2024 was a rough year in K-pop, at least partially defined by corporate in-fighting, labor disputes, group expulsions for reasons good and bad and another 12 months without BTS active as a group. It wasn’t all tragic chaos, though. From established groups like Seventeen, TWICE and Stray Kids to rookies like BabyMonster, ILLIT and TWS, much fun and comfort was found by K-pop fans around the world. There was also K-pop-flavored hope, in the form of fans organizing boycotts to draw media attention and other resources to the continued fight for Palestinian liberation; idols taking action against management for alleged mistreatment; and the use of K-pop lightsticks and music in the Korean people’s protests to defend their democracy and impeach President Yoon. If there was one recurring theme in 2024 K-pop, it was the reminder that—while K-pop can be an escape for so many of us—the industry and its workers are not actually separate from the real world we all live in.
And there were bangers! As with last year’s end-of-year feature, I went into this “best of” list hoping to cover as diverse an offering of the past 12 month’s best K-pop tracks as possible. This meant limiting the songs featured to one per artist, trying to highlight diverse genres and looking at both title tracks and B-sides. That being said, I am but one person, with my own biases and preferences, and with a limited number of hours in the day and spots on this list. As someone who covers pop culture professionally, I try to listen, watch, read and engage as broadly as possible, but, as I have written about before, today’s entertainment journalism and cultural criticism industries often rely on the unpaid hours of fannish activity that happen off the clock. At the end of the day, all criticism has some measure of subjectivity inherent to it. That being said, here are the 20 best K-pop songs of 2024.
20. P1Harmony: “Killin’ It”
P1Harmony isn’t from one of the Big Four K-pop companies, but you might not know it given how this fourth-generation group was everywhere in 2024. From Boston’s historic Wang Theatre as part of their UTOP1A world tour, to the summer stages of KCON LA, to the TikTok trenches, P1Harmony wormed their way into the hearts of many an international K-pop fan this year, and they did much of that work by performing “Killin’ It.” The title track off of P1Harmony’s first studio album, “Killin’ It” encapsulates so many of P1Harmony’s talents as a fourth-generation group. By the time maknae rapper Jongseob comes in, mid-track, with his iconic, stuttering “My root came 2005…” rap, the song has already transformed sonically multiple times, jumping from moments of hip-hop-driven swagger to smoother vocal highlights without ever losing its infectious energy.
19. DOYOUNG: “Little Light”
While ballads are great (see other entries on this list), it was a nice surprise to see NCT vocalist DOYOUNG try something more rock-driven for his stepping out onto the solo stage. Composed by LUCY bassist Cho Wonsang, DOYOUNG’s “Little Light” pairs some of the best elements from LUCY’s indie rock sound with DOYOUNG’s soaring vocals to create a Radwimps-esque track about finding one another in the darkness: “Thing is, this light that shines on me / Why does it keep fading me? / … I could light a little spark / If anyone could look for this little me / Yes, a bit more.” Sometimes, we need hope more than we need swagger.
18. BABYMONSTER: “FOREVER”
BabyMonster, YG’s girl group follow-up to K-pop phenom Blackpink, didn’t have the smoothest entry onto the scene. Late 2023 debut “Batter Up” fizzled on arrival, failing to craft a clear sonic identity for the rookies. But 2024 saw BabyMonster’s growth as young artists, and nowhere was that clearer than on “FOREVER,” a glimmering summer anthem that let the girls showcase their vocal prowess in a soaring chorus: “Baby, it was all a dream / You thought I was yours, don’t get it twisted / It’s bitter, it’s sweet / High up in the sky, I’m spreading my wings, like I’ma live.” With this song, BabyMonster finally convinced me.
17. SEVENTEEN: “Rain”
As with most veteran K-pop groups, SEVENTEEN’s discography isn’t just composed of all-member tracks. Subunit songs are an integral part of the group’s sound, and some of SEVENTEEN’s best 2024 tracks were made specifically for the performance subunit (aka Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino) to groove along to. “Rain,” a sultry synth-wave track, was a B-side off of the group’s 12th mini-album, Spill the Feels. Composed by members Woozi, Hoshi and Dino alongside Pledis super-producer Bumzu, “Rain” was an unexpectedly funky tribute to dwelling in one’s misery: “Even loud songs don’t make me feel excited tonight / I turned off the music and sat in the empty room.” Who needs loud songs, when you have “Rain”?
