Top 10 Best Girl Groups of All-Time!

Discovering the best performers in K-pop is much harder today than it was in the late ’90s.

In 2012, over 100 new groups debuted, marking the rise of rookie group debuts. Yes, over 100 groups and no, many of them haven’t survived. The girl groups who have debuted post-2012 are unable to climb the wall of popularity because they come from small companies. There are, though, surprise success stories, i.e. when EXID blew up over a fancam of Hani singing the now mega hit, Up & Down. Rookie debuts have yet to slow down. Whether it be going with the most popular concept of the time or doing something completely different, groups have come and gone.

Luckily, some jewels in the genre continue to shine despite all the competition. Here are 10 of the all-female bands—both established and new—that simply must make it onto your playlists.

Girls' Generation

One of the longest-running female ensembles in K-pop (comparable to Big Bang in stature), Girls Generation (also known as SNSD, an abbreviation of their Korean name So Nyeo Shi Dae) has been around since 2007. Among the real queens of K-Pop is SNSD. SNSD have been through a lot: fame, success, and trials that resulted in making them stronger. Originally debuted as 9-member girl group and recently, Seohyun, Sooyoung and Tiffany have decided to not re-new their contract and still under discussion. SNSD's signature musical style is characterized as electropop and bubblegum pop, though their sound varies widely, incorporating various genres including hip hop, R&B, and EDM. The group is one of the best-selling K-Pop groups of all time. Their immense popularity earned them the titles "The Nation's Singers" and "The Nation's Girl Group." In August 2016, in celebration of the group's ninth anniversary, they released a single titled "Sailing (0805)." Although they are not so active in the past year, SNSD is still loved by millions of fans around the world, covering a wide range of ages from younger teens to elderly adults. The girls always put out solid, enjoyable singles and continue to entice today just as much as they did when they debuted.

TWICE

Earning several music awards since their debut is JYP Entertainment's new girl group, Twice. Formed in 2015 through the reality show Sixteen, the group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. Since their debut they released the hugely successful mini-album The Story Begins and title track "Like OOH-AHH." Their music video hit 50 million views within five months of their debut and became the most-viewed debut music video for any K-pop group. Twice is one of the most successful and best-selling K-Pop groups ever. Their new lead single, "Knock Knock", was released on February 20, 2017, and the music video hit 17 million on its second day on Youtube. Their official fanbase is called Once.

Black Pink

The group that received the Best New Artist Award at the 2016 Melon Music Awards is YG Entertainment's new band, Black Pink. With their catchy hip-hop, EDM, and R&B style, Black Pink caters to the taste of many K-Pop listeners today. The group officially debuted on August 8, 2016 with the single album Square One and is the first girl group to debut under YG seven years after 2NE1. The group consists of four members: Jennie, Jisoo, Rose, and YG's first non-Korean artist, Lisa. Black Pink's debut singles hit number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart and they are the fastest act to do so, and the third Korean artist to hold the top two positions after Psy and Big Bang. Their song, "Whistle" topped the digital, download, streaming, and mobile charts on Gaon in August, 2016. With their immense success, their fans (called Blinks) are already hyped-up for their next performance.

Red Velvet

After their 2014 debut under S.M. Entertainment, Red Velvet quickly made a mark on K-pop with its Europop-inspired debut single “Happiness,” favoring a whimsical approach in their visuals. The five-member group has won close to a dozen awards in the past few years, and their most recent mini-album showcases an R&B sound to exhibit what great singers they are. Red Velvet has still received a total of thirteen music awards, including two for choreography; Best Dance – Female and Best Dance Performance – Female Group, and three new artist awards. They are made a popular cameo appearance in the 2016 hit drama, Descendants of the Sun. We expect these girls to just keep getting bigger.

