becoming a gimmick is lessened by being associated with a track that’s so wild and sonically adventurous. Featuring a staggering 19 songwriters (including Yunjin from Le Sserafim), “Do the Dance” is an overstuffed carnival ride of a banger, taking an orchestral sample, speeding it up, and looping it over a funk bassline and tight beat.
It’s energetic, filled with personality (the little vocal lift Moka gives on the word “carnival” in the first verse feels like a hook unto itself), and continues to push Illit in the “joyful pop weirdos” direction, which they are rapidly embracing. “Do the Dance” was liberating for the group, ‘cos while it played into their buoyant branding, it points Illit in new directions. It might even allow them to be freakier and weirder in the future without losing an ounce of their candy-coated joy—a twisty delight.
10. AllDay Project – “Famous” (The Black Label)
Of course, AllDay Project’s first song is called “Famous”. After all, this is a group that some have argued is full of nepo babies: Annie is the great-granddaughter of Samsung’s founder, Bailey was a choreographer for Taemin and Taeyang, and the other members have all had experience as label trainees and reality TV contestants.
Instead of trying to hide their connections, the slithering “Famous” instead mocks them, turning “We ain’t even famous!” into a rabble-rousing rallying cry. Over detuned synths and even some direct acoustic guitar strums, this braggadocious number sees the quintet putting the work to hold their haters at bay. The rapping is crisp, the dancing is tight, and the vibes are surprisingly accessible.
While some have criticized their output as inconsistent and deemed their recent Daesang win controversial, the contestants on the competition program Boys II Planet lost their minds when it was revealed “Famous” was a song they could potentially cover. In the hands of a lesser group, this could come off as both cocky and off-putting. Instead, it displays a rare feature that most acts pay millions for: it’s dripping with unabashed cool, which, in turn, has actually made this co-ed group genuinely, well, “Famous”.
9. Jennie – “Zen” (Columbia)
Who is the most famous member of Blackpink? For a long time, it was unmistakably Lisa, but now that all four members are recording under labels other than YG, their overall “brand rankings” are changing as people get to see the full scope of their artistry. While Jisoo is happy with the occasional fluke megahit, the remaining members have all put out material over the past 18 months that has altered the shape of pop music as a whole.
Lisa finally busted out the debut record, Rosé went mega-star with her Bruno Mars collaboration “APT.”, and Jennie – well, Jennie surprised us the most. While earlier hits “Solo” and “You & Me” were very much still in the Blackpink mold, Jennie’s 2025 singles featured the breezy “Love Hangover”, the Doechii feature “ExtraL”, and the thundering dance track “Like Jennie”.
Yet it was the surprise-released “Zen” that, in many ways, had the most significant impact, as its reverse-warped synths, deeper-than-a-canyon bassline, and lyrics about identifying as a deity showed that Jennie was ready to move in a different, more artistic direction with her sound. When she pauses in the second verse to just say “Rain” as her voice echoes around her, it feels like she’s conjuring it using nothing but wizardry and a perfect pout. She may have had bigger hits in 2025, but the still-underrated “Zen” was one of her best.
8. VIVIZ – “La La Love Me” (BigPlanetMade)
Much like their original group Gfriend, it was Eunha, SinB, and Umji who thought they could take on their Queens of the Summer moniker in their new trio venture, Viviz. While 2022’s “Bop Bop!” was the smash it needed to be to establish them as a viable act that was different from their parent group, their follow-ups left a lot to be desired, seemingly fated to wither on the vine of a smaller label with less promotional power. Yet as 2024’s “Maniac” (and its downright shocking B-side “Untied”) proved, this trio wasn’t going to simply settle for resting on their laurels.
From its guitar line opening to its dance-splash chorus, “La La Love Me” is the sound of a group overjoyed that they have found the sound that works for them. It’s fun, flirty, catchy, and captures the group working at their girlboss best. Not every single one on this list needs to be a daring genre-breaker: sometimes your best hits just need to be the songs that will still sound fresh on a playlist years down the line. With this comeback, we “la la love” Viviz just a little bit more, and with a fitting Song of the Summer contender no less.
7. Yerin Baek – “Mirror” (People Like People Co.)
Following a string of successful songs as the duo 15&, Yerin Baek quickly moved on to be a solo star, scoring chart-toppers with a series of breezy mid-tempo numbers that hewed closer to trot than they did K-pop as we know it. By 2020, however, her solo success had largely faded, despite her continued industry activity and her co-writing on songs for her good friend Chungha.
