#FangirlGuide: A look at the biggest groups of K-pop’s 3rd Generation

The undisputed global icons

BTS, BLACKPINK, and TWICE have done it all: break records, set timeless trends, and make a name in the international music scene. These groups—and its members—rose to the top with their iconic discography, undeniable star power, and the “It” factor. Their fame set such a high bar that they’ve cemented their status as the groundbreakers of their respective music labels. 

BTS

Members: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook
Must-listen tracks: Whalien 52, Moving On, 21st Century Girl, Paradise, Pied Piper, Could you Turn Off your Cellphone

BLACKPINK

Members: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, Lisa
Must-listen tracks: Typa Girl, Love to Hate Me, Sour Candy (with Lady Gaga), Don’t Know What to Do, Pretty Savage, Stay

TWICE

Members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Tzuyu
Must-listen tracks: Icon, Bring It Back, Perfect World, Sunset, Love Line, Scandal 

The masters of versatility

These groups are also big names in the music scene after mastering the art of K-pop. It’s one thing to be well-known in the global market yet they’ve established themselves for their vocals, visuals, dance skills, and performance abilities. They embrace their own concepts to a tee—also finding a way to shatter expectations in every release. 

EXO

Members: Suho, Xiumin, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun
Former members: Luhan, Tao, Kris
Sub-units: EXO-K, EXO-M, EXO-CBX, EXO-SC 
Must-listen tracks: Lady Luck, Tender Love, Cloud 9, Touch It, Groove, Stay

Red Velvet

Members: Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, Yeri
Sub-unit: Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi
Must-listen tracks: Red Dress, Cool Hot Sweet Love, Perfect 10, Milkshake, So Good, Stupid Cupid

SEVENTEEN

Members: S.coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon, Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, Seungkwan, Hoshi, Jun, The8, Dino
Sub-units: Hip-Hop Unit, Vocal Unit, Performance Unit, SVT Leaders
Must-listen tracks: Thinkin’ about you, Our dawn is hotter than day, Change Up, To you, Together, March, Fearless

GOT7

Members: Jay B, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam, Yugyeom
Sub-units: JJ Project, JUS2
Must-listen tracks: Moon U, Take My Hand, Something Good, Hard Carry, Drive Me to the Moon, Poison

NCT

Members: Taeyong, Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Kun, Doyoung, Ten, Jaehyun, WinWin, Jungwoo, Lucas, Mark, Xiaojun, Hendery, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, YangYang, Shotaro, Sungchan, Chenle, Jisung
Sub-units: NCT 127, NCT Dream, NCT U, WayV
Must-listen tracks: Know Now (NCT U), Love on the Floor (NCT 127), Good Time (WayV), Arcade (NCT Dream), Tasty (NCT 127), Dive Into You (NCT Dream)

The vocal monsters

Groups that belong to the 3rd Gen are talented singers, but Mamamoo and BTOB are the best in the vocal department. The fandom phrase “all members are main vocalists” rings true for these units since they pull off their songs with ease. Even if you’re not a fan of theirs, it’s hard to not be wowed by their performances on music platforms and live stages.

Mamamoo

Members: Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, Hwasa
Must-listen tracks: Age Gag, High Tension, Cat Fight, Chuck, No More Drama, Angel

BTOB

Members: Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Changsub, Hyunsik, Peniel, Sungjae
Former member: Ilhoon
Sub-units: BTOB-BLUE, BTOB 4U
Must-listen tracks: Remember That, It’s Okay, The Feeling, Someday, Friend, Star, U & I

The undisputed winners of survival shows

K-pop’s 3rd-Gen marked the “Produce” era where survival shows birthed many iconic groups. While some units are meant to be “permanent,” “project groups” like I.O.I and Wanna One are meant to be stepping stones for the members of the entertainment industry. What makes them unforgettable is that every moment was meant to be cherished since time with fans is limited.

I.O.I (Disbanded)

Members: Somi, Sejeong, Yoojung, Chungha, Sohye, Kyulkyung, Chaeyeon, Doyeon, Mina, Nayoung, Yeonjung
Sub-unit: Whatta Man unit
Must-listen tracks: Crush, Knock Knock Knock, Ping Pong, Hold On, When the Cherry Blossoms Fade, More More

Wanna One (Disbanded)

Members: Daniel, Jihoon, Daehwi, Jaehwan, Seongwoo, Woojin, Guanlin, Jisung, Minhyun, Jinyoung, Sungwoon
Sub-units: Lean on Me unit, The Heal unit, Triple Position unit, No. 1 unit
Must-listen tracks: Flowerbomb, Beautiful (Part II), Wanna Be (My Baby), We Are, Awake!, One’s Place

