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Every day, K-pop boy groups such as BTS, EXO, and SVT help K-pop expand with new concepts, music genres, music videos, and choreographies. Following the second generation's huge success, the third generation brought a slew of new concepts and millions of new fans to the now-popular music genre known as K-pop.
Though K-pop emerged in the mid-1990s, the third generation of K-pop boy groups had their own unique features that contributed to the expansion of the Hallyu (Korean) wave across and beyond Korea and into other parts of the world.
These K-pop boy groups' and their agencies' efforts to attract worldwide fans in addition to local ones have proven to be extremely successful. Their endeavours have surely resulted in higher record sales, more fans, and more titles appearing on global charts.
And, of course, many of these tremendous sales come from the third generation themselves, even till this date. So, here's a list of the best-selling third-generation K-pop boy groups.
BTS and four other 3rd Gen Kpop boy groups who mesmerized the audience
5) GOT7 - JYP Entertainment
GOT7 made their JYP Entertainment debut in January 2014 with the EP Got It? Their initial foray into the industry landed them at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and at the top of the Billboard World Albums Chart. Despite having a wide range of talent, the group was praised most for its fierce stage performances, which incorporated martial arts and complex dance moves..
Consisting of seven members, JB, Jackson, Mark, Jinyoung, Yugyeom, BamBam, and Youngjae, GOT7 has earned several accolades with the release of their 5 studio albums, 16 EPs, and multiple singles.
Until now, GOT7 has sold over 3.95 million albums, and the number is about to rise with the group's latest comeback.
4) NCT Dream- SM Entertainment
NCT Dream is one of the most successful K-pop acts in Kpop history. It is a subunit of NCT, a 23-member K-pop boy group from SM Entertainment. The seven-member ensemble, comprised of Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Chenle, Jaemin, and Jisung, has achieved commercial and critical success with chart-topping songs and well-choreographed performances over the years.
NCT Dream, NCT's third subunit, debuted in 2016 with the single Chewing Gum. The group was previously dubbed NCT's teenage version, but the name was changed after all of the members reached the legal age limit in Korea.
They achieved commercial success following the release of their 2019 EP WE BOOM, which ranked among the top ten physical album sales of 2019. The group has sold over 5.30 million record copies to date.
3) SEVENTEEN/ SVT - Pledis Entertainment (HYBE Labels)
Formed by Pledis Entertainment, SEVENTEEN, a 13-member K-pop boy group, debuted in May, 2015, with the EP 17 Carat. The album was successful enough to land the rookies a spot on Billboard's list of the Top 10 K-pop Albums of 2015. It also became the longest-charting K-pop album of the year in the United States, bringing them instant global acclaim.
The group consists of S.Coup, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino, and has since 2015 released four studio albums, 12 EPs, 21 singles, and one compilation album, which has brought them a whopping total of 7.85 million sales and counting.
SVT is dubbed as the Performance Kings by multiple outlets due to their hip-hop, vocal, and all-arounder identities as musicians, and ranks third among best-selling K-pop boy groups.
2) EXO - SM Entertainment
EXO, who debuted under SM Entertainment in April 2021 as a South Korean-Chinese boy band with 12 members, is probably the first K-pop boy group from the third generation who were recognized as best sellers and performers.
They made their debut with studio album, XOXO, and the hit single Growl by the group was released simultaneously. The single went on to become a huge hit and EXO, all-in-all sold over one million copies, becoming the first Korean group to do so in 12 years. Since then, the group has released seven studio albums, and EPs, 50-plus music videos, and more.
After several rebrandings, EXO now consists of nine members, and has garnered over 10 million album sales.
1) BTS - BIGHIT Music (HYBE Labels)
Bangtan Sonyeondan, better known as BTS, made their debut in June 2013 under BIGHIT Entertainment (now HYBE Labels) with their single album titled 2 Cool 4 Skool. The seven-member K-pop boy group began as underdogs, but they are now the biggest selling artists, most successful, and most powerful group in the K-pop industry.
Members of the band frequently contribute to the writing, composing, and production of their songs, allowing them to connect with their fans more deeply. BTS began as a hip-hop group, but their music has evolved into R&B, pop, EDM, Latin Pop, and other genres. Furthermore, BTS is acclaimed for their thoughtful lyrics, which have been endorsed by a number of global personalities as well as the United Nations.
So far, the band has released nine studio albums, six EPs, six compilation albums, and other works. The boys have sold over 34 million albums to date.
Fun Fact: BTS is the first Korean act to ever get nominated for the Grammys, twice. They are also the first band to release an anthology album, which will be releasing in June 2022.
