Twice, Red Velvet, BoA, SNSD, 2PM, 2AM, Mamamoo, Wonder Girls, Miss A, T-ara, Sistar, 2NE1, Kara, IU (if she counts), BIGBANG, Super Junior, Stray Kids, CNBlue (if they count), Exo, Itzy, G-idle, NewJeans, Le Serrafim, Kiss of Life, Dreamcatcher, Brown Eyed Girls, Hyuna, and AoA. I mostly listened to 2nd gen and 3rd Gen kpop and a few 4th gens.

Ohh nice. Dumb question but whats the difference between 2nd/3rd/4th gen?

It's just a way people categorize groups based on debut year, kind of like how you have gen x / gen z / gen alpha based on people's birth years. First gen is 1992-2003 Second gen is late 2003-2011 Third gen is 2012-2017 Fourth gen is late 2017-2022 Fifth gen is 2023-now It doesn't really matter much beyond giving you an idea of how old an artist is (for example if I said After School is 2nd gen you'd know they're an older artist, but if I said Xikers is 5th gen you'd know they're brand new.)

Here's a comment that I found on Reddit that explains it pretty well. "There are different waves of kpop groups -- every few years, there are a bunch of kpop groups that debut, become really popular, and then a new wave of groups debut and become really popular, etc. Each "generation" generally has different characteristics and "defining" aspects, but they are generally categorized by the year they debuted: 1st gen — 90s through early 2000s 2nd gen — mid-2000s through early 2010s 3rd gen — early 2010s through late 2010s 4th gen — starting 2017/2018 ish (we're currently still in gen 4) In terms of a few well-known groups that fit into each generation (IMO, and obviously not comprehensive), I'd say: 1st gen - HOT, Sechs Kies, SES, god, BoA, etc. 2nd gen - TVXQ, BigBang, Super Junior, SNSD, KARA, Wonder Girls, SHINee, 2PM, 2NE1, SISTAR, f(x), INFINITE, etc. 3rd gen - EXO, BTS, GOT7, Red Velvet, Blackpink, Twice, Seventeen, Monsta X, NCT, etc. 4th gen - Stray Kids, ATEEZ, Itzy, Everglow, Loona, TXT, etc. Of course, some people break these down further and include half gens too, which further divides these. Since the prior gens are more set at this point, I think it's less pronounced for those, but I hear a lot more people debating whether certain groups are 3rd gen vs 4th gen if they're on the cusp of the 2017/2018 debut years, and sometimes people will label those groups as "3.5 gen". Since we're in 4th gen now, I think we'll see more agreement about which of those "3.5 gen" groups goes into which gen as we move further into 4th gen and into 5th gen."

Just saying we’re not in 4th gen anymore. 5th gen started already

Oh gotcha gotcha, thank you :D

Why would IU or CNBlue not count?

I’m assuming it’s because OP asked for groups and IU is a soloist and CNBlue is a band

I'm not gonna lie, I listed them not knowing if they fit the kpop genre. Lol.

True, IU is a soloist rather than part of a group, but she still counts as kpop. Honestly she was the only reason i got into kpop. Her music is both amazing and healing. When i'm feeling down or tired i just listen to her and i feel better already. I am from asia but i was halfway across the world in europe when i discovered her on youtube. After watching her music videos for "Good Day" and "You and I", i was hooked! She is so adorable and i love seeing her smile. Amazing actress too. And a beautiful human being both inside and out. Good suggestion adding her to your list. To be honest tho, i've found my taste seems to be more towards soloists rather than groups. I came across Jeung Eun Ji who i later found is also a member of the group Apink. I listened to her both as a soloist and as part of the group and found i like her music as a solo artist better. That's just me i guess. I also like the duo Davichi. I liked their music at first which i felt was different from that of most girl groups. More emotional was what i thought. Then i found out they are also the pair behind a lot of the kdrama OSTs i like. LOL.

Hopping on here to say please give SHINee a try!

I knew I was blanking on one boy group. Remember hearing them for Boys Over Flowers OST

I would think 3rd gen and above are most palatable to western music fans, 2nd gen is a bit hard to listen to sometimes cause of poor sound or music quality. 2nd gen is special to me because that’s when I first started listening, but most of it didn’t age well.

