When it comes to K-Pop, you keep hearing about “generations” that the different bands are divided into. We have already explained what this is all about in more detail on our blog. If you missed the article or want to refresh your knowledge, you are in the right place here!
Today we want to dive deeper into the 4th generation, which was shaped by successful groups like Stray Kids and TXT:
- When did the 4th generation begin and end?
- What defines the 4th generation?
- Which bands belong to the 4th generation?
When did the 4th generation begin and end?
Exactly when a generation starts or ends is often disputed, but nowhere is there as much disagreement as with the fourth generation. While some say it only began in 2019 or 2020, others think it already started in mid-2017. Since there is no fixed date or specific condition that kicks off a new generation, the transition is often blurry. At some point, the media and the K-Pop scene simply started calling new groups part of the fourth generation, but there is no official starting point.
Most people would probably agree on 2018. In fact, the well-known boy groups Stray Kids and Ateez, who both debuted in 2018, are often described as the leaders of the fourth generation. Even the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism refers to Ateez as a leader of the fourth generation.
Still, fans are debating to this day whether Stray Kids already belong to the fourth generation or not. This is partly because at the time of Stray Kids' debut in 2018, the third generation still prevailed and the question of whether the fourth generation had already begun or not was only just coming up.
Groups like ITZY and TXT, who debuted in 2019, are undoubtedly assigned to the fourth generation, so the generally accepted boundary lies somewhere in 2018/ 2019.
The end of the generation is discussed just as heatedly as the beginning: Media generally describe the boy group ZEROBASEONE, who debuted in 2023, as the pioneer of the 5th generation. However, a large number of K-Pop fans believe that the 4th generation is far from over, while others even claim that groups from 2021-2022 already belong to the 5th generation.
In our article about the fifth generation, we looked at the topic in a bit more detail.
What defines the 4th generation?
The fourth generation is characterised by a much stronger use of digital media such as social media channels, and the groups aim for the global music market from a very early stage. In addition, the generation was of course heavily influenced by the Corona pandemic. Among other things, it led to the development and promotion of online concerts.
Below, we explain the different aspects in a bit more detail. As you will see, they are closely interlinked.
Stronger use of digital media
Of course, earlier generations also used digital media to market their music and get in touch with fans. This mainly refers to the third generation, which was the first to turn to online marketing. The fourth generation, however, is online even more:
These days, new idol groups open an account on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and so on even before their debut and upload videos and photos of themselves there. That way, they often collect followers in advance who cheer them on from the very beginning. Since fans all over the world can easily access this content, K-Pop groups today build an international fan base much faster. That is why it is no longer unusual for new stars to have even more international fans than Korean ones.
Today, idols also regularly use TikTok or Instagram for dance challenges and many other events. In addition, new platforms such as Universe keep emerging, through which fans can even chat with their favourite K-Pop idols!
Overall, new groups expand their reach much faster thanks to digital media than those from earlier generations and so achieve big milestones right at the start of their careers.
Global recognition
Thanks to the worldwide popularity of K-Pop, which we owe, among other things, to the international breakthrough of BTS, the fourth generation strongly targets the global music market. Of course, various K-Pop stars have tried before to gain a foothold in the USA, for example, and have given concerts outside Asia, but it is only for a few years now that K-Pop has really been noticed by the international media.
BTS attracted attention because they were the first Korean idols to appear on international entertainment shows such as “The Late Late Show” or “Good Morning America”. Today it is almost normal for popular K-Pop bands to be invited to shows like these. This applies both to bands of the second or third generation, who have been in the business for longer, as well as to bands of the fourth generation, who have only just debuted.
Even groups that do not appear on such shows gain international recognition much faster today, simply because K-Pop in general now has a completely different status than before, and millions of K-Pop fans worldwide watch videos every day and look out for new songs!
In addition, Korean entertainment companies such as JYP, SM, YG or HYBE are working more and more with Western record labels and thus promote the careers of their stars outside Asia.
The influence of Corona
The global pandemic of course also hit South Korea and with it the idols. Suddenly, the bands had to perform in front of empty auditoriums and no longer had any opportunity to meet their fans.
New groups that started their careers in 2020 and later only experienced what it is like to be cheered on live by fans months or even years after their debut. It took a long time until the world had the Corona pandemic under control enough that spectators were allowed back into shows under strict restrictions.
Although the K-Pop scene was caught off guard by the pandemic and thoroughly shaken up, some found a way to deal with the situation as best they could.
In April 2020, for example, SM Entertainment launched the world's first paid concert streaming service in cooperation with the online platform “Naver”! The streaming service is called Beyond Live and gives fans the chance to see their stars live, even if they cannot be there in person. But Beyond Live is more than just a replacement for traditional concerts, because it features elements that only online concerts can offer. Among other things, modern technologies such as augmented reality are used to make the events unique. In addition, Beyond Live enables real-time interaction between the idols and the viewers in front of the screen.
In August 2020, JYP Entertainment joined the newly founded Beyond Live Corporation, and by now other entertainment companies are also producing their own online concerts. The online concerts continue to this day, even though regular concerts are possible again, because they are much more accessible to international fans than events in Korea.
Of course, the idols and their fans also communicated online much more than before. That is why, among other things, the platform Universe was developed in 2021, through which fans and idols can chat with each other.
So Corona has driven technological developments forward and thus created new platforms that we can use in the future as well.
Finally, we can say that the fourth generation is shaped more by competition than the previous ones. Nowadays, so many new bands and solo artists debut in a single year that it is hard to establish yourself and become successful. There are indeed more groups than before that make it to the top of the charts, but just as many sink without a trace and disband after a short time.
Which bands belong to the 4th generation?
The best-known representatives include
- (G)I-dle
- Ateez
- Stray Kids
- The Boyz
They debuted in 2018 or at the end of 2017 and are generally counted as part of the fourth generation, but some see them rather as the last representatives of the third generation.