16. Stray Kids: “Stray Kids”
Stray Kids had a giant 2024, releasing three albums, dropping an end-of-year mixtape and launching a stadium tour. In December, the group won Top Global K-Pop Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, where they also performed their 2024 bangers “Chk Chk Boom” and “JJAM.” While bright lights and billboards are great, many of Stray Kids’ best musical moments came in B-sides. “Stray Kids,” a nostalgic track off EP ATE, is an ambitious effort to tell the group’s story since their 2018 debut. The anthem leads with the sweeter edge of Stray Kids’ characteristic bravado, and is filled with references to previous tracks (“Stray Kids still gonna rock on the Hellavator”), like Easter eggs for diligent fans to find. With lyrics written by main producing members Bang Chan, Changbinm and Han (aka 3RACHA), “Stray Kids” is a declaration that all the members have had to sacrifice has been worth it (“I don’t think I sold my youth, I lived in a dream that can’t be bought”) and a reassurance that, while they have found more fame, the group stays true to their musical identity (“Know that this is who we are / There ain’t no last STEP OUT oh we’ll never stop”).
15. TWICE: “I GOT YOU”
A love letter to fandom ONCE and to one another, TWICE’s “I GOT YOU” pairs the feather-light pop sound driving so many global trends right now with a weightier sentiment: “I got you and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” It’s an expression that lands harder when delivered by a group like TWICE, who have been meeting fans as a nine-member act since 2015, and just announced a 2025 world tour. The K-pop girl group is one of the most successful of all time, and the straightforward synth-pop song feels like a much-needed breath between bigger pop star moments—a reminder that, sometimes, the best K-pop songs are the simplest ones.
14. ATEEZ: “Ice On My Teeth”
ATEEZ had a good year. In the immortal words of their early 2024 track, “Work”: “Gotta work / Gotta make that money, make purse.” And indeed they did, bringing their brand of bodacious, personality-driven K-pop to Coachella, The Grammy Museum, and (perhaps most memorably) a rain-drenched Citi Field. The octet released “Ice on My Teeth” as the lead single on their year-ender album Golden Hour: Part 2. While the track may not have the most sense-making English-language lyrics of all time (“I bought diamonds at my dentist / I’ve been playing like tennis / Grand slam like tennis”), sense doesn’t seem to be what they are aiming for here. We’re here for the vibes. Buoyed by a gorgeous string motif and a trap beat, “Ice On My Teeth” glides right along with captivating swagger.
13. DAY6: “Welcome to the Show”
JYP Entertainment’s first rock band, DAY6 has been churning out bangers since their formation as a group in 2015, but 2024 brought DAY6 to new heights. The group returned in 2024 from a multi-year hiatus necessitated by the members’ mandatory military service, and didn’t miss a beat, releasing back-to-back EPs Fourever and Band Aid to great success. “Welcome to the Show,” the sentimental lead single off of the former EP, is filled with gratitude—for the fans, for the stage, for a life lived with music: “I’m so moved by the stage / That I won’t be alone any longer / Among all of the possibilities / Thank you for choosing me.” “Welcome to the Show” isn’t just a rock anthem; it’s a welcome home.
12. KISS OF LIFE: “Igloo”
Fire can’t melt igloos (apparently), but KISS OF LIFE can. The four-member girl group climbed the charts in 2024 with this attitude-driven B-side that was never supposed to be a hit. But you can’t keep a bop down, and the sleek rap delivery and smooth R&B vocals of “Igloo” connected with listeners. The song’s organic rise led to the group promoting it over actual title tracks (sorry, “Get Loud”) and, once paired with killer choreography? There was no stopping the cool girl song of the year from staking its claim.
11. ENHYPEN: “Scream”
A B-side off of Dark Moon Special Album: Memorabilia, one of the many albums Enhypen released in 2024, “Scream” plays like an exhilarating sprint through the summer night, restless and free. This makes some sense, given the album’s inspiration: Dark Moon, an ENHYPEN-affiliated webtoon that follows a group of vampire schoolboys tied up in the machinations of supernatural destiny. Like the other tracks off Dark Moon, “Scream” is best enjoyed as dramatically as possible, matching the vocal energy of members Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-k as you sing along: “Ooh, ooh / 날 떠민 세상 속에 내 온몸을 던져 / Ooh, ooh / 오로지 앞만 보고 달릴 준비 됐어.”
10. ILLIT: “Magnetic”
If cotton candy were a 2024 pop song, it would be “Magnetic.” The debut track from R U Next? winners ILLIT went TikTok-viral for its perfect balance of pluggnb chill and house bounce, all wrapped up in a narrative of sweet, simple attraction. From the song’s matter-of-fact “Baby, I’m just trying to play it coy…” intro to the stuttering “You, you, you, you” vocal delivery of the chorus, it’s impossible not to sing along to this ebullient earworm. Corporate in-fighting aside, what a way to enter the K-pop scene!
