Over the last decade, K-pop has quickly spread across the globe. Known for visual extravagance and sonic earworms, K-pop groups have extended their international reach exponentially as we’ve moved into 2025.
K-pop Concerts
Some of the biggest names in K-pop have spent this summer on world tours across the globe. Well-established bands like ATEEZ, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and ENHYPHEN grossed enough on their tours to sit comfortably in the Billboard Boxscore Top 50. These incredible live numbers have boosted the K-pop industry, along with the unique physical media sales that the industry has relied on in previous years.
Many groups also had incredibly successful festival runs, including veteran performers TWICE, who became the only K-pop girl group to ever headline Lollapalooza in Chicago this August.
Performing hits from over 12 albums and EPs, TWICE spent 90 non-stop minutes dazzling a crowd of new and old fans with their vocals, dancing, and music. Their dominant performance shot them up to over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify 10 years into their career. JYP Entertainment, TWICE’s management company, has expanded on this attention by teasing a documentary about TWICE prepping for such a large stage, which is set to be released in the coming months.
Group Comebacks
Other K-pop vets have also boosted the genre, with this year marking the return of the worldwide popularity monsters BLACKPINK and BTS. BLACKPINK returned in July 2025 with “Jump” after an over two-year-long group hiatus, using the bouncy house track to kick off their third world tour. The quartet has also spent this summer dominating streaming and festivals as solo acts.
JENNIE and LISA both returned to Coachella this summer as solo acts, performing songs off their highly successful solo albums. Rosé kept up with her bandmates, dominating pop culture and radio with her collab song “APT.” with Bruno Mars, released late 2024. The song spent 45 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3.
June 2025 also marked the return of the final members of BTS from military service. Member J-Hope spent the summer priming the BTS fanbase for the full group return, having released multiple EPs and singles performed during his record-breaking solo tour. Members Jin and RM also took time in 2025 to release follow-up projects while waiting for their fellow bandmates to be released from South Korean military service. BTS announced that the full group is coming back together to release music in 2026 with a world tour to follow.
The release of “K-Pop Demon Hunters”
Along with the return of popular groups, K-pop has also seen an incredible boost following the release of the epically popular and aptly named K-pop Demon Hunters on Netflix. Not only has the movie itself become the most popular title on Netflix, but the soundtrack has also made waves with both K-pop and Western listeners alike.
A majority of the soundtrack has spent weeks on global and US charts, with “Golden” by Huntrix claiming the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 as we move into September 2025. The movie was so popular that it was released theatrically as a sing-along two months after a streaming release on Netflix. Streams continue to grow as the soundtrack approaches Encanto-level fame.
While K-pop may not be for everyone, its popularity as a genre is explosive. With both new and old groups coming back into the game, K-pop is starting to work its way much more permanently into the media we consume. While so much has happened already, I can’t wait to see where K-pop pops up next.
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