Kpop a.k.a Korean pop is a music genre that is not only famous in South Korea but worldwide. With nearly every Kpop song having its own unique color, dance, and music to it, it’s hard to deny that the influence of Kpop songs is nothing but growing. The unique lyrics, the melody, the beat, and the immersiveness of the music videos make the Kpop genre stand out from the rest.
However, what makes Kpop one of the best music genres is not just the music but hard-working musicians who have contributed to helping this music industry grow to the mountain heights. BTS, Blackpink, Exo, Twice, Psy, Red Velvet, Girl’s Generation, and many more bands and artists are responsible for the popularity of Kpop. In this article, we list the best Kpop songs of all time based on user ratings across the internet. Read on!
Top 10 Best Kpop Songs of All Time
PSY – Gentleman
PSY’s “Gentleman” became one of the most downloaded songs on various South Korean music streaming services as well as international services. In the music video PSY plays ungentlemanly pranks on people he meets, until he comes along a female who plays the same pranks on him. The female part is performed by a member of a Korean girl band “Brown Eyed Girls”. Accidentally or not, the dance performed by PSY in the video is also based on the dance moves used by “Brown Eyed Girls” for their 2009 hit “Abracadabra”. Gentleman by PSY without any doubt is one of the best Kpop songs of all time.
BTS – DNA
The hype for BTS is unimaginably crazy among the fans worldwide. After releasing one after another hit tracks, BTS soon became the most popular Kpop band of all time with billions of views on their music videos and loved by billions of fans. The hip-hop in front, electronic instrumental and a touch of classic Kpop quirks makes the DNA a complete generic song. The music videos from BTS will never disappoint you and DNA was no exception. The popular music review website TheBiasList gave this song 8.5 ratings out of 10.
Twice – The Feels
The Feels by Twice became one of the greatest Kpop songs of all time with over 40 million views in the first few days of release. The song’s title describes a sensation that we can all recognize, defined as: “The feeling you get and can’t quite explain, making you speechless and go crazy when that certain someone looks at you just the right way, or really, does anything… I was texting him last night and I got the feels so bad!”. This idea is translated perfectly into the lyrics of the track, which begin like this: “Uh, I’m so curious/ ’Bout ya boy, wanna keep it cool/ But I know every time you move/ Got me frozen, I/ Get so shy, it’s obvious (Yeah, yeah)/ Catching feels like butterflies/ If I say what’s on my mind/ Would I hit bullseye? (Woo)” .
BLACKPINK – ‘붐바야'(BOOMBAYAH)
“Boombayah” by Blackpink is one of the two songs on their debut single album “Square One”. Soon after the release of the song, the band topped daily and international iTunes charts and became world-famous. Unlike the low-key “Whistle”, “Boombayah” is more upbeat and vibrant, with slight hints of oriental melodies. There was no common opinion on this track either. The Music video for Boombayah received massive positive feedback for the visual concept highlighting the fierceness and quirkiness that the group aspires to establish as their image. Blackpink ever since has released hundreds of popular tracks including “How You Like That”, “Icecream”, “Lovesick Girls” and more.
Exo – Call Me Baby
After nearly more than one and a half years since the release of their first studio album named “XOXO” and the loss of two of their members, the band released their brand new second album “Exodus” in March 2015. “Call Me Baby” was the first track of the album to see the light of day and was named a comeback single. Soon after the release, the single earned huge praise for the band. Some critics stated that with this performance Exo brought forward the true meaning of a boy band. Exo ever since has created a name for themselves in the Kpop industry as one of the most valued Kpop groups.
Red Velvet 레드벨벳 ‘Psycho’
Red Velvet was formed in 2014 by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy, with Yeri being added to the group the following year. Psycho by Red Velvet follows the formula laid out by Taylor Swift, whereby she is made crazy by a relationship in several tracks, most notably “Bad Blood.” All in all, it suffices to say that while the word Psycho is often repeated, the actions, the looks, the attitudes, are about as un-psychotic as it gets, especially for a pop video. Regardless of the critic the song received, it has over 300 million views on YouTube and has been loved by fans worldwide.
Girls Generation – I Got a Boy
I Got a Boy is ranked Girls Generation’s best song for its unique yet astonishing sound and musical structuring. The music video is a complete spectrum of colors that are vibrant and gorgeous girls dancing in the set with individual fashion and style makes it undeniably one of the most enjoyable Kpop music videos. On the top, the choruses, verses and transitions in the harmonies are typical yet unique Kpop, making I Got a Boy one of the best Kpop songs of all time.
PSY – Daddy
The second PSY song on the list after “Gentleman” and for a reason. South Korean singer-songwriter PSY, known internationally for his 2012 single “Gangnam Style”, released “Daddy” on November 30, 2015. With support from CL from Korean girl band 2NE1, released “Daddy” and went from selling 4000 downloads in the first week to number 6 on Billboard Hot Dance and Electronic songs. The song even made it to the top of the chart in Korea making it one of the greatest Kpop songs of all time.
Big Bang – Fantastic Baby
“Fantastic Baby” by Big Bang was the band’s fifth Korean-language EP “Alive”. Music and lyrics of the song, same as for the majority of the tracks on the EP, were composed by the band members G-Dragon and T.O.P. “Fantastic Baby” reached number 3 on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100. Its music video was one of the first by a Korean boy band to reach 100 million views on YouTube. At the beginning of 2015, it became the 5th most viewed K-Pop video. Critics spoke favorably about the band members’ eccentric attire and performance.
BTS – Spring Day
Released in 2017, “Spring Day” is ranked number one BTS song by “The Rolling Stone”. Popular music review site TheBiasList gives the song a rating of 8.5 out of 10. Many other online reviews have claimed “Spring Day” to be hands down the best BTS song of all time. BTS has earned a place as Kpop’s biggest international band topping charts worldwide that includes Billboard, Radio Charts, and more. “Spring Day” is one of those BTS’s title tracks that have wowed the fans. The song has a beautiful melody, amazing melancholic vocals, and sentiment that’s unique and hits the heart. The strong chorus makes the song easy to remember and hymn together.
