The 10 K-Pop Acts You Should Know Right Now

For the K-pop newbie, the number of acts is overwhelming. In the U.S., groups like ATEEZ and Stray Kids, who both made tour stops in Arlington and had huge chart wins this year, are quickly becoming household names, while popular girl group LE SSERAFIM sold out their seven-city U.S. tour, including a stop in Grand Prairie this month. 

North Texas is quickly becoming a regular fixture on the performance circuit, at least for bigger acts. At K-pop’s Entertainment Blueprint, a joint panel held by HYBE (BTS’s company) held in Los Angeles earlier this month, LiveNation Global Tour Promoter Rick Choi said that when he first began tour managing acts years ago, the norm was five U.S. markets. Now he says, groups like Stray Kids regularly play in up to 20 markets. 

Whether you are K-pop curious or ready to expand your music horizons beyond your favorite artist, here are ten groups united in their impact or potential. 

BTS

The world’s biggest band is back, and 2026 is set to be a banner year for BTS. Their presence is ubiquitous (you can currently find their cute avatars in McDonald’s Happy Meals), and their power and influence cannot be overstated. They also have one of the best rap lines not only in K-pop but in hip-hop. 

The build-up is high as the group is expected to return with a new album and world tour. With such a vast discography, you can get into BTS in any number of ways. Still, we recommend Proof, an anthology album they released in 2022, offering a good overview. There is a reason BTS are the reigning GOATs, despite not performing together in over three years; when they return, a Dallas area tour stop is highly likely.

AtHeart

At the other end of the spectrum is a seven-member rookie girl group who debuted in August with members from the U.S., Philippines, Japan and South Korea. Based on their debut EP Plot Twist and arresting visual content, they have the potential to fill in the gap left by the beloved, ill-fated group NewJeans. In an industry where female executive leadership is rare, AtHeart is led by Katie Kang, a former SM Entertainment exec, now CEO of AtHeart’s company, Titan Content. Embracing the familiar archetype of the young woman coming of age, they sprinkle in an unexpected edge. Relaxing, sweet vocals contrast with hyper-paced rhythms and even a little afrobeat on standout tracks “Plot Twist” and “Push Back.” 

XLOV

Potentially the most game-changing K-pop act in the coming year, XLOV pushes against gender boundaries. It’s nothing new in K-pop, but the four multicultural members of the group take it to entirely new territory with their “genderless,” we would argue genderfull concept. It’s no gimmick—Rui, Hyun, Haru and their no-nonsense leader/creative director Wumuti back up the fiercest of make-up, hair and nail looks with viral-inducing dance moves blurring the line between boy and girl group choreo (their Harlem shake routine to “BIZNESS” is a must-watch.) 

Borrowing heavily from ballroom, Black and queer culture, their sound, rooted in hip-hop, is enhanced with arresting music videos. Since their January debut, they’ve shown tremendous organic growth, especially outside of South Korea.

TWICE

Like BTS, TWICE is not new to the game; the nine-member girl group debuted ten years ago and is closing in on legend status. They are proof that, given consistent quality output, longevity is the new norm. Over recent years, they’ve shifted from primarily bubblegum pop to a more Western-oriented approach and sound, while retaining elements of their core DNA. After signing with Republic for U.S. promotions, their first all-English language single, “The Feels,” made it to the Billboard Hot 100 charts. 

And they keep getting better. Their headlining turn at Lollapalooza Chicago was one for the records, and they are part of the smash hit KPop Demon Hunters official soundtrack with “Strategy” and a subunit cover of “Takedown.” Playing arenas, they last came to Texas in 2023 at Globe Life Field in Arlington on their Ready to Be World Tour.

Currently on their This Is For World Tour, the second part of the tour was just announced, which includes dates in Dallas on Jan. 31, 2026, at the American Airlines Center and April 17, 2026, at the Moody Center in Austin, debuting their first 360° in-the-round stage experience. Artist presale registration is open now in North America. General on-sale for all dates begins on Thursday, Oct. 9, at Ticketmaster.com.

Look out for their ten-year special album, Ten: The Story Goes On, in October.

CORTIS

The third act from BIGHIT MUSIC, CORTIS, only debuted last month, but is already making waves. Their debut EP Color Outside the Lines released on Sept. 8, debuted at number 15 on Billboard’s 200 album chart. 

Dubbed a “creator crew” because all five members of the group contribute to production, CORTIS has come in strong with an atypical sound and look, setting them apart from most other groups. The young group (youngest member Keonho was born in 2009) was no doubt influenced by alternative hip-hop and rock, like the addictive “Go” that sounds like it could be cut by Travis Scott and has already inspired viral dance covers. The video for their debut single, “What You Want,” has them skipping over sand-colored treadmills in the California desert (there’s a Teezo Touchdown collab version), perfectly capturing their carefree confidence. 