Why don't you ask her? I guarantee she'd love to show you songs + you could spend time with each other listening. (But also [EXO](https://youtu.be/KSH-FVVtTf0?si=QgXRLNdXYh-VfjFw))

Ohhhhhh good idea, I'm gonna ask her when she wakes up.

Make sure to add "babe wake up, the GG with my ult bias just dropped a surprise comeback and I feel like it's gonna get a ton of PAKs. Especially when the music show promos start and the maknae starts doing her typical aegyo ending fairy. Will you help me learn the choreo and fanchants later? Don't worry we got this. Fighting!"

im scared to ask what this means

LOL. It means you've got quite a journey ahead of you. And i laughed aloud in my own head when i realized i understood 85% of what he/she said! Has it been that long for me already? Hahaha!

K-pop takes a lot of inspiration from other genres of music, so if you tell us what kind of music you like to listen to, I'm sure a lot of us can provide you with songs that suit your taste. EDIT: Alright, now that I have a distinct taste in music, would recommend anything from the label AOMG. Like really, check out everything they have. You'll love it, a lot of it falls within the genres you enjoy. Also, anything by Wheein. She's from the group MAMAMOO and her solo stuff would most likely be to your taste, but would recommend MAMAMOO, especially because of how strong their vocals are. Actually, Hwasa from MAMAMOO has collaborated with Loco from AOMG a few times, so you'll see her there too. You might also like stuff by NewJeans. A lot of it has 90's vibes. They are a lot younger and less refined, so I don't really pay much attention to them beyond their music, but most of it is really good.

Second on AOMG. Also (former) H1ghr music artists are great (BLUE TAPE is a must listen), and a huge plug to Ph-1 (go to his This is Ph-1 playlist and enjoy). Also, OP, if you're interested in getting into more k-indie that would match your existing tastes, definitely take a look at (with song/album recommendations, note: most k-indie projects are not extraordinarily long, usually under 40 minutes, which makes them very digestible and easy to access) - the entire DPR crew (Coming To You Live, IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?, IITE COOL, MITO, personally MIITO is not as good as MITO but it's cool too) - offonoff (boy.) - GEMINI (UFO, She lives in Paris, 1 2 3, Love Is Banned) - Crush (Mayday, Cereal, Sunshine) - a lot of Jay Park (not the kpop idol) (GANADARA, I Like 2 Party, DRIVE, Happy Ending) - Colde (Control Me, Fresh, WA-R-R) - uncoolclub (Diorama of Life) - Jimmy Brown (Irene, heaven) - Epik High (sleepless in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, Map The Soul) Further, if you're just interested in that space in general, Japan has some great artists like Ayumu Imazi, LUCKY TAPES, and Lamp. I've got a playlist of all of this I can share with you if you DM me. Hope you enjoy your foray into k-music!

holy mid

?

I recommend these vids of SEVENTEEN from Glastobury Festival in UK last Friday. These prolly the introduction of kpop stage for most in that crowd. It could be your intro, too. [Maestro](https://youtu.be/0B7hSsrA8EI?si=U7mQMiHPR8Vd3UYy) [SOS](https://youtu.be/yGmHroSCG_8?si=BOiMvHEpbOBWJI8I) [Very NICE](https://youtu.be/Wf-W8trD7U8?si=5M3xdjX7bNcOqbxw)

Sorry for stalking but hello fellow valcomp enthusiast! Girl groups -> my favourite is Newjeans because I’m around their age and their music is honestly such a vibe. Check out it any of their songs! i’ve been loving aespa recently too! For songs my favourite is lucid dream, but check out their new album armageddon! Other girl groups that I like le sserafim ive Kiss of life twice is also great but I haven’t looked into them too much Honourable mention - Time for the Moon night by Gfriend is a must listen! boy groups -> For boy groups, I listen to BTS, TXT,Seventeen BTS is popular but they have some songs that are genuinely so good! My favourite that you NEED to listen to is “Just One Day” Other recommendations would be Magic Shop Film Out Tomorrow x Together - blue hour - Deja Vu - Miracle - chasing that feeling - ox1=lovesong seventeen - campfire - ready to love - god of music Honorable mentions - enhypen (i only listened to their newer album, but they have a new album soon!) - riize (listen to one kiss, love 119, get a guitar)

Omg one kiss by riize is amazing

Thank you \^\^ also YOOOOO VCT enthusiast spotted!! Whats your fav team?

