K-POP Archive Artist & Group Database

K-POP History Timeline

Key events that changed the course of K-POP, from 1992 to today, in chronological order.

  1. 1st Gen 1992–2002

  2. Mar 23, 1992

    Seo Taiji and Boys released their first album and debuted on an MBC stage on April 11 with '난 알아요', reshaping the Korean music scene.

  3. 1995

    Lee Soo-man reorganized SM Planning into SM Entertainment, and the agency-led idol training system took off in earnest.

  4. Sep 7, 1996

    SM's H.O.T. made its broadcast debut, opening the era of 1st Gen idol groups built on trainee selection and training.

  5. Nov 19, 1999

    China's Beijing Youth Daily is said to have first used the term 'Hallyu' (Korean Wave).

  6. Nov 27, 1999

    The Mnet Music Video Festival, predecessor of the MAMA Awards, was held for the first time.

  7. Mar 13, 2002

    BoA's Japanese album 'LISTEN TO MY HEART' debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon weekly album chart, a first for a Korean singer.

  8. 2nd Gen 2003–2011

  9. Dec 26, 2003

    TVXQ! debuted with a showcase performance.

  10. Aug 5, 2007

    Girls' Generation debuted with '다시 만난 세계' and led the heyday of 2nd Gen girl groups.

  11. Oct 31, 2009

    The English version of Wonder Girls' 'Nobody' entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 76, the first K-pop song to chart there (chart dated October 31).

  12. 2010

    The Korea Music Content Association launched Gaon Chart (now Circle Chart), Korea's official music chart.

  13. Jun 10, 2011

    SMTOWN LIVE was held over two days at Le Zénith in Paris, drawing attention as the first joint K-pop concert in Europe.

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  15. 3rd Gen 2012–2017

  16. Jul 15, 2012

    PSY released '강남스타일', sparking a worldwide horse-dance craze.

  17. Dec 21, 2012

    The '강남스타일' music video became the first in YouTube history to surpass 1 billion views.

  18. Jun 13, 2013

    BTS debuted under Big Hit Entertainment.

  19. 2016

    YG's BLACKPINK debuted in August.

  20. May 21, 2017

    BTS won Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, becoming the first Korean group to win an award at the ceremony.

  21. 4th Gen 2018–2022

  22. May 27, 2018

    BTS's 'LOVE YOURSELF 轉 Tear' became the first Korean album to top the Billboard 200.

  23. Sep 24, 2018

    BTS became the first K-pop group to give a speech at a UNICEF event at the UN General Assembly.

  24. Apr 12, 2019

    BLACKPINK became the first K-pop girl group to perform at the Coachella festival in the US.

  25. 2020

    BTS was nominated at the 63rd Grammy Awards for 'Dynamite', becoming the first K-pop act nominated for a Grammy.

  26. Aug 29, 2020

    BTS's 'Dynamite' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first Hot 100 No. 1 by a Korean act (chart dated August 29).

  27. 2021

    Big Hit Entertainment changed its name to HYBE after its March shareholders' meeting and moved to a multi-label structure.

  28. Jun 14, 2022

    BTS announced a temporary pause in group activities to focus on individual work.

  29. Jul 7, 2022

    Gaon Chart was renamed Circle Chart.

  30. Jul 22, 2022

    NewJeans, from HYBE's ADOR, debuted with 'Attention'.

  31. 5th Gen 2023–

  32. Apr 8, 2023

    Jimin's 'Like Crazy' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first Hot 100 No. 1 by a Korean solo artist (chart dated April 8).

  33. Apr 15, 2023

    BLACKPINK became the first Asian act to headline the Coachella festival.

  34. Oct 18, 2024

    ROSÉ and Bruno Mars released 'APT.', which held No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 for a long run and reached No. 3 on the Hot 100.

  35. 2025

    All BTS members completed their military service by June.

  36. Jun 20, 2025

    KPop Demon Hunters, a Netflix animated film about K-pop idols, was released and became the most-watched film in Netflix history.

  37. Aug 16, 2025

    'Golden' by HUNTR/X, the girl group in the film, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the top spot for a total of 8 weeks. It is the first K-pop song with female vocals to top the Hot 100.

  38. Feb 1, 2026

    'Golden' won Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 68th Grammy Awards, becoming the first K-pop song to win a Grammy.

  39. Mar 15, 2026

    'Golden' won Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards, and 'KPop Demon Hunters' also won Best Animated Feature.

  40. Mar 20, 2026

    BTS released 'ARIRANG', their 5th full album and first as a complete group in about four years, and the next day held a comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square streamed live on Netflix.

  41. Apr 4, 2026

    BTS's 'SWIM' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 'ARIRANG' at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 at the same time (chart dated April 4).