MONSTA X

Members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, I.M.
Former member: Wonho
Must-listen tracks: Beastmode, Gone Bad, She’s The One, Newton, Zone, Fallin’, Disaster

WINNER

Members: Yoon, Jinu, Hoony, Mino
Former member: Taehyun
Must-listen tracks: Fool, Different, Sweet Home, Have A Good Day, SOSO, Teaser

iKON

Members: Bobby, Jay, June, Song, DK, Chan
Former member: B.I.
Must-listen tracks: Apology, Cocktail, Sinosijak, Dragon, Holding On, Jerk

The rulebreakers and icons of unique identities

Changing concepts is normal, however, GFriend, Cosmic Girls, AOA, and EXID have such unique identities that you just know when a song is theirs. Some of them switched their branding along the way, but there’s something about their vibe that matches what they’re going for—as if they’re meant to embrace certain images in all their glory. 

GFriend (Disbanded)

Members: Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB, Umji
Must-listen tracks: Say My Name, Ave Maria, Truly Love, Room of the Mirrors, Love Spell, Night Drive

EXID

Members: Solji, Elly, Hani, Hyelin, Jeonghwa
Must-listen tracks: Me & You, Leggo, Boy, Cream, The Vibe, IDK (I Don’t Know)

Cosmic Girls (WJSN)

Members: Seola, Bona, Exy, Soobin, Luda, Dawon, Eunseo, Yeoreum, Dayoung, Yeonjung
Members on hiatus: Xuanyi, Cheng Xiao, Meiqi
Sub-units: WJSN Chocome, WJSN The Black
Must-listen tracks: Super Moon, Renaissance, Cantabile, Pantomime, Luckitty-Cat, Masquerade

AOA

Members: Hyejeong, Seolhyun, Chanmi
Former members: Youkyung, Choa, Mina, Jimin, Yuna
Sub-units: AOA Black, AOA White, AOA Cream
Must-listen tracks: 10 Seconds, Confused, Just the Two of Us, Joa YO!, Without You (AOA Black), Feeling

The underrated slayers who deserve more

Unfortunately, not all singers have the chance to shine in K-pop’s oversaturated industry. These groups are on the radar but only a few have the chance to witness more of their greatness. There’s no doubt that these slayers release good music, but seeing them fall under the “underrated” spectrum feels like a crime.

OH MY GIRL

Members: Hyojung, Mimi, YooA, Seunghee, Yubin, Arin
Former members: JinE, Jiho
Sub-unit: OH MY GIRL BANHANA
Must-listen tracks: Flower Tea, Swan, Underwater Love, Butterfly, Illusion, Echo

Momoland

Members: Hyebin, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, Nancy
Former members: Daisy, Taeha, Yeonwoo
Must-listen tracks: Ready or Not, Chiri Chiri, Inst., Falling U, Bingo Game, Hug Me

NU'EST (Disbanded)

Members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun, Ren
Sub-unit: NU’EST W
Must-listen tracks: Galaxy, Dress, Moon Dance, ylenoL (NU’EST W), Trust Me, Love Paint (every afternoon)

DAY6

Members: Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil, Dowoon
Former member: Jae
Must-listen tracks: 1 to 10, Sweet Chaos, Beautiful Feeling, Deep In Love, Be Lazy, How Can I Say

The Rose

Members: Hajoon, Woosung, Dojoon, Jaehyung
Must-listen tracks: Definition of ugly is, Childhood, California, Baby, Candy (so good), Sorry

Dreamcatcher

Members: JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami, Gahyeon
Must-listen tracks: Fairytale, Locked Inside A Door, Jazz Bar, 4 Memory, The Curse of the Spider, Red Sun

PRISTIN (Disbanded)

Members: Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Kyulkyung, Yehana, Sungyeon, Xiyeon, Kyla
Sub-unit: Pristin V
Must-listen tracks: Black Widow, Tina, Get It (Pristin V), We, Aloha, Over n Over

ASTRO

Members: MJ, JinJin, Eunwoo, Moonbin, Rocky, Sanha
Sub-units: Moonbin & Sanha, JinJin & Rocky
Must-listen tracks: Like Stars, Sunset Sky, Dear My Universe, SNS, Blue Flame, Heart Brew Love

CLC (Disbanded)

Members: Seunghee, Yujin, Eunbin, Sorn, Elkie, Seungyeon, Yeeun
Must-listen tracks: Like It, Bae, Show, Mistake, What Planet Are You From?, Depression

Lovelyz

Members: Baby Soul, Jiae, Jisoo, Mijoo, Kei, Jin, Sujeong, Yein
Must-listen tracks: Dream in a Dream, Good-bye Chapter 1, Daydream, Emotion, Just, Floral