The 45+ Best 4th Generation K-pop Groups, Ranked
  • Photo 1:
    • Big Hit Music
  • Photo 2:
    • ADOR, HYBE

The 45+ Best 4th Generation K-pop Groups, Ranked

Coley Reed
Updated January 2, 2025 45 items
Ranked By
1.8K votes
337 voters
Voting Rules

Vote for your favorite 4th generation K-pop groups.

Over the last few years, K-pop has become a global phenomenon. The once niche musical genre has hit mainstream and as a result more and more groups are debuted in hopes to find their own stardom. If you're new to the K-pop world, it's important to understand the concept of generations. Every few years, a new “generation” of K-pop starts, usually partnered with fresh and trending concepts, styles, and idols.

Groups debuted between late 2017 and mid-2023 are considered to be within the fourth generation of K-pop. This massive list of artists include now iconic names in the industry, like Stray Kids, NewJeans, and ATEEZ. Many 4th gen groups made a splash in the K-pop world instantly, while some took time to get their footing before exploding in popularity. Regardless, no one can deny how influential 4th generation K-pop groups have been.

Hundreds of idols had their start during 4th gen, but on this list we're ranking the best of them all. Are you a fan of this generation of K-pop? Vote for your favorite 4th generation K-pop groups below and send them flying to the top!


  • Stray Kids
    • Photo:
      • JYP Entertainment
    Stray Kids is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment through the 2017 reality show of the same name. The group is composed of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. Originally a nine-piece group, member Woojin left due to undisclosed personal reasons in October 2019. Stray Kids released their pre-debut extended play (EP) Mixtape in January 2018 and officially debuted on March 25 with the EP I Am Not.
    244 votes
    Best 4th gen group?
  • ENHYPEN
    • Photo:
      • Belift Lab
    Enhypen, commonly stylized as ENHYPEN, officially abbreviated as EN-, is a South Korean seven-member boy band formed by Belift Lab, a joint venture between the entertainment companies CJ E&M and Big Hit Entertainment. The band is composed of seven members: Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-ki. Formed through the survival competition–reality show I-Land (2020), Enhypen debuted on November 30, 2020, with the extended play (EP) Border: Day One.
    210 votes
    Best 4th gen group?
  • TOMORROW X TOGETHER
    • Photo:
      • Big Hit Music
    Tomorrow X Together, commonly known as TXT, is a South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Music. The group consists of five members: Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai. They debuted on March 4, 2019 with the extended play (EP) The Dream Chapter: Star. The EP debuted and peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and Billboard World Albums Chart and entered the US Billboard 200 at number 140, the highest-charting debut album by any male K-pop group at the time. Its lead single "Crown" debuted at number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart, and TXT topped the Billboard Emerging Artists chart, making them the fastest K-pop group to appear on the former and the second-fastest to appear on the latter.
    160 votes
    Best 4th gen group?
  • ITZY
    • Photo:
      • JYP Entertainment
    Itzy is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment and consisting of members Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. They debuted on February 12, 2019, with the release of their single album It'z Different. Their accolades include Rookie of the Year at the 34th Golden Disc Awards, New Artist of the Year at the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards and 2019 Melon Music Awards, Best New Female Artist at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards, and the New Artist Award at the 29th Seoul Music Awards; they are the first K-pop girl group to achieve such a "Rookie Grand Slam".
    203 votes
    Best 4th gen group?
  • æspa
    • Photo:
      • SM Entertainment
    Aespa is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. They debuted on November 17, 2020, with the single "Black Mamba".
    207 votes
    Best 4th gen group?
  • LE SSERAFIM
    • Photo:
      • Source Music
    Le Sserafim is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music and HYBE. The group consists of five members: Sakura, Kim Chae-won, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha, and Hong Eun-chae. Originally a sextet, Kim Ga-ram was removed from the group on July 20, 2022 after the termination of her contract. Le Sserafim debuted on May 2, 2022, with the release of their first extended play (EP) Fearless.
    164 votes
    Best 4th gen group?