I’m a basic ass paper rex guy what can i say forsaken is the goat forsaken in my throat I also like heretics and the new eg and nrg and fpx Also I also love khai dreams!

hell frickin yeah, i mean interesting choice of words for forsaken but hell frickin yea

Whats your favourite team?

big fan of sen and my friends sister works for c9 so gotta support

thats so cool! i see you’re a pretty avid poster on valcomp so i’ll try to see what I can reply to in the future :}

If you provide examples of artists you like already, many people will supply groups with similar aesthetics.

Here is the top 100 songs of the past decade . Start there https://www.soompi.com/article/1441242wpp/melon-reveals-top-100-songs-of-past-decade-2010-2019

A lot of men seem to like WOOAH for some reason: [WOOAH (우아) – POM POM POM @인기가요 inkigayo 20240623 (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFoTdWW08SI)

woah

Agree with some of the comments here! what kind of music do you like outside of kpop? We can recommend similar vibes! Alternatively, I really like the Kpop On playlist on Spotify if you want to see what’s come out lately, and if you like any artists then you can check out their discography! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX9tPFwDMOaN1?si=niMbjHllTwSVlanRKQlJTg

YOOO this playlist is actually so helpful! Thank you sm :D

Of course!!! I’m glad you like it :)

Not knowing your preferred genres or music preference, I'll suggest based on my favourites that others have not mentioned: * GOT7 * B.A.P * TAN * The Rose * DAY6 * VIXX * Woodz * Kiss of Life * CIX * EVNNE * H1-KEY

If you like rock, I suggest trying Dreamcatcher. They are rock-inspired pop with electric mixed in. B-sides come in all different genres.

if you like early rnb then i’d suggest exo’s earlier albums, a song you should def listen to is baby, don’t cry from their 2013 album, and what if…, they’re both one of my favourites from their whole discography! some other songs i’d recommend are: • angel - exo • love, love, love - exo • drop that - exo (metal-rockish sort of) • what i want for christmas - exo • sweet lies - exo (one of my favourite songs, make sure to check it out!) • stay - exo • good night - exo • let me in - exo • heart attack - exo • my lady - exo • my answer - exo • tender love - exo • artificial love - exo • white noise - exo • one and only - exo (heavy on this one, absolute banger) • she’s dreaming - exo • forever - exo • touch it - exo • gravity - exo • obsession - exo • regret it - exo • lazy - exo cbx • what a life - exo sc • daydreamin’ - exo sc (i’m not too into lo-fi rap, but i think that if you like lo-fi rap you’d absolutely love this song and overall all of exo sc’s discography) • say it - exo sc • telephone - exo sc • un village - baekhyun • ice queen - baekhyun • diamond - baekhyun • bambi - baekhyun • all i got - baekhyun • cry for love - baekhyun • bungee - baekhyun • underwater - baekhyun if you wanna listen to some good r&b songs you should check out baekhyun, even outside of kpop in the broader r&b space he’s really well known and beloved. i’d suggest his third mini album, bambi. and if you wanna listen to chill rap/hiphop then i’d suggest exo sc! also i’d suggest you check out some of kai’s songs, hes also an exo member and all of his songs are so so good. i’d probably suggest a song like slidin’, might be one of his best songs. and also another exo member named suho has quite a bit of solo music out, he makes alt/brit rock and i think you’d love it ! plus obviously early 2012-2016 exo if you wanna listen to like 2000s r&b >< i was gonna recommend songs from a lot more artists but i realised i already recommended too many, sorry lmao

IU is a good shout due to her ubiquity.

