page_title: 2010s in music
section_title: K-Pop
hierarchical_section_title: 2010s in music / Asia / K-Pop
caption_attribution_description: English: BTS at the end of Love Yourself concert in Nagoya, 13 January 2019
context_page_description: See also: 2010s in the music industry.
context_section_description: During the early 2010s, the K-pop genre began to noticeably increase its popularity outside Asia, spreading into Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the West at an exponential rate compared to the previous decade. The Internet served a dominant role in K-pop's rise in popularity, establishing diverse fan communities online, likening it to a netizen sub-culture.
  In south-east Asia, K-pop continued to increase its presence in the lexicon of Asia's popular culture, being known as part of a wider brand of exported Korean Entertainment named Hallyu. Outside Asia, social media and video sharing sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit and Twitter had a significant influence in promulgating awareness of Korean pop to new western audiences. Shareable, high-production value music videos, eye-catching fashion and slick choreographies paired with music influenced by western pop trends helped establish K-pop as an intriguing online spectacle. The genre proved it could convert viral success into commercial success in 2012, when Psy's "Gangnam Style" became a breakout viral hit topping the music charts of more than 30 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom as well as No.2 in the United States.
  Globalisation had afforded K-pop groups continued expansion into the Western markets, most notably the United States, through tours, online downloads and streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, who added more K-pop to their libraries in response to increased demand from K-fans. Korean Female group 2NE1 and male groups Exo and BTS all charted on the Billboard 200 albums chart with Korean language albums in the 2010s. These albums, although recorded in Korean, incorporated English-language phrases and slang terms into their lyrics and used popular western music trends of the time such as Hip-Hop, R&B, EDM, Tropical House, Deep House and Trap Music to their benefit.  Similar to the bubblegum pop groups of the 1990s, K-pop occupies a predominantly youth demographic despite the language barrier. Leading K-pop acts were Girls' Generation, 2NE1, Big Bang, Super Junior, Psy, Exo, BTS, Wonder Girls, 2PM, NCT, Mamamoo, GFriend, Blackpink, Twice, GOT7, Momoland and Red Velvet. Despite advancements in the visibility of the genre, K-pop was yet to fully establish and solidify a Korean "East-to-West" crossover act within the global music industry, this being the dream goal of many Korean entertainment companies.
  Domestically, young Korean Indie acts K-Indie as well as Korean Urban contemporary acts rose to higher prominence than ever before. The influence of North American pop and hip-hop culture remained visible through young Korean artists as K-Hip-hop and K-R&B emerged from the underground and discovered newfound commercial viability on Korea TV and Radio as well as domestic music streaming services.
caption: In the 2010s, the K-pop group BTS broke numerous records in South Korea and the rest of the world, with the hit songs "DNA", "Fake Love", and "Idol", and obtaining an immense fanbase globally.
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