While she established herself as quite the traditionalist, “Mirror” is very likely the first song where we find her saying “motherfucker”. Co-written and co-produced with Beenzino regular Peejay, this slinky, jazzy electro-track number radiates the energy of an after-hours upscale bar, where inhibitions are low, and expectations are high. It’s flirty, it’s confident, it’s different. Baek, to her credit, hides her trademark voice behind layers of filters, giving it an almost alien quality that only serves to contrast with the smooth jazz trumpet that comes into the mix partway through.
It’s mixed like a great high-end cocktail, which is no wonder why it goes down so smoothly. “Mirror” shocks us as it’s so unexpected from Baek, but it delights because it’s not just the sound of an idol breaking in a bold new direction, but doing so with supreme confidence. “Don’t look at yourself in the mirror,” she warns in the chorus, which is heeded advice, but she didn’t say anything about us not putting this “Mirror” on repeat in our earbuds.
6. XLOV – “1&Only” (257 Entertainment)
Queerness within K-pop has been an oddly taboo subject, doubly so given how prevalent and accepted “boylove” and “girllove” television dramas have been. While some groups like OnlyOneOf have flirted with queer and horny themes before, publicly out idols like Holland have never had much of a commercial impact, often because their “otherness” results in them having fewer promotional opportunities.
As encouraging as it was that Just B’s Bain came out publicly on stage this year, it was the new group XLOV who began making waves in the industry by not only having genuine hit songs under their wings but also the pure talent to sell them. Wumuti, Rui, and Haru had met on the competition survival show Boys Planet, where their flamboyance was prominently featured. Rounded out with Hyun, second single “1&Only” came off as a classic mid-tempo flirty ballad, drawing a partner in close and asking that they be given the energy (energy).
It’s a breezy track, but more confident than their debut, “I’mma Be”, and paved the way for even more overt singles that followed, like “Rizz”. Coupled with the quartet’s breathtaking athleticism in their choreography, “1&Only” was a Trojan horse of a song: mainstream and pleasant enough to be embraced by a general populace but containing overtly gender-bending and progressive antics that may have flown over the heads of some. Already, XLOV is breaking down some barriers, and the best part is that it feels like they’re only just getting started.
5. Crush – “Up All Nite [ft. Sumin]” (P Nation)
Crush is the kind of idol that shows up every couple of years and reminds the world, “Oh yeah: I like Crush!” In 2022, his song “Rush Hour” with J-Hope became a legit hit, even as the album that followed it, 2023’s Wonderego, somewhat underperformed. Yet with the sultry stunner “Up All Nite”, Crush feels like he’s in a spot where he’s fully in control of his sound once again.
With finger-tip key pads and a jazzy vibe, Crush is heavily flirting with Wonder Girls’ Sumin, talking about how he “wants to see how your garden grows” while she flirts back, saying “Let me just tease / You’re gonna drip all night.” This is somewhat racy stuff even for 2025 mainstream K-pop, but when the chemistry is this good, the vibe simply cannot be denied.
Best of all, Crush’s trademark Stevie Wonder worship is in full display, as that uplifting vocal trill at the end of every eight-count is right out of Wonder’s 1970s era. Slick, contemporary, and oddly unworried about any sort of chart success, Crush reminded us for the umpteenth time why we like him so damn much. It’s an underrated stunner.
4. CHUU – “Back in Town” (ATRP)
Tracking the multitude of projects from all 12 members of LOONA following their historic disbandment has been a constant joy. You have the insane run of title tracks from the already-expired Loossemble, the challenging artistry of ARTMS, and, in a most pleasant surprise, the genuine breakthrough success of Yves, who put out the best K-pop song of 2024.
While CHUU always drew significant attention for her bubbly energy and her winsome solo efforts, our working theory is that after seeing Yves excel with some truly acclaimed dance tracks, CHUU wanted some of that energy for herself. Her 2025 EP Only Cry in the Rain is hands down her best album and one of the best K-pop records released this year, where not a single song is out of place. While the title track and the viral “Kiss a Kitty” are absolute delights, “Back in Town” is as pitch-perfect a pop song as has ever been written.
Riding a spritely bassline, some clever instrument swaps (every time that chorus piano comes in, our hearts just grow a little bit bigger), and sweet lyrics about calling up an old flame when you’re finally back in town, it’s as sugar-sweet a confection as you could ever ask for. CHUU has always been able to sell bubbly sweetness with that million-dollar smile. Still, with Only Cry in the Rain, she eschews her usual saccharine vibes for something deeper and more emotionally complex. She may be “Back in Town” to see a missed connection, but now it’s us, the listeners, who are begging her to stay.
