Teen Vogue’s list of the “21 Best Girl Groups of All Time” is out, and K-pop girl groups claimed six of the 21 spots on the list!
In “celebration of the best and most exciting girl groups of the past and present,” the American magazine has published a list of what it considers the top 21 girl groups in history, spanning decades of legendary groups and stretching all the way back to The Supremes and The Pointer Sisters.
Explaining its criteria for the list, Teen Vogue wrote, “In reality, the best girl groups aren’t the ones that simply take the temperature of a pop culture moment. They’re the ones who define that moment, stamping their mark on it for years to come. Below, you’ll find the top 21 girl group who did just that.”
Check out the six K-pop girl groups that made it onto the list below!
Wonder Girls
Teen Vogue wrote, “Wonder Girls was one of K-pop’s first global trailblazers, opening for the Jonas Brothers on tour in the late aughts. The ‘Retro Queens’ also became the first Korean group to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009 with the Motown-inspired ‘Nobody,’ which saw Yeeun, Sunye, Sunmi, Sohee, and Yubin pay tribute to classic groups from the American label’s heyday.”
TWICE
Teen Vogue wrote, “Debuting in 2015 with ‘Like OOH-AHH,’ K-pop sweethearts TWICE stole our hearts from the beginning. The nine-piece, comprising Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, MIna, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu, have since matured their confectionary bops into ones laced with sophistication—still, they’ve never lost that ‘one spark’ that made us fall in love with them in the first place.”
2NE1
Teen Vogue wrote, “In one of K-pop’s most iconic opening lines, 2NE1 declare themselves ‘the best,’ and its’ hard to argue the point. Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy captured the West by being the very essence of bad b*tch energy, breaking records and becoming the first K-pop girl group to embark on a world tour. Though 2NE1 disbanded in 2016, solo star CL brought out the other three members during her Coachella set in 2022 for a surprise reunion.”
BLACKPINK
Teen Vogue wrote, “Made in the image of their ‘girl crush’ predecessors, BLACKPINK took the fierce and confident bangers to new global heights. In addition to the music video for ‘DDU-DU DDU-DU’ racking up over 2 billion views to date (the most for a K-pop group), Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa have also become fashion muses and business moguls in their own right, proving that their talk of self-empowerment is anything but lip service.”
Red Velvet
Teen Vogue wrote, “Red Velvet’s music can be bright pop or silky smooth R&B—either way, when you tune in, you’re in store for girl group excellence. Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy debuted under legendary K-pop company SM Entertainment in 2014 (final member Yeri joined in 2015), and have solidified their well-deserved place on this list with every imaginative music video released since.”
Girls’ Generation
Teen Vogue wrote, “From the experimental ‘I Got a Boy’ to genre-defining hit ‘Gee,’ you’ll be hard pressed to find a K-pop girl group with a more robust legacy than Girls’ Generation. Rising to fame in 2009, Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, Seohyun, and former member Jessica quickly became one of Asia’s biggest acts. In 2017, the group entered a hiatus, but five years later, Girls’ Generation reunited to bless our ears with one more round of pop perfection.”
Check out Teen Vogue’s full list here!