Mamamoo

Considered as one of the best K-Pop debuts of 2014 and still proving themselves in the industry. Mamamoo is popular for their retro, jazz, and R&B concepts and strong vocal performances. Mamamoo’s recent appearance at KCON New York further cemented them as one of the hottest new up-and-coming girl groups in K-pop. Mamamoo is composed of four beautiful members: Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa. Since their 2014 debut, Mamamoo have not only proved they are great entertainers but also appeal to fans who love jazz and R&B. Their first full length album, Melting, debuted in 2016 and has had K-pop fans nodding their heads ever since. Each is known for her powerful voice, especially Solar and Wheein, who joined the popular music show, King of Mask Singer. Before making their debut, Mamamoo had already collaborated with several other artists, but they hit it big after the release of their third mini-album, Pink Funky, and lead single "Um Oh Ah Yeh." The song was a big hit in charts and tickets for their fan meeting sold out in a minute.

EXID

EXID takes elements from innovators like 2NE1 to craft a style all their own. EXID quietly debuted in 2012 but didn’t hit their stride until 2014, when they released the popular single “Up & Down.” The catchiness of the songs, as well as unusual concepts in their videos, have put them on many “to watch” lists over the past few years. After the release of their first full-length album, Street, in June, we expect the girls of EXID to find a comfortable spot in many a K-pop fans’ playlists.

Gfriend

The amazingly talented and beautiful members of Gfriend formed in 2015 under Source Music featuring powerful vocals and charming faces, The group consists of Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB, and Umji. Their debut was one of the best in 2015. The band won several 2015 female rookie awards despite coming from a small company. Since then, Gfriend has built momentum and continues to release songs that cater to the sweet taste of K-Pop lovers. Towards the end of 2016, YouTube revealed the top 10 K-pop MVs most beloved by South Koreans, and Gfriend's "Rough" and "Navillera" ranked second and tenth respectively on the list. "Rough" also became the most downloaded song in 2016, according to Gaon Chart's 2016 Year End Download Chart.

f(x)

When K-pop was starting to explode in America in 2012 thanks to Psy‘s “Gangnam Style,” f(x) was one of the female bands helping define K-pop’s now-signature electropop sound. It was also the first K-pop act invited to perform at Austin’s SXSW festival. Member Amber Liu maintains a successful solo career on the side. The group’s 2015 album, 4 Walls, showcased only four members after Sulli left to pursue a full-time acting career, but the other girls are still going strong. F(x)’s effervescent brand of electronica and synthpop is both innovative and extremely accessible to non-K-pop fans, with albums like Pink Tape, Red Light and 4 Walls setting this quartet (formerly a fivesome) firmly apart from any other girl group K-pop has seen this decade.

Apink If you love the cutesy approach in K-pop, Apink brings it in a way that’s adorable but never overly saccharine. This girl group has played it straight since 2011 and seen immense success because of it. The five-member group favors the style of early idol groups like S.E.S., with an innocent pop sound that’s perfect top 40 material. Active since 2011, the group did a North American tour in 2015 and recently celebrated their fifth anniversary with a song dedicated to fans called “The Wave.” Apink remains one of South Korea’s most popular girl groups and has had a softening influence on many newer K-pop groups, with younger acts (Lovelyz, Gfriend, April, etc.) veering toward lighthearted girlishness. Today, Apink is not only popular in Korea; they're also establishing a fan-base in Japan and other Asian countries

AOA

Also known as Ace of Angels, AOA is a girl group under FNC Entertainment with seven gorgeous members: Choa, Jimin, Yuna, Chanmi, Hyejeong, Seolhyun, and Mina. Upon their debut, AOA was a dance group with some members also playing instruments. Explaining the concept, FNC said that seven members are "full angels," with Youkyoung as a "half-angel/half-mortal." Their first mini-album, Short Hair, ranked No. 1 on different charts and also topped the M!Countdown chart in July, 2014. It also ranked eighth on Billboard's "Most Viewed K-pop Videos Around the World" for June, 2014. This year, AOA released their first Korean studio album, titled Angel's Knock.

[BONUS GIF!! FABULOUS SICA ;)]

#GIRLGROUPS