BIGBANG

Announced as part of the Coachella lineup for next year, BIGBANG is the most significant group to come out of the second generation of K-pop. Main rapper and singer G-Dragon is finishing up his solo world tour (he hit three spots in North America last month), at which he announced the group will be reuniting for a 20th anniversary tour—there is a good chance, given the anticipation for the tour, that North Texas will see a stop. 

G-Dragon himself is considered one of the legends of K-pop, inspiring countless idols with his singular fashion, unique delivery and pointed lyricism; however, the other three members aren’t slouches. Taeyang is considered one of the best R&B singers in the business; at the same time, Daesung brings powerhouse vocals, and rapper T.O.P lends his signature swag, entirely on display in his star-making turn in the latest season of Squid Games. Their party-starting “Bang Bang Bang” is a K-pop classic.  

ZEROBASEONE (ZB1)

At KCON L.A. this year, one group’s fandom was especially passionate: lining up in the wee hours of the early morning for their appearances, distinctive round lightstick in tow, all for a group whose future wasn’t entirely clear. Like many K-pop acts, ZEROBASEONE was formed in a reality competition show, in their case, Mnet’s Boys Planet. After the show, the nine remaining members were signed to a shorter-than-typical contract, slated to end in January. 

Most likely, you’ll be seeing more of them in 2026. All-rounders with strong vocals and visuals, with their excellent first full-length album Never Say Never released earlier this month, hit #23 on the Billboard album chart, in the process becoming the first K-pop group to become a million seller with all their releases. Strong out of the gate, the addictive melody of their debut single “In Bloom” helped to make it one of the best K-pop releases of 2023. 

BOYNEXTDOOR

As the first group to debut under rapper/songwriter/producer Zico’s label, as their name might suggest, BOYNEXTDOOR was introduced as down-to-Earth, which tracks with their buoyant and uplifting yet multilayered sound—they have a live-band feel, and while their music isn’t dated, there is a classic retro ’60s-’70s charm consistently pulling through. 

As part of the Grammy Museum‘s Global Spin Live series, the six members, who are heavily involved in their music production, were poised, confident and charming. No Genre, released in May, became their second consecutive million seller, showing and fully showcasing their versatility, veering from the rousing pop rock of  “I Feel Good” to the sweet and swinging “123-78.”

Look out for their new album, The Action, on Oct. 20. 

PLAVE

As the first successful virtual K-pop group, PLAVE is proving that the concept can work without entirely losing a human element. By employing real-time animation and motion capture technology, five singers perform in real time with their human identities remaining secret. Part of the appeal lies in the real talent behind the act; many of the “secret idols” who voice the PLAVE characters participate in song production, and their avatar design might already be familiar and appealing to anime, manhwa, and webtoon lovers. 

With the help of large screens, they’ve performed live stadium shows, have racked up millions of streams, and charted on Billboard, Korea’s Circle and Japan’s Oricon music charts. Their latest song, “Hide and Seek,” the Korean version of their hit Japanese ballad, was released on Sept. 15 and has already garnered over eight million YouTube views.

HUNTR/X

While not formally a band in real life, the three women behind KPop Demon Hunters’ girl group HUNTR/X are the real deal. EJAE, who voices Rumi, Audrey Nuna, who sings for Mira and Rei Ami, who voices Zoey, all possess serious vocal chops and real-world chemistry, making them a significant reason why the soundtrack to the hit show has a lasting impact. As of this writing, “Golden”  is America’s top track for seven weeks running. 

EJAE, Nuna, and Ami make their debut performance as HUNTR/X on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Hopefully, this will only be the beginning of special live appearances for the group, such as a high-profile award show performance or an album release. 

And for those who can’t get enough of KPDH, you’ll be able to sing along when the Jingle Ball tour makes its way to Fort Worth on Tuesday, Dec. 2. 

Honorable mentions: KATSEYE and XG

While not K-pop, global girl groups KATSEYE and XG are both talented groups on the rise. KATSEYE proves that, given the right talent, and by taking smart risks, as with the weirdly wonderful “Gnarly” and their recent viral Gap ad, it pays off. Trained like K-pop stars, but based in the U.S., the group leans into their multic/ultural identity and individuality, and it’s working. Their first U.S. tour sold out, and dates were added. You can catch them at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on Nov. 30 if you can snag tickets. 

Seven-member Japanese girl group XG have ramped up their fashion-futurist hip-hop agenda, gifting us with the sizzling house banger “Gala,” from their upcoming album and its otherworldly music video. XG specializes in perfectly executed all-English language tracks with sizzling rap flows, bringing their own spin on late nineties R&B and rap.