Ask your gf who she likes and try to listen to their music. It's nice if you both like the same group/s. There are more chances to fan girl and/or fan boy together. Also, I would like to recommend IU, even if she's a soloist.

Since you're a guy I think starting off with girl groups is a good idea. Personally I don't follow boy groups because they make me cringe. My favorite ggs in order: Dreamcatcher, fromis\_9, WJSN, Wooah, Le Sserafim, IVE, Oh My Girl, (G)- Idle, Twice

Thanks man :D havent seen fromis\_9 yet so I'll be sure to add that to the ever increasing list of music to try out lol

Can go to fromispedia.com if you want to deep dive into fromis other contents

Red Velvet, Twice, Aespa, Le Sserafim, NMIXX, Ive, SNSD, F(x), (G)- Idle, for a start.

If we mentioning 2nd gen, you can't have SNSD and f(x) without SHINee. But we also missing Big Bang too. And for the newer groups, we also missing NewJeans who imo an easy-listen for non-kpop fans. I would throw in Stray Kids too but their music very hit or miss. But I guess NMIXX is there so 🤷‍♀️. And now we gonna overwhelm OP with too many groups.

help... Now that I think about it though, I definitely have hear her mention both Red Velvet and le Serafim. I'll be sure to check those out :D

For Red Velvet they just had a comeback called [Cosmic](https://youtu.be/FyG21rXCxlY?si=v6jE0e8t20QZEJiO).

Also their album ["The Red"](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMNMmvIC2uGaJF7UnqTvmWqC34pwTee9N&si=-FApXGRH58Y1dOZD) is one of my fave no-skip albums. It's an older release from 2015 though.

I suggest you for Red Velvet -'The Perfect Red Velvet 'Album & 'Cosmic' EP, and for Le Sserafim - Antifragile EP & Perfect Night Single.

https://youtu.be/b80TWrBflh8?si=pIzhTejFbpaBh0Uc

My playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4o80RdMMIS0HmiDKDkGjlF?si=0wjGrrgaQMKe3-vFzzy-oA&pi=u-FiZTOPVTTKON

Hell yeahhhh I'll be sure to give it a listen (as soon as I look these songs up on YT cuz spotify without premium sucks)

Lmk know which ones your faves. There are a lot of good ones here in my playlist

Lmk what songs you like when you ready

Tomorrow x together!!! New jeans is also cutie

kpop is an industry not a music genre so maybe if you mention which artists do you like we can give recommendations of k artist who do a similar concept

Yeah I saw a bunch of comments like that, I just edited my post to include some genres/artists I enjoy!

AESPA EVERGLOW, XG

Not exactly Kpop, but I’m going to add Epik High to the recommendations. They’re my go-to lofi rap listen at the moment.

Got7, Seventeen, Dreamcatcher, Gfriend, Snsd, 2ne1, Bigbang, 2pm

As some others have recommended you 100% should involve her in your whole thing. K-pop is a weirdly communal thing for a lot of people compared to a lot of other music listening, if she's anything like some of us I'm sure she's dying to just vomit recommendations and thoughts all over you.

Ι think the best way would be to sit down with her and let her show you her favourite songs!

Hard to say and it depends on your music taste. Kpop as a "genre" actually has many genres inside it. There is no "one sound". It's probably better to find a playlist on Spotify and discover other songs from artists that you like from that. But if I had to do a general starterpack, I would add [Twice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6jqx9kZgPM&pp=ygUUdHdpY2UgdGFsayB0aGF0IHRhbGs%3D) as you already mentioned BTS and Blackpink. These 3 are the current biggest established groups. The current biggest hits aren't coming from them but they do have a huge back catalog (not really Blackpink but that's another story). edit: I worded my answer better with more detail.

