I have been a huge fan of girl groups since about 2018, first falling in love with K-Pop powerhouses like Twice and Red Velvet while they were still on their way to the global mainstage. In recent years, pop music lovers are being introduced to the world of girl groups through invigorating K-Pop acts like NewJeans and global girl groups like KATSEYE, alongside the same staple groups I’ve loved for years now. If you’re familiar with a few girl groups and want to dive deeper, this is the list for you. Here are five promising girl groups that are actively releasing music for you to dig into.
1. If you like red velvet or illit… check out hearts2hearts
Hearts2Hearts is an eight member girl group made up of primarily South Korean members. They have been active since 2025, when they debuted under one of K-pop’s biggest companies: SM Entertainment. They are one of the biggest rookie girl groups right now, having toured briefly in the United States already. Hearts2Hearts has perfected the fun, whimsical and girly aesthetic in their sound and image. Through songs like “RUDE!,” the group combines sparkly dance-pop and contemporary R&B to create their signature sound. Their visual identity evokes images of heart-shaped keychains, bright blue glitter, tennis skirts, and whimsical, swirly clouds. Personally, I’ve been a big fan of all their releases thus far, including their recent single “Lemon Tang”! Hearts2Hearts is the perfect mix of the confident sass of Red Velvet and the cutesy, youthfulness of ILLIT.
2. if you like blackpink or little mix… check out Girlset
GIRLSET is a four member global girl group formerly known as VCHA. They formed in 2023, but completely overhauled their image and sound in summer 2025. Since their rebrand, GIRLSET has refined their sound and style into something reminiscent of the Bratz dolls. Their recent single “Tweak” samples 90s R&B girl group SWV, continuing a trend of GIRLSET moving away from a teen-pop sound and towards a harmonic R&B sound inspired by the Y2K era. “Tweak,” like their most recent single “CHAT”, employs a divalike swagger that carries the song alongside its boastfully c*nty music video. In my opinion, the girls of GIRLSET have their image on lock, but I would love to see them develop their sound further through an EP or maybe even a full album. GIRLSET is ready to take on the world with the slick confidence of legendary girl groups like Little Mix and BLACKPINK setting them up for success.
3. if you like newjeans or le sserafim… check out kiiikiii
KiiiKiii is a five member South Korean girl group currently on the rise. They debuted early last year with lots of interest in their kitschy, quirky style. In 2026, they’ve been riding the hype train from their single “404 (New Era),” a bouncy, dance-worthy house track, into their second EP of the year, WhyKiiiKiii. KiiiKiii has an image that dials up the weird, Y2K vibes up to the max, and it works wonders for them. In my opinion, they’re the first girl group to perfect 2010s nostalgia in the 2020s. During performances of songs off their recent EP, WhyKiiiKiii, the girls wear colorful animal prints, hightop sneakers, unicorn wings, oversized plastic jewelry, and lots and lots of mismatched patterns. My favorite song and music video from KiiiKiii is “Delulu” a dreamy, deep house song with a music video filled to the brim with colorful, Mulholland Drive-esque fades and overlays. It’s a style I’ve never seen before in a girl group music video! If you like house music and offbeat, quirky vibes from your girl groups, a la NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM, KiiiKiii is the group for you.
4. if you like katseye or flo… check out say now
Say Now are a girl group trio based out of London. Since 2023, these girls have been busy at work releasing singles like “Supermarket” and “Can’t Keep a Beat.” After the release of “Supermarket,” Say Now went viral on TikTok for reminding fans of nostalgic cartoons like the Totally Spies! and The Powerpuff Girls, even dressing up as the latter. Earlier this year, Say Now released “Millions,” a playful, dancey R&B track that elicits the aesthetics of classic girl group The Pussycat Dolls. Just this week, they dropped “Met my match,” a groovy electropop track produced by PinkPantheress that turns the girly attitude up to 11. Getting a cosign from PinkPantheress is surely a sign Say Now are reaching new heights! If you ask me, I think Say Now have that c*nty, cool girl spark, similar to that of KATSEYE and Flo, that easily lends them to becoming the next big thing in pop.
5. if you like twice or ive… check out rescene
RESCENE is a five member South Korean girl group made of Korean and Japanese members. They have been active since 2024, having since released three EPs and several singles. The name RESCENE comes from combining the prefix “re-” with “scene” and “scent,” conjuring the idea of recalling a scene through scent. This name is reflective of the soft, sweet and frilly image they portray visually and sonically. RESCENE has seen some virality online with the physical release of their third EP Lip Bomb, since one version of the album came with a real berry-flavored lip balm and keychain. Their music is a sugar sweet blend of synth pop and R&B that keeps you hooked after the first listen. They recently released “Pretty Girl,” a fresh remake of the bubblegum classic K-pop song of the same name by Kara. Since their dreamy yet bubbly song “Pinball,” I’ve had my eye on these girls. If you love the upbeat, angelic sweetness of groups like Twice and IVE, you will surely fall in love with RESCENE.