Major Korean labels are debuting new boy groups, signaling a possible shift from girl-group dominance to a new sixth-generation boy-group era.

New boy groups are debuting one after another from Korean agencies such as SM Entertainment, THE BLACK LABEL, and ooak records. After a long period of the heyday of girl groups, attention is gathering on whether the curtain is opening on the “era of sixth-generation boy groups.” The first to announce the debut of a new boy group was SM Entertainment. Since last year, SM Entertainment has been presenting various content through its public trainee unit “SMTR25.” According to the Q&A at SM Entertainment’s conference call held on August 6 last year, a total of two to three groups are scheduled to debut from SMTR25, and one of them is aiming for a debut in 2026. Last May, SMTR25 held a fan meeting tour that went around Seoul, Macau, Yokohama, and Bangkok. The fact that a group made up of trainees held a tour including overseas locations is seen as a move to get ahead of the next-generation boy-group market and to secure a global fan base at an early stage. THE BLACK LABEL, led by TEDDY, is preparing for the debut of a new boy group in spring 2027. This will be the first time THE BLACK LABEL has presented a boy group. Based on the concepts that MEOVV and the mixed-gender group ALL DAY PROJECT have put forward, expectations are rising that the new boy group will also appear with a strong concept. ooak records, led by Min Hee-jin, is also holding auditions for a global boy group. Attention is being paid to how it will differentiate itself from the girl group NewJeans, which Min Hee-jin produced, and whether it can gain buzz comparable to NewJeans. Lee Soo-man, whose non-compete period has been lifted, is also preparing for a boy-group debut. Expectations are high that the full-scale return of Lee Soo-man, called the “father of K-pop,” will bring new stimulation to the boy-group market. It has only been in the past few years that boy-group albums have begun to sell in earnest. Until then, in the Korean music market, boy groups had a weaker presence than girl groups and were significantly behind in the music market as well. For that reason, the music industry even said, “Girl groups are for the domestic market, boy groups are for the global market.” However, that structure is gradually changing. The one that started this change was RIIZE. Their debut song “Get a Guitar,” released in September 2023, drew attention for taking an easy-listening approach that foregrounded a pleasant guitar riff rather than flashy synth sounds. The song recorded an unusual hit, rising to 16th place on MelOn’s monthly chart just one month after release. Boy-group songs began to receive support not only from fans but also from general listeners. This trend accelerated further. TWS’s “plot twist (the first meeting does not go as planned)” took first place on MelOn’s 2024 annual chart. It was the first time in about six years that a boy-group song had taken the top spot on an annual chart. BOYNEXTDOOR’s “IF I SAY, I LOVE YOU” ranked 12th on MelOn’s 2025 annual chart. In addition, on Apple Music’s annual Top 100, it ranked 7th, the highest position for a boy group. As boy groups with mass appeal continue to appear one after another, the market’s evaluation of male idols is also changing significantly. What made this trend even clearer was CORTIS. The boy group under BIGHIT MUSIC achieved No. 1 on MelOn’s daily chart in May 2026 with the title track “REDRED.” This was the first such achievement for a boy group from the third generation onward that debuted after 2015. In addition, their album’s first-week sales recorded 2,313,291 copies. Among K-pop albums released this year, it recorded the second-highest first-week sales, after BTS. Compared with girl groups, boy groups tend to have a stronger fandom. Therefore, if they can gain public popularity through music, a synergy is created with the high purchasing power of the fandom, and that synergy becomes even greater. That means they can achieve results in every revenue source, such as concerts, music, merchandise, and licensing businesses. For this reason, entertainment agencies are positioning boy groups that also show presence in music as core entities that generate new revenue. At present, the agencies preparing to debut new boy groups are each presenting a clear identity. As boy groups with diverse musical styles and concepts enter the market one after another, the power map of the K-pop industry itself may also be rewritten. Attention is being focused on what kind of changes the new boy groups, whose debuts are approaching soon, will bring to a music market that has been centered on girl groups. • SM trainee team SMTR25 also in Japan! First fan meeting tour confirmed from May • “Founded by Min Hee-jin” ooak records to launch next-generation boy-group project... audition announced