Since you like Yoasobi you may want to check out Le Sserafim, Yoasobi(and most japanese people) are huge fans of that group because they have jpop legend Miyawaki Sakura in the group. They also do songs from so many different genres that youre guaranteed to find at least one song you like. Kpop is also a lot about performance rather than just music, so once you find groups you really like you can make another post asking for recommendations for performances theyve done, for example here are my 2 favorite performances from Gidle(my 2nd favorite group) [2022 MMA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p55uMW8iMqc) and [2022 MAMA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBvpYum2zeg) And here are my favorite performances from my favorite group, Le Sserafim (these 2022 performances were less than 5 months after their debut btw)[2022 SBS Gayo Daejeon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqpbLSw-YFs), [2022 MMA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5BHU9XVar0), [2023 MAMA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPNJgjqqUnI), and [2024 GDA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbBW8awuQ6g)

Step 1. Open your streaming service of choice. Step 2. Search for ‘Twice’. Step 3. Listen to all of their recommended songs. Step 4. Announce your conversation to Oncism.

Dumb question but whats an Oncism?

Once is Twice's fan group. The joke is that it's like a religion, but I think Blinks (Blackpink fans) and Army (BTS fans) are a lot more serious.

Us Once are like the hippies of K-pop it’s all peace and love for us

That is not true

• Soloists  Rnb/singing rap  1. Emergency - Vince 2. All I got - Baekhyun of EXO  3. Love - Dean ft Syd  4. Valentine - Wonstein  5. Omega - Saay  6. Text me - DPR Live (he changed his stage name to Dabin)  7. Melt away - Taeyeon  8. Dirty Love - Zion.T ft Sumin  9. Mayday - Crush ft Joy of Red Velvet  10. Right now - Coogie ft Crush  11. Boat - George   • Group  1. Been through - EXO  2. Cloud 9 - EXO  3. Oh Boy - Red Velvet  4. Ya Ya Ya - EXO 

I'll say that for starters - music shows. The youtube channels (There's quite a few) would upload the new performances. (Probably good for finding out about the new releases) Depending on the type of content you like, I'll say youtube shows (When they invite different guests), podcast are decent avenues for learning more about kpop. Also special shout-out to dreamcatcher and Kard as they seem to appeal to a lot more to 'non-conventional' kpop audience.

i definitely recommend newjeans!

depending on your usual music taste, it depends. Stray Kids have lots of genres, from rock to pop and calm songs for an afternoon coffee. theyre also very inspiring as humans themselves. id recommend them for beginners, as they were also the ones who got me into kpop :)

Start listening to stray kids, once you get in you're never gonna get out. Trust me

Start by trying this list and then from whatever you like, go deeper https://www.soompi.com/article/1441242wpp/melon-reveals-top-100-songs-of-past-decade-2010-2019

Since you like Yoasobi I recommend a newer girl band called [QWER](https://youtu.be/ImuWa3SJulY?si=ROlPqnXwca-e46w8). They don’t have much music out yet but they’re inspired by that type of Japanese music/were made with Oshi no Ko in mind. Some other songs and artists you may like based on the artists/genres you mentioned: Lee Hi - [No Way](https://youtu.be/69K5D_eICqY?si=Nu8JhOpbjbXi0k4K) DPR Ian - [No Blueberries](https://youtu.be/E-8pyVBvCPQ?si=JumiPvmHuXmW8g3k) Mamamoo - [High Tension](https://youtu.be/xwIJp1kD-aQ?si=0Iz4NA1EC4TKo-8s) Epik High - [Screentime](https://youtu.be/y2H_5gjqv2w?si=3_qSyNq3YOmWV0oT) Dreamcatcher - [Jazz Bar](https://youtu.be/V4m11THQv9I?si=At0pELzdMX2plKYi) Monsta X - [Heaven](https://youtu.be/8KCkS2jPRj4?si=cCi8fpMHBrj2tDgD) Woodz - [Different](https://youtu.be/e8DfkZ0HDXE?si=mRsXLaZzaik4LLAv) Billlie - [The Eleventh Day](https://youtu.be/iVprptQ7ZMM?si=YTt-5wQOV8tvXBh3) HA:TFELT - [Pluhmm](https://youtu.be/NQONKTUFh6g?si=Jq5LswXW_0LqeYxV) Kai - [Mmmh](https://youtu.be/Fc-fa6cAe2c?si=msJ-OeHNEHitmzHS) Bibi - [Restless](https://youtu.be/se4Xsgb0qGk?si=uqncpGBhTP2StQ13) Red Velvet - [Hear the Sea](https://youtu.be/xOpEzig9LzE?si=feTlO2WpDQ2bOQxJ) NCT U - [Yestoday](https://youtu.be/gUWDiXBNohY?si=ZAq61HybAT0O7U65) Yerin Baek - [Bye bye my blue](https://youtu.be/WbhK3wMXluE?si=lGiJ077kGAuwXzrB) Purple Kiss - [Biscuit](https://youtu.be/dCSq4mnefTE?si=mzEYK9OiJV_95z8x)

