Who are the best Kpop Girl Groups of all time? The two “God Mothers” of Kpop girl groups come down to Fin.K.L. (1998) and S.E.S (1997). Kpop Entertainment companies did a good job of training some of the top talents in Korea in both vocals and dancing before debuting the group. Kpop Girl Groups always had a disadvantage in the industry. Many looked and sounded the same, however, there were also many that went against tradition and really exploded on a global scale.
Each Kpop Girl Group has its own style and story. Many have been able to take advantage of social media to really expand their audience and let fans into their personal lives. For example, Blackpink’s’ Lisa is the top Kpop Instagram influencer of all time, bigger than any Kpop star including the men. For those interested in our article on the best Kpop Boy Groups, check it out after reading this.
BLACKPINK
Blackpink was formed by YG Entertainment and debuted back in 2016. It has been less than 5 years but Blackpink is clearly the greatest Kpop girl group of all time. They continue to break records on YouTube with every new release. In fact, they are the first Kpop girl group to get over 1 billion views for a music video on YouTube. Also, Blackpink is the highest-charting female Kpop Group on the Billboard Hot 100 with their collaboration with Selena Gomez called Ice Cream. They even have their own documentary on Netflix called Blackpink: Light up the Sky.
Currently, Blackpink has the most subscribers on YouTube and the numbers continue to grow. They were the first Kpop girl group to perform at Coachella. Not only are they major players in the Kpop industry, but they are also major players in the fashion industry. The 4 members are all faces for some of the top luxury fashion brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior.
Girl’s Generation (SNSD)
Girl’s Generation (SNSD) was formed by SM Entertainment. It has been 14 years since Girl’s Generation broke out in the Kpop scene. The 9 member group was able to be one of the first Kpop groups to break out onto the global stage. They had a very innocent image and their performances onstage were both fun and colorful. They are called ‘The Nation’s Girl Group” and many have gone on to have successful solo careers. Their biggest hit was Gee from their first mini-album which became a YouTube phenomenon.
In 2010, they became the first Kpop girl group to win the Disk Daesang, which is the biggest award at the Golden Disc Awards in South Korea. The Golden Disc Awards is pretty much the Grammy’s of South Korea. In addition, they were very popular in Japan and regularly sold-out concerts. For example, their 3 Japanese concert tours brought in a total of 550,000 fans.
Twice
Twice was formed by JYP Entertainment after being on the Korean TV program Sixteen. They exploded onto the Kpop scene with their hit single Cheer Up in 2016. If you ask most male Kpop fans, most would favor Twice over Blackpink. Many don’t realize this but TWICE is the highest-selling girl group in South Korea in regards to physical sales. The reason for this is that Twice has 3 times more singles compared to Blackpink. In addition, Twice is very popular in Japan as well. They became the first Kpop girl group to embark on a Japanese dome tour. Therefore in regards to the most profitable markets (South Korea and Japan), Twice outranks Blackpink. The big question is, will Twice pass Blackpink on a global scale? We will have to wait and see.
2NE1
In their prime 2NE1 was the most successful Kpop girl group in Korea. The group was formed by YG Entertainment back in 2009. However in 2016, Minzy left the group, and the band disbanded. If they had all stayed together, it could be argued that 2NE1 would have ranked #1 for the greatest Kpop girl group. They have sold over 66 million records and Billboard magazine ranked 2NE1 as one of the best Kpop girl groups of the past decade. All have gone on to have solo careers but none were able to capture the magic that 2NE1 brought.
Their biggest hit is probably I am the Best. It is surprising that 2NE1 didn’t hit it big like BTS in America. CL and Park Bom both lived in America for many years before moving to Korea. CL especially speaks perfect English and it seems they missed a golden opportunity to create music solely for the global audience.
Wonder Girls
JYP Entertainment found a winner in this 5 member Kpop girl group back in 2007. Their hit Nobody was the first every Korean Kpop song to appear on Billboard’s Hot 100. They were one of the first Kpop groups to break into the American market by being the opening act for the Jonas Brothers. They contributed greatly to the rise of the first wave of iconic Hallyu stars like Girls Generation and 2NE1.
Red Velvet
Red Velvet is known for trying new concepts and experimenting. They were formed by SM Entertainment. Their sounds are always new and unique. Their vocals and range are amazing. The only criticism Red Velvet gets is their stage performance which has improved considerably over time. They were named one of the most popular Kpop groups by both Time Magazine and Billboard. In addition, they were the 5th most-streamed Kpop group worldwide on Spotify as of early 2020.
IZ*ONE
The most popular Kpop girl group to come out of Mnet reality Kpop competition show Produce 48 is IZ*ONE. The Kpop girl group has 12 members and is managed by Off the Record and Swing Entertainment. They made their debut back in late 2018 and won many awards in 2019 for new artist of the year categories. The group has released albums for both Korea and Japan. Many wonder what their name stands for and it is pretty simple. The IZ stands for 12 and ONE stands for being one as a group.
Mamamoo
Mamamoo brings its own style of music to Kpop. They really put RBW on the map. Many experts in the Kpop industry feel that their debut back in 2014 is considered as one of the best Kpop debuts that year. Their fame has come organically in Korea but has yet to break out internationally. This could change in 2021.
