In 2023, ZEROBASEONE debuted and were marked as the start of the 5th Generation of K-Pop.
K-Pop so far has been split into five generations, starting with the “birth” of K-Pop groups found with the debut of SM Entertainment‘s H.O.T. K-Pop’s second generation saw the debut of groups like SHINee, BIGBANG, and 2NE1, many associated with the original image that K-Pop had.
K-Pop’s third generation saw the genre’s huge expansion into America, with groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, GOT7, and more breaking into spaces artists had previously not before. The fourth generation helped expand K-Pop’s influence even further, with the fifth generation reaching and setting new heights.
Here’s The Breakdown of K-Pop’s 4 Generations, According To IDOLOGY Webzine
These generations lasted at least five years, with some being further divided. However, the fifth generation was announced to “end” faster than anyone anticipated.
In an article published by ETNews, the 2025 debut of the group formed by the survival show MAKEMATE1 was called “leading the 6th Generation of K-Pop.”
MAKEMATE1 was a survival show created by KBS and MAKESTAR, featuring 36 contestants who were said to be multinational and not part of any agencies. The final episode saw the top seven finalists make the debut group, recently announced to be called NouerA.
NouerA comprises members from China, Japan, and Korea, including some who have already competed in other survival programs.
Netizens reacted with some disbelief to the introduction of the sixth generation, as the fifth has not been truly established.
I’ve told you they are just inventing generations now to mediaplay the “first in their generation” titles. even for the 5th gen it was too early when they started announcing it, like the 4th gen isn’t even close to the 7 year mark https://t.co/mmQJFOPOb1
— march⁷ (@goldisjin) August 5, 2024
kpop time is so weird how tf has it been 3 generations in less than 10 years what defines a generation https://t.co/3qcWjl03WL
— 💛Jay💛 (@SoneAngelJay) August 5, 2024
5th gen literally started last year we are NOT doing this idc how badly they wanna be called 6th gen they’re gonna be 5th gen for another at least 5 years pic.twitter.com/KtCGyaMjQj https://t.co/Q78yXNObwE
— mati 🍓 (@itslovelicky) August 5, 2024
