EXO

EXO is a popular K-Pop boy group formed by SM Entertainment. During the group's first year it promoted as two separate units with six members each: EXO-M, who mainly promoted in China, and EXO-K, who mainly promoted in Korea.
The group's current members are Suho (Kim Junmyeon) (leader), Xiumin (Kim Minseok), Byun Baekhyun, Chen (Kim Jongdae), Park Chanyeol, D.O. (Do Kyungsoo), Kai (Kim Jongin), Oh Sehun.
The status of Lay (Zhang Yixing) is unclear, as he hasn't participated in group activities in person since 2017, left SM in April 2022 and has been absent from group releases since 2021. Former members are Tao (Huang Zitao), Kris (Wu Yifan) and Lu Han.
The group has two Sub-units: EXO-CBX, consisting of Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin; and EXO-SC, which consists of Sehun and Chanyeol. Most members, except for Chanyeol and Sehun, have solo music careers of their own; all members, except for Chen, have solo acting careers of their own. 
==Fandom==
===EXO-L===
The official fanclub for EXO is called EXO-L, meaning EXO-LOVE. L is 12th letter of the alphabet, corresponding to the original 12 members of the group. It is also between K and M, which is meant to symbolize EXO-L promoting EXO worldwide alongside EXO-K and EXO-M. All KPop [Updated] EXO announce fanclub name, 'EXO-L'!
 (Accessed 24 February 2021) 
Because the group existed for over two years before being given an official fanclub name, there was a lot of speculation what the name might be. Many early international EXO fans took to calling themselves Exotics. Some were disappointed when the actual name was announced, while others found the meaning behind it sweet. Kpop Your Life Say Goodbye to “Exotic” and Hello to “EXO-L” (accessed 24 February 2021) Hello K-Pop How Everyone Reacted to EXO-L Being the Official Name for EXO Fans (accessed 24 February 2021)
Some fans prefer to call themselves as Aeri (or Eri), after Baekhyun referred to the fans as such in a tweet. The name is a combination of L (prononouced as Aer) and -ie, a suffix in korean that indicates closeness and familiarity.Allkpop Forum Difference between EXO-L & Aeri? Y so many different EXO fandom names? (Accessed 24 February 2021) 
The fandom's official color is Silver, though no specific pantone has ever been stated by SM Entertainment. Perhaps due to this vagueness, fans have also claimed Cosmic Latte (#FFF8E7) as their fandom color, which has lead to the general misconception that this is the actual official color of the fandom, misinformation that's even managed to get into Koreaboo and KProfiles.Kpop Official Fan Club Names and Fan Colors (Updated!) - Kpop Profiles.These Are The Official Colors For 40+ K-Pop Artists, Koreaboo. 7-May-2022. These Are All The Official Colors Of 30+ K-Pop Artists, Mikayla Berry for Koreaboo. 25-Jul-2020. 
Some fans believe this goes back to 2015 and it's due to a verse in the song Love Me Right, 내 우주는 전부 너야 (my entire universe is you), and Cosmic Latte being "the average color of the universe as perceived from the Earth". 
====Lightstick====
There are three version of the official EXO lightstick. Version 1.0 was used for their early concerts, 2.0 was released in 2017 and version 3.0 was released in 2019. The three are similar in design, with the top looking like the EXO logo, but version 1.0 is black while version 2.0 and 2.0 are white. Version 2.0 also introduced the added feature that during concerts the light will sync with the performance. Kpop Fashion EXO Lightstick – Official Version 2 – Price and Where to Buy 2017 (Accessed 24 February 2021) While version 1.0 and 2.0 are sold out, version 3.0 of the lightstick can be purchased via the official SM Entertainment webshop. SM Global Shop EXO Official Fanlight Ver 3.0 (Accessed 24 February 2021)
==== Solo Fandoms ====
As do many other big k-pop acts, EXO has always had a huge problem with solo stanning. As members have set off into their own solo ventures, both in the music and acting industries, members' solo fandoms have grown and solidified, resulting in extreme fandom in-fighting. Among the new fans who discover them through their solo work, there's big sentiments of dissatisfaction aimed at SM Entertainment for not managing talents the way fans wish or expect, as well as animosity against the other members of the group.