9. aespa: “Supernova”
“I’m, like, some kind of supernova.” And thus a prophecy was born, and then promptly fulfilled by aespa’s 2024 banger of the year. You couldn’t go anywhere in Korea, or on K-pop internet, without hearing this hypnotic, multigenre mashup that so coolly compares the group’s work to a literal supernova: “Bring the light of a dying star / Watch this universe I’ve brought out.” “Supernova” samples Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock,” a 1982 track that was hugely influential on the electronic hip-hop genre, grounding aespa’s pop playfulness in something older and more tangible. However you feel about aespa’s hook-driven hyperpop, there’s no denying its cosmic power.
8. 10CM: “Spring Snow”
The lines between pop music and TV soundtrack are permeable in Korea, where popular artists often perform on original soundtracks (aka OST) between album releases. 10CM is not an idol group, but rather a one-man Korean indie band known for a sentimental pop-folk style that pairs well with the melodrama format. In 2024, 10CM popped up on the OSTs for My Demon, Queen of Tears, and Lovely Runner. While all three K-dramas were big deals, Lovely Runner was the breakout phenomenon of the year, drawing in viewers around the world with its angsty time-slip romance. Theme “Sudden Shower,” performed by multi-talented series star Byeon Woo-seok as fictional K-pop idol Ryu Sun-jae, was the Lovely Runner song that made it onto the Billboard charts, but 10CM’s “Spring Snow” was arguably the heart of the OST, played whenever star-crossed lovers Sol and Sun-jae needed a moment to stare into one another’s eyes. Romantic and melancholic in equal measure, “Spring Snow” is a reminder of the power of a pop song paired with a good story.
7. IU: “Love wins all”
While the ballad is king in Korea, ballads tend not to make it out of Korea and into the global K-pop scene as frequently as other song formats. But IU can do whatever she wants, including easily sell out a U.S. arena tour. The 31-year-old singer and Broker actress debuted into the K-pop scene as a 15-year-old, and has been making the country’s populace laugh, cry and dance along with her voice ever since. “Love wins all,” a yearning winter ballad propelled by the singer’s emotive vocals and a tragic music video co-starring BTS’ V, demonstrated yet again that IU is one of Korea’s greatest (and most thoughtful) performers.
6. TWS: “plot twist”
TWS (pronounced “to us”—yes, really), the hubae group to the massively successful Seventeen, burst onto the K-pop scene in 2024 with seemingly endless energy. “plot twist,” a buoyant pop song about beginning something new, was their endearing official introduction and one of the industry’s biggest hits of the year. As with so many K-pop songs (BTS’ “Boy with Luv,” I’m looking at you), the track’s Korean name is so much better than its English title. Known as “첫 만남은 계획대로 되지 않아,” or “The first meeting didn’t go as planned” in Korea, the song is about the nervous excitement of first meetings, and the theme works both within the dreamy fantasy of Korean schoolhood that TWS crafts in the track’s music video and as the story of the group’s debut. The shiny perfection of the song’s production is offset by the relatable awkwardness of some of the track’s lyrics: “Feeling so good, the D-day I’ve been waiting for / Gotta wave my hand just like I practiced / Check my hairstyle and turn around.” This song doesn’t stop, maintaining its earnest excitement through its two-and-a-half-minute runtime, before ending abruptly with a literal goodbye: “Anyeong!” Who wouldn’t want a second meeting after this pop perfection?
5. ITZY: “Imaginary Friend”
ITZY may be best known for their girl crush anthems, but it was melodic banger “Imaginary Friend” that stood out amongst the group’s 2024 releases as something truly special. This stunner of a dance pop song makes use of the five members’ vocals to offer comfort to the listener: “Whеn there’s monsters on your cеiling / I’ll keep you safe and I will keep you dreaming.” This kind of sentiment, delivered across parasocial distance, doesn’t always land. However, propelled by the track’s lush, layered vocals and grandiose instrumentals, “Imaginary Friend” never sacrifices its sentimentality in favor of a transitory hook. While the concept of an “imaginary friend” may be most closely associated with childhood, there’s something about it that works surprisingly well in a K-pop context, where music and the people who perform it can become a comfort for fans that is no less powerful for being illusory.
4. BIBI: “Bam Yang Gang”
Like the IU song on this list, BIBI’s “Bam Yang Gang” is not your typical globally popular K-pop track. Unlike the IU track, “Bam Yang Gang” is also a departure from the kinds of songs R&B and rapper BIBI tends to sing. “Bam Yang Gang” is a deceptively simple song about the deceptively simple pleasures in life, as realized by reminiscing about an ex and through the metaphor of just wanting to enjoy Korean sweet red bean jelly (the titular “bam yang gang”). Like Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You” (performed by P1Harmony’s Theo on tour this year) the dreamy waltz positions itself as a song from a bygone era, tapping into a nostalgia that is no less potent for being actually modern. By the time BIBI makes her final declaration—”you never knew who I really was”—the listener is fully on board, ready to move on to something sweeter. A perfect break-up song.