Oh My Girl
WM Entertainment’s top group is Oh My Girl. They are a 7 member Kpop girl group that made their debut in 2015. The group has a massive following in Japan as they released their 3rd Japanese album back in 2020. In addition at the 2020 Soribada Best K-Music Awards, Oh My Girl received a Bonsang Award.
Kara
The most successful group to come out of DSP Media has to be Kara. Kara really has it all for a Kpop girl group. They first started out with 4 members when they made their debut back in 2007. They have stunning visuals, a great stage presence, and fun choreography. KARA was one of the first Kpop groups that really broke out in the Japanese market, paving the way for other Kpop Girl Groups later on. The group had an amazing 9-year run which allows them to make this top 10 list.
16 comments
Twice and BlackPink have been my favorite ever since I fell in love with K-Pop. I like that “what is love” by twice and “forever young” from BlackPink.
im dead snsd #2 are u on drugs bro LMFAOOO
if snsd aint #1 wat is
SMHH
Blackpink clearly #1 and when it is all said and done. Love SNSD but Blackpink has surpassed them especially when you look at their global popularity.
blackpink can’t be #1 cuz they don’t come out with a new album or mv or anything since 2020, it is not fair that they are #1 , IMO, twice has to be #1 instead, they definitely more successful than BP but as I already said, it is not FAIR. I am also a Blink but they don’t release new things, the have debuted as solos, it’s ok, but what about as a group THO?!!!
same idea
Agree
what about itzy???
midzy out here! yeah, they are definitely better than bp, but not more than twice ok! #1 id twice and the #2 must be itzy, blackpink don’t release any new things since 2020 as a group, tho? how can the be #1???!
who ever wrote this:
you know damn-well that BLACKPINK are #1… or at least above ¨KARA¨.
The fact that you put Blackpink above Girls Generation and Twice already shows how little you know about Kpop.
wtf????? blackpink can’t be above twice as they don;t release anything since 2020, it is 2022! 2 YEARS! They haven’t done anything as a group, why solo careers? i am also a blink but why do they do like that…?
I have been a kpop fan since 2009 and stopped listening in 2015. I’ve even watched big bang, super junior, 2ne1, snsd, kara and f(x) live.when i found out about blackpink in 2018 I thought they could surpass 2ne1 but not snsd. But in august 2021 I discovered twice. Like i dont know why i never heard of them. Like from 2018 to early 2021 i was slowly listening to kpop acts again such as somi, chung ha, IU, bp, bts. But anyway since august 2021 i have FALLEN HARD IN LOVE with twice. I only listen to them exclusively. It’s already been 5months. Twice. All day. Every day. I dont even wanna listen to american or British acts anymore. I truly believe twice is the best kpop female group ever. Ahead of snsd. Like if you listen to snsd’s hit songs, compare them with twice’s – twice wins by a landslide. Compare blackpink’s songs with twice – blackpink’s songs dont come close when it comes to essence and meaning,and overall appeal. It’s all “ddu ddu ddu” “ram papam papam pam” “boombayah dan dadan dadadadan etc” you get what i mean.
yeah, someone with the same mind as me! i also fell in luv with them in summer 2021, and now they are my #3 fav gg, as #1 is kep1er(they are new but well, I give them a chance, I also gave tri.be a chance but they quite failed, they are #4 rn) #2 is itzy I love how they love midzy and I wanted to be loved as a midzy and twice is really good, oh, not good but GREAT, AMAZINF, WONDERFUL (more positive adj.s), and they release new things not like bp, bp doesn’t release anything since 2020, twice is better, definitely
SNSD is the best
We support them from iran
#Iranian_sones
the main problem when you put Blackpink above Twice is the fact that the last time Blackpink brought a new song was in 2020, after that, the management make them doing solo, questioning Twice’s global endeavor? I know this article is from back in January, so here is some new fact that make putting Blackpink over Twice is very wrong, their last concert in the US have more than 100k attendees, making them as the first KPop Girl Group to achieve the attendees milestone in North America concert tour, and also the first KPop Girl Group act to hold a stadium shows (Banc of California Stadium) in North America, no offence to BLINK, it’s not that Blackpink couldn’t achieved what Twice’s achieved even surpassed them, even as a ONCE I do believe that at some aspect, Blackpink is more than Twice, but their main problem is their own management, instead of focusing on the group activity like releasing at least 2 albums each year, they focused too much on each member solo activity
With all due respect because I think Black Pink is talented and has some good songs when they aren’t repeating the Du Du Du, What is Love, How You like that Formula. I think it is ridiculous to place a group that has like 1/8 the number of songs above or even equal to so many other great women kpop groups with a lot more diversity in style and a number with better overall vocal quality though I am fond of Rose’s singing and Jenny is pretty good. So, here are the top ten for me. I am just going to list them with no numbers: T-ARA, Girl’s Generation, Red Velvet, IZone, Twice, APink, KARA, f(x), GFriend and GirlFriend, Next for me would be AfterSchool.