3. Hearts2Hearts – “Style” (SM)
The closest comparison you can make to Hearts2Hearts’ stunning 2025 singles run is the ghost of early ITZY. For the latter, that JYP quintet blew the doors off with three immaculate dance-pop bangers in a row (“Dalla Dalla”, “Icy”, and “Wannabe”) that made them seem like the next big thing. While their efforts since then have received a mixed reception, we don’t see the same fate for SM’s Hearts2Hearts. “The Chase” was a bold opening salvo, and their end-of-year piano pounder “Focus” was instantly iconic, but of all their banner year achievements, it doesn’t get more flawless than “Style”.
Immediate, colorful, and infectious, “Style” has such unmitigated melodic confidence in itself that it feels like the kind of song that’s been around for years. Hummable on first listen and still an earworm on its 100th, “Style” is the result of pop professionals working at the top of their game for weeks if not months on end (it’s another KENZIE banger if you couldn’t tell). Production this overstuffed sometimes feels polished to a sheen where no personality remains, but the Hearts2Hearts girls are wickedly talented, from their vocal lines to their insanely crisp dance practices that already evoke the high polish of Twice’s dance practice videos.
Unlike ITZY, which locked themselves into a lane pretty early, Hearts2Hearts has tried out a variety of moods and styles with their title tracks, and has surprised us by being knockouts at every single one of them. Any one of their songs could’ve easily taken this slot, but this track is just our type, and we like its style.
2. NMIXX – “Spinnin’ on It” (JYP)
At present, there may not be a wilder career in the history of K-pop than that of NMIXX. Their debut songs “O.O” and “Dice” were nothing short of divisive, and nursery rhyme pablum like “Young, Dumb, Stupid” made them seem like nothing more than a gimmick. Yet the group slowly and surely proved their chops. They changed styles with remarkable ease, started posting not dance practice clips but full rehearsal videos with live vocals, and started delivering bangers like “Dash” that had a much longer shelf life than their open salvos.
This was the year that everything changed. “Know About Me” was one of the year’s finest singles; they had a collaborative track with Brazilian drag superstar Pabllo Vittar, and the absolutely wild “Blue Valentine” handed them their first-ever chart-topper in Korea. Yet “Spinnin’ on It” still has us absolutely hooked. More of a rock song than a traditional K-pop dance number, live guitar and escalating vocal lines interweave to craft a sound that feels like nothing else this year.
While we’re giant fans of their full-length album and the justice they finally gave to “O.O” by splitting it into two full-length parts, those chanted backing vocals of “I don’t know what’s wrong!” are the result of a group that has reached the peak of their powers. With those sinewy melody lines, that dynamic chorus, and those stacked vocal harmonies, no one is doing it quite like NMIXX right now.
They could’ve easily been boxed in as a group responsible for so many insufferable “N-MIXX change-ups”, but they wanted to prove they had what it takes to be worthy of their success. Now they’ve done just that, and while “Blue Valentine” was a crowning achievement, “Spinnin’ On It” is the one we just keep spinning.
1. XngHan&Xoul – “Waste No Time” (SM)
It would be so easy to characterize Hong Seung-han’s story as one of revenge, but that narrative belies his talents. Originally debuting as a member of SM’s boy band Riize, the leak of heavily doctored photos of him in bed with a woman led many of Riize’s fans to declare him to be a moral threat to the group, forcing him into a suspension from the label.
His return to the group lasted two days, as the bevy of funeral wreaths sent by fans to the SM offices upon his return made it clear how they felt about his alleged betrayal. SM were heavily criticized for caving to online toxic fan culture, but, to their credit, stuck with him, giving him a chance to debut solo as XngHan&Xoul, where he was the main solo artist backed by two professional dancers at all times.
“Waste No Time” is nothing short of a K-pop masterwork, a uniformly perfect song elevated by the idol at the center of it. From its innocuous, boppy verses to its explosive, multi-pronged chorus, which features everything from rhythmic synth repeaters to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it horn riffs, it distilled all that is joyous and wonderful about the genre into a stunning two minutes and 54 seconds. That crystal clear pre-chorus vocal hook is everything, showcasing the confidence and clarity of his sound.
It’s a song about embracing the moment and moving past regrets, and those words feel custom-crafted for him and his journey. He sells every moment, and the performance videos from this promotional period show him outclassing his own backup dancers time and time again. Seunghan is a total package idol who was outdone by an overblown “non”-troversy. As unfortunate as those events have defined his early career, “Waste No Time” proves that he would’ve been a superstar no matter what, and having the year’s best standalone song certainly helps make his case.