3. Rosé & Bruno Mars: “APT.”
“APT.” was that K-pop song this year, seamlessly crossing over into the broader global pop music scene and making it look effortless. But of course it took effort. BLACKPINK member Rosé has been working for more than a decade to perfect pop stardom, having left Australia at the age of 16 to pursue K-pop in Seoul. It’s been eight years since Rosé debuted as one fourth of girl group BLACKPINK, but “APT.” may be bringing the New Zealand-born singer to even greater heights. With an assist from hitmaker Bruno Mars, Rosé harnesses the feeling of a night of wild fun in “APT.,” encouraging listeners onto the raucous ride. While the song gets its name and signature chant from a popular Korean drinking game, the pop-rock anthem has roots in Toni Basil’s 1982 “Mickey” (itself a reworking of British band Racey’s 1979 track “Kitty”), giving the song a sense of retro fun that pairs well with its modern mentions of “kissy face” and “red heart” emojis. TikTok users may only know the song’s “a-pa-teu” hook, but “APT.” truly hits its groove in its final minute, when Rosé’s vocal delivery and the song’s melodic structure let loose.
2. RM: “Come back to me”
When RM stepped out onto the stage at fellow BTS member Suga’s August 2023 solo concert in Seoul’s KSPO Dome, most people expected him to perform a song from his 2022 album Indigo, or perhaps a rap-driven track from BTS’ immense discography. Instead, he turned down the lights, stood alone on the massive stage, and growled his way through a raw, unreleased track about the divinity of life’s heartbreaks. The performance traded in the stage surety that pop superstardom grants RM in favor of something far more fragile. It was incredibly powerful to watch, even more so because RM himself seemed unsure of the nascent track’s reception.
The song would eventually be released as “Come back to me,” a lead single off of RM’s 2024 studio album Right Place, Wrong Person. Like much of the rest of RPWP, the song is a departure from both the diverse music RM has written for BTS and from the hip-hop he has tended to favor as a mode of expression in his solo output thus far. “Come back to me” includes none of Kim Namjoon’s signature rap, demonstrating another level of vulnerability for an artist who could never try anything sonically new for the rest of his life and still die a rich and revered musical visionary.
In a K-pop era where most songs don’t even make it to the three-minute mark, “Come back to me” is gloriously meandering. Like the theme of weary searching explored in the “Come back to me”’s lyrics, the track’s structure wanders, committing first to hushed, spoken vocals over gentle guitar and muted percussion (“I forgot the hour / I don’t wanna know ’bout the hour / I forgot to shower / Even washing my face feels like a waste of time”) before transitioning to a fuller, though no less laidback instrumental more than halfway in. The trend-resistant track sweeps the listener up with RM’s declaration of pain as exquisitely necessary, bringing us out with a mantra of cathartic acceptance: “You are my pain, divine divine.”
1. Girls Generation / SNSD: “Into the New World”
OK, you got me. This song wasn’t released in 2024. The debut single from iconic K-pop group Girls Generation (also known as SNSD) first hit the Melon charts in 2007. However, “Into the New World” climbed to the top of the Korean music charts in December of 2024 when its function as a popular protest anthem was needed again. In the days and weeks following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed bid to enact martial law, Koreans took to the streets in the thousands and millions to call for his impeachment. And Girls Generation’s “Into the New World” was there, acting as an expression of hope for a more just society.
This isn’t the first time Koreans have used “Into the New World” as a protest anthem. The song was a common play during the 2016-2017 protests calling for the resignation of President Park Geun-hye, and again in 2019 as a song of celebration when the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled against the criminalization of abortion. It even popped up in Thailand during the 2020 protests against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and calling for reformation of the monarchy. For many Koreans, the singing of “Into the New World” has come to represent coming together behind an important and progressive cause.
While other, more recent K-pop hits were sung at the protests, “Into the New World” is particularly powerful for the way in which its lyrics encourage self-determination and solidarity: “Don’t wait for any special miracle / Our rough path in front of us / Might be an unknown future and challenge / But we can’t give up.” “Into the New World” is the best K-pop song of 2024 because it acts as a reminder that, while K-pop and other pop culture may provide much-needed comfort and expressions of shared solidarity in times of crisis, change can only come if we also take collective action.
Kayti Burt is a working class journalist based in New England with more than a decade of experience covering the world’s most popular stories and songs for outlets including Paste, Rolling Stone, Vulture, TIME, the LA Times, Den of Geek and Polygon. She is particularly interested in how fandom shapes modern life, and is a member of the Television Critics Association and the Freelance Solidarity Project.