Article by Ella Mariano and AB Aguirre
April 15, 2022
Ever heard of the groups H.O.T, G.O.D, Turbo, Shinwa, FinK.L., or Baby VOXX? How about Super Junior, TVXQ, SS501,, Wonder Girls Girls Generation, Shinee BIGBANG, 2PM, 2NE1 or KARA? Surely you know, EXO, Seventeen, Astro, BTOB, Mamamoo, Apink, Red Velvet, NCT, Twice, and especially BTS?
Congratulations! You’re a certified KPOP Fan! But are you aware that the K-POP groups we stan are classified into generations?
1st Generation of KPOP started in the 90s up to the early 20s. Under it are the groups H.O.T, G.O.D, Turbo, Shinwa, FinK.L., Baby VOXX, Jewelry, S.E.S, Sechs Kies, BoA, and many more. It was said that during those times, rivalry against fandoms was intense! Though some said that the 1st Generation of KPOP has 2 sub-categories, the 1st Generation and the 1.5 Generation as well as the other generations, but still a lot of people are still considering it as one.
Followed by is the 2nd Generation that started in the early 20s up to 2011 where the group TVXQ paved the way which was quickly followed by Super Junior, Girls Generation, BIGBANG, Wonder Girls, SS501, 2NE1m 2PM, KARA, Shinee and many more. During this era, KPOP finally started to heat up all over the world. Youtube was also being utilized. And the number of sales of their album is being monitored. With Super Junior’s Sorry Sorry tops the chart for some number of weeks which lead their group to the title Kings of Hallyu (Hallyu means Korean Wave; the popularity of Korean Culture). As the era progressed, so does the emergence of the "big three" entertainments SM, YG, and JYP where a most of the popular idols came from. Did you know that some fans are debating whether the KPOP girl group APINK are from the 2nd Generation or 3rd Generation group. How about you? What do you think?
Now it’s time for our well-known 3rd Generation where EXO, BTS, Seventeen Mamamoo, BTOB, Astro, Red Velvet, NCT, Blackpink, Twice, MonstaX, and many more belong. It’s said that the 3rd generation began in late 2011 up to 2017 where a most of the well-known groups debuted. Have you heard about EBS? No? Well, they’re the groups EXO, BTS, and Seventeen that are said to be the Top 3 Boy/Male groups in the 3rd Generation Era. Hallyu continues to rise up to this point! And we're telling you, no one can stop them!
And do you think it ends there? No! Because this time, a new era arises!
In 2018, the 4th Generation of KPOP idols officially emerged where groups such as TXT, ITZY, Enhypen, Aespa, Stray Kidz, Ateez, and many more! With their powerful and trendy styles. With the improvement of our technology and arts, so do their concepts. Following their Sunbaenims (idols with more experience, or debuted earlier than them) footsteps, it’s evident that we see the 4th Gen get inspired by their works, but taking it to another level.
With more experimental and futuristic sounds, we get to hear new approaches to the K-Pop music we’re used to. Just listen to Stray Kidz’ Maniac and Aespa’s Savage and you’ll know what we’re talking about. Moving on to their dance choreographies, their style has been a huge step compared to past generations. 4th gens have more strong and complex dance moves that fans watch their dance practice videos in slow-mo to get every detail right. Precision is key!
When it comes to positions, we’re used to groups with roles for every member of the group. But for the 4th gen groups, they can do so much more than their designated positions. Singers can rap, rappers can dance, and they can even produce their own music. This goes to show that today’s generation are versatile artists. Talk about all-rounders? You can’t help but to stan!
It’s exciting to see the new generation break out into inspirational people that everyone looks up to. They’re writing history at the moment and we can’t wait to see more of them in the future.
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