With the exception of Baekhyun, all members have uniquely named solo fandoms, though most of these have never been acknowledged by the artists. There's also cases of members having more than one solo fandom name.
* Suho: bunny citizen or bunnyzen. From 토끼백성, literally rabbit people, adopted by international fans as bunny citizen. This is a nickname Suho came up with for fans who called him rabbit prince (토끼왕자님) and was adopted as his fandom solo name.The sincerity of all the EXO-Ls and Rabbit realm people worldwide has been conveyed to me so I’m really happy. Thank you. I love you. I hope my sincerity can be conveyed to you as well. Translated and reposted by fyexo on 5-Jun-2018
* Xiumin: elsas. Adopted after the Disney character from Frozen, Elsa, who has ice powers similar to Xiumin's. Since 2022, also fairies. Xiumin came up with the term during promotions for his solo debut album, Brand New, denoting himself the Fairy King.@xiubread (Accessed 8 March 8 2024) He's been using it since then, and fandom has embraced it as a more gender-neutral nickname.
* Baekhyun: doesn't have a widely accepted solo fandom name. Some fandom nicknames fans use include erikyoong, a combination of Eri and Kyoong (a cute way of pronouncing the last syllable of Baekhyun's name Khyun/Kyoong, 현 with the G/K sound from 백); and, according to some articles, "Baekhyun family". Other fans tend to call them Baekhyun-Ls or bbh-ls.
* Chanyeol: yeolmae. From 열매, literally fruit or berry, and the phrase 알찬 열매, literally fruitful fruit or berry, which may be the origin of Chanyeol's (찬열) name.
* Chen: soondingie. From 순딩이, a nickname Chen came up with during a chat event.Fan chat relay event translated and reposted by 카라 (Kara) (@103oclock) on twitter. 29-Jul-2015 It means gentle and innocent.'Soondingie' or 'Soondoongie' means 'naive & pure' or 'gentle'! Chen's calling us gentle and innocent lol 🙊 follow up tweet by Kara. More officially, Chen nicknamed his YouTube subscribers dandelions (민들레) in late 2019.고운 그대는 시들지 않으리(Amaranth) - 첸(CHEN) description. 17-Dec-2019
* D.O.: dandanie. From 단단이, strong ones, and 단단하다, which means strong or hard. It's connected to D.O.'s superpower, which is Earth or super strength (or both).
* Kai: erigom. From Eri+곰 (gom, bear). Fans call him bear and he has adopted the nickname.
* Sehun: xunqi. Originally coined by Sehun's extensive Chinese fanbase and later adopted by international fans, Xun comes from Sehun's Chinese name and Qi from 骑士 (qíshì, knight).
* Lay Zhang: either XBACK or Xingmi. His official fandom name is XBACK ("Xing-Baby-Alliance-Crowned-King"), an abbreviation of 兴的宝贝同盟到一起加冕为王 (Xing's babies' alliance came together to crown the king), which also gets abbreviated to 贝壳 (beike, shell), by Chinese fans, and 贝壳r (beiker) by Lay. XBACK is a name Lay came up with, and it's debatable if it's exclusively his international fandom name, as Chinese fans also call themselves 兴迷 (Xingmi, fans of Xing).The Xingmi Handbook Many fans also prefer Xingmi to XBACK, because this is a fandom name that predates Lay's involvement with SM Entertainment and EXO; his followers started calling themselves that around 2005, when he became a child celebrity in his home town of Hunan, China.
===Charity Work===
As with most K-Pop fandoms, EXO-L have collected a lot of donations for charity in the name of their fandom and EXO over the years. EXO as a group have also been credited with doing private charity work and donating generously to good causes.Koreaboo Ways EXO Used Their Outreach to Promote Benevolence and Generosity (Accessed 24 February 2021) Many of the members have also asked fans not to send them birthday presents, but rather to use the money they might have spent on them to help those in need instead.Kpop Map Fans Touched By Reasons Of EXO Members To Not Receive Gifts Anymore (Accessed 24 February 2021) Because of this, many fan groups organize donation drives to celebrate the birthday of a member instead.
An incomplete list of charity projects by EXO-L between 2014 and 2017 can be found here.