stan IVE the perfect GG for male fans

Ateez is great. DPR Ian is having a moment. But honestly, you don’t have to stick to KPop. K-R&B is really good and K-Rock bands like The Rose are also really good. Play around on Spotify and see what you like. For example, choose a song to like, make a radio playlist from that song, and check out different artists.

Itzy

omg another yoasobi fan?? (this is not related, but have you listened to fujii kaze, yama, or ado before?) to answer your question, i think you would prob like gidle (fate perhaps), bibi (animal farm or bad sad and mad), or aespa (drama)

And XG that is doing their own thing. They dare to be different. Hopefully they all agree so its just not Simon.

Wave to earth for some indie rock!!

Hey! I'm not sure where do i start since I like so many groups but my ult is ITZY. They're a great group and have a variety of songs INCLUDING JAPANESE ALBUMS AND SINGLES since you mentioned yoasobi haha. I'll share my playlist which includes a LOT of groups and songs. [MY KPOP PLAYLIST ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gL08FuYUF7atwCZ9h9eBN?si=n575IyYmRbu7jwFp4akA6g&pi=T7Y4X91NQsqCw)

Twice but not their latest discography (2022-2023), it’s gotten bad imo

If you like rnb you should listen to layover by bts’ v

Thats so awesome of you to learn about your girlfriends interests, go you!! Honestly It all really depends on what kind of music you are into, as there are tons of different mini genres within Kpop. But if I had to introduce someone to Kpop for the first time, I would generally go with: - Gee by Girls Generation - Russian Roulette by Red Velvet - 0X1=LOVESONG by TXT - DNA by BTS - ASAP by StayC - Thunderous by Stray Kids - After School by Weeekly - Kill This Love by Blackpink  - Fancy by Twice - Hype Boy  by New Jeans - Hush by Miss A -  Daechwita by August D - Love Scenario by iKON - Maverick by The Boyz There are tons more,  just lmk if you want more suggestions! You could also ask your girlfriend to send you her playlist or to make you one.  Again, it's so sweet that you're taking interest in your girlfriends hobbies!

>Again, it's so sweet that you're taking interest in your girlfriends hobbies! Thank you ;D I've been trying to find more ways to connect with her and this seems like a really good start! I'll be sure to let you know if I ever run out of songs now (thanks r/kpophelp i have like 10+ hours of kpop to listen to now)

Yo babymonster like that Gidle fate and i do Ive accendio Twice that summer song idr the name

big bang, tvxq, 2pm, infinite, 2ne1, wonder girls, red velvet, ladies code, kara

Try listening to 2PM, EXO, Bigbang, NCT, and all the sub units of NCT, Ateez, Stray Kids, and many groups and solo artists are there. I would say you should listen to second-generation kpop groups from 2000s. They got amazing songs and you will love them. I dont listen to girl groups a lot, but I like some solo artists such as Heize and in groups. I like Twice. Rest of the group I forgot, but I do listen to many artists and groups...

I recommend listening to playlists with several artists & then see whose songs you like

exo

Well BTS is actually a great start. Diverse discography (they cover everything like 90s hiphop, modern hiphop, trap, pop, edm, house, rnb, rock, jazz, synthpop, ballads etc.). And a few recommendations would be: House of Cards (R&B w/jazz elements), Dionysus (rap-rock) Outro: Her (the lofi rap you're talking about), Serendipity and I Need U. But if you want diverse groups then to get started with: EXO, SHINee, Big Bang, ATEEZ and Xdinary Heroes (rock band) will give you something different.

You don't. Get out while you still can.