A Guide to K-pop Generations: From S.E.S to NewJeans

If you spend five minutes on K-pop X (Twitter), TikTok or even Instagram, you will often hear people arguing about 4th Gen Leaders or The Kings of 3rd Gen. But what do these numbers actually mean?

K-pop history is divided into generations, distinct eras defined by time periods, stylistic changes, and marketing shifts. It’s not just about when a group debuted, but about the state of the industry at that time. Because of this, generations don’t actually have a defined date range or duration, it’s all up to interpretation and general consensus.

Here is your comprehensive guide to the K-pop timeline. Take the estimated date ranges with a grain of salt, they are just that, estimated.

1st Generation: The pioneers (1992 – 2004)

The start of it all.

Before the glitter and the lightsticks, there was Seo Taiji and Boys. Their debut in 1992 is widely considered the birth of modern K-pop, mixing Korean lyrics with Western hip-hop and dance music.

Following them, SM Entertainment perfected the “Idol Group” formula with H.O.T. in 1996. Because the infrastructure was new, these groups were experimental. Fandoms were born here—the colored raincoats, the fan chants, and the intensity all started in the 90s.

Groups like S.E.S, Fin.K.L, g.o.d, and Shinhwa also debuted during this era and helped shape what K-pop is today.

2nd Generation: The golden age (2005 – 2011)

If you ask a longtime fan when K-pop peaked, they might say 2nd Gen. This is because many of the most successful groups of all time debuted during this era, and they helped shape what K-pop is today.

This generation established the pop in K-pop. The songs were incredibly catchy, built on earworms (think “Gee” or “Sorry Sorry”). Social media was still in its infancy, so success was mostly measured by physical sales and TV ratings.

Notable groups from this era include TVXQ!, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, BIGBANG, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, KARA, among many others.

3rd Generation: Global explosion (2012 – 2017)

Breaking into the West.

This is the era that changed everything. It arguably began with EXO’s debut in 2012, but it was solidified by BTS and BLACKPINK.

If you ask anyone in the West who is remotely connected if they have heard of BTS or Blackpink, they will probably say “Of course!”. They may have never heard a song by them, but they know who they are. Global recognition is the hallmark of 3rd Gen.

3rd Gen benefited from the rise of YouTube and X (former Twitter). Content became globally accessible instantly. Fandoms grew from local clubs to organized international fandoms. Musically, the sound shifted towards EDM, Trap, and Moombahton. Most importantly, K-pop stopped being a niche Asian genre and became a genuine global phenomenon.

Notable groups from this era include BTS, BLACKPINK, EXO, TWICE, Red Velvet, GOT7, MAMAMOO, SEVENTEEN, among many others.

4th Generation: The Performance Era (2018 – 2022)

TikTok and Perfection.

Defining the start of 4th Gen is tricky, but most agree it starts around 2018 with the debut of groups like Stray Kids, ATEEZ, and (later) ITZY.

In this era, the bar for performance was raised to the stratosphere. Every member acts like a main dancer. Choreography became harder, faster, and more synchronized. Marketing shifted heavily towards trying to make it in other markets, like Japan, America, and Europe. It also started to focus more on social media and YouTube, and towards the end of the era, TikTok.

Even with all the good things, 4th gen also had its downsides. The market started to become oversaturated, way too many groups debuting means that many groups from small companies were not getting the recognition they deserved, which translated into a lot of groups going into obscurity or disbanding soon after debuting.

Notable groups from this era include Stray Kids, ATEEZ, ITZY, IZ*ONE, TXT, IVE, NewJeans, among many others.

5th Generation: The new wave (2023 – Present)

Boyhood and easy listening.

Are we in 5th Gen? According to most people: Yes.

The shift to 5th Gen is marked by a move away from the aggressive dark concepts of 3rd and 4th gen boy groups towards easy listening and boyhood concepts. It’s softer, more nostalgic, and aimed at the general public rather than just hardcore fandoms. In the case of girl groups, it’s also marked by a move away from the girl crush concepts of 3rd and 4th gen girl groups towards more cute or viral concepts. Obviously, this is not a hard line, and there are exceptions.

It’s also marked by a move towards viral content, with groups trying to go viral with trends and memes to reach a broader audience.

What defines a generation?

It’s usually a combination of three things:

1. Contract Renewals: K-pop contracts last 7 years. When the top groups of one generation start renewing (or disbanding), the next generation rises to fill the void. Even if the groups renew their contracts, groups tend to have increasingly distant comebacks, so the market is always looking for new groups to fill the void.
2. Heavy shifts: A noticeable change in the sound or marketing (e.g., from TV-focused to TikTok-focused, from Korea focused to global focused, heavy change in concepts).
3. Seniority discrepancy: When groups start to be considered seniors because they have been around for several years, it’s often weird considering them the same generation as groups that debuted much later. Because of this, people start talking about new groups as the “new generation”.