In 2020, Korean EXO-L collected almost 13 million won for Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to be used to prevent spread of the Corona Virus. AllKpop EXO-L donate nearly 13 million won to coronavirus relief and prevention efforts on behalf of EXO (Accessed 24 February 2021)
==Controversies==
===Kris Leaving EXO===
In May 2014 Kris filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, asking to terminate his contract.Quora When did Kris Wu leave EXO? (Accessed 10 March 2021) The reasons he named for wanting to leave were that he had been diagnosed with myocarditis due to the rigorous schedule, and that SM did not treat him with respect.AllKpop EXO's Kris seeking to nullify contract with SM Entertainment (Accessed 10 March 2021) Soompi Kris (Wu Yi Fan) Releases Official Statement in Response to SM Entertainment’s Lawsuit (Accessed 10 March 2021) It was the start of a long legal process that ultimately led to Kris being the first member to leave the group. 
The members of the group expressed confusion and hurt over Kris' actions, and many of the Korean fans felt betrayed by his actions. Some even claimed that his actions were typical of Chinese people, and that it was to be expected after Chinese Super Junior member Hangeng had terminated his contract with SM in a similar way. Netizen Buzz EXO's Kris files a lawsuit to terminate his contract with SM (Accessed 10 March 2021)
These reactions angered some fans, who felt there was nothing treacherous about Kris doing what he had to in order to be free and happy. Instead he was judged harshly because he was the first to leave, and because he did not share his intentions with the members an EXO vs Kris mentality arose among some fans. Exo ft Kyungsoo Analysis of the Ex-Members’ Departure (Part 1 - Kris) (Accessed 10 March 2021) 
===Baekhyun's Dating News===
On July 19, 2014 a series of pictures showing Baekhyun in a car with Taeyeon, a SNSD member, were released by DispatchSoompi Updated: SM Confirms, Girls’ Generation Taeyeon and EXO Baekhyun Are Dating (Accessed 08 March 2021). Shortly after the news broke, SM Entertainement confirmed that they were indeed dating each other :
Many fans were upset with the news, and a petition asking for Baekhyun to leave Exo was quickly created. It gathered about 1,800 signatures before it was deleted. Hellokpop Fans demand Baekhyun to leave Exo after dating scandal (Accessed 08 March 2021)
Some fans also contacted SBS's Inkigayo to ask Baekhyun to step down from his job as a MC in the music show. 
Baekhyun also had to face fans calling him a "betrayer" while recording this show.Soompi Fans Start Chanting “Traitor” at EXO’s Baekhyun During “Inkigayo” (Accessed 08 March 2021)
The backlash was so intense that Baekhyun published an apology letter on Instagram
While he deleted it soon after, this post gathered a lot of attention. 
Some people were accusing him of not being able to protect Taeyeon from hateful comments :
But he also received many supportive comments :
The dating news also started various theories, some more serious than other: 
Baekhyun and Taeyeon allegedly broke up on September 2015, after what seems to have been an on and off relationship. Koreaboo Taeyeon and Baekhyun are no longer a couple (Accessed 08 March 2021)Koreaboo Truth behind Baekhyun and Taeyeon couple’s break up revealed by close friends (Accessed 08 March 2021)
===Chen's Marriage Announcement===
In 2020 Chen announced that he would be marrying his girlfriend, while also hinting at the fact that she was seven months pregnant. This sudden news divided EXO-L, and many reacted strongly to what they felt was a large betrayal. 
EXO-L ACE, a large Korean Fanbase released a statement where they asked SM to remove Chen from the group. The reasons they listed were that Chen's actions reflected badly on the rest of the group, the fandom "falling apart" due to conflicting opinions about the news, and worry about EXO's future promotion schedule. Koreaboo EXO-L ACE Release Official Statement Demanding Chen Be Dismissed From The Group (Accessed 24 February 2021) Similarly, the fanbase DC Inside EXO called for a boycott of EXO's promotions until Chen was no longer part of the group. SCMP.com Why Chen of K-pop group EXO’s ‘selfish choice’ has upset so many fans – and is the ‘toxic’ response fair? (Accessed 24 February 2021) 
Some fans were so opposed to Chen's actions that they organised a silent protest outside of a building owned by SM. About 50 masked fans participated, holding signs. The Star Upset fans demand that 'betrayer' Chen leave EXO, after marriage announcement (Accessed 24 February 2021)The Korea Herald Why Chen’s engagement is dividing EXO fans (Accessed 24 February 2021)
Other fans reacted to the announcement with glee and humour, congratulating Chen and making jokes about how Sehun (who is the youngest member) would no longer be the baby of the group. Koreaboo 30+ Funniest Netizen Reactions To Chen’s Impending Marriage And Fatherhood (Accessed 24 February 2021) Especially international EXO-L condemned what they found to be toxic behaviour by the Korean EXO-L. To show their support, they made hashtags #AlwayswithCHEN and #EXOLBelievesInEXO9 trend on Twitter and organized streaming parties meant to boost Chen's music. @ForChenUnion (Accessed 24 February 2021) 
In February SM released a statment in support of Chen, letting fans know he would continue as a part of the group. Soompi SM Releases Official Statement Regarding Chen And EXO’s Future Activities (Accessed 24 February 2021) Following the controvercy, Chen also posted a letter where he apologized to fans for his poor wording and the suddenness of the news. He also thanked them for their love. Soompi EXO’s Chen Apologizes To Fans Over Engagement Announcement (Accessed 24 February 2021) 
Chen's daughter was born in April 2020, and twitter saw an outpour of support and love, making the hashtags #WelcomEXOPrincess and #종대야_축하해 ("Jongdae, congratulations") trend worldwide. Insider Fans reacted with support and love following reports that K-pop idol Chen, of EXO, welcomed his first child into the world (Accessed 24 February 2021)
==Shipping==
As of February 2021, there are over 40k works listed under EXO on Ao3. In late December 2023, the EXO tag hit 50k works. 
===Pairings===
: See: List of EXO Relationship Names
Because of the large number of works, all EXO members are shipped with each other (including themselves) as well as former members. However, some pairings are more popular than others. As of 2024, the ten most tagged ships on AO3 are:
#Baekhyun/Chanyeol
#Jongin/Kyungsoo
#Jongin/Sehun
#Chanyeol/Kyungsoo
#Baekhyun/Kyungsoo
#Jongdae/Minseok
#Junmyeon/Sehun
#Lu Han/Sehun
#Lu Han/Minseok
#Baekhyun/Jongdae
===Tropes===
Popular tropes in EXO works include:
*Modern non-idol AUs, like College AU and High School AU
*Omegaverse Dynamics
*Historical AU
==Example Fanworks==
=== Fanfiction ===
*camera (shy) - jongin is suho's biggest fan, but strangely enough, he finds deceptively mild-mannered joonmyun even more intriguing. (curledupkitten)
*Hunt Me Down - The streets held a lot of opportunities, there were many things you could do, many things you could become, many things that could happen to you. Chanyeol had chosen his own path when he was nothing but a child and he had never strayed away from it, now being a member of one of the most infamous assassin clans of the country and carrying the role of sniper. However, he hadn't foreseen their deals getting called off one by one to be given to a new assassin that no one knew anything about besides his odd name. He hadn't expected a confrontation that would throw his whole world into one big dark cloud of confusion either. (Bbaegi)
*without you to hold i'd be freezing - Everyone around Chanyeol talks about how love hides behind every corner, but they are all wrong. The only thing that hides behind a corner is a short asshole who bumps into Chanyeol on a particularly busy morning and spills Chanyeol's coffee when he needs it the most. (mychogiway)
*Following You Into The Dark - After witnessing their parents' brutal murder, brothers Kim Jongdae and Kim Jongin were forced to flee their home and forge an entirely new method of living to ensure their survival. Since the tender ages of 7 and 9, they’ve had to survive by their own means, living in a constant fear of an unidentified enemy that Jongdae code named, Them. Jongdae had begun to believe that perhaps as horrible as the event that night was, it was just a per chance instance. But the day when that belief is challenged, Jongdae has no choice but to accept that the relations run a lot deeper than he originally envisioned. That there is something connecting his family with Them. That there’s a personal vendetta somewhere along the lines. Jongdae knows this now, but he also knows they’ve messed with the wrong person this time around, and even if it kills him, he swears the outcome this time will be different. (nyxsomnium)
*Phoenix - The mercenary crew of the Phoenix takes on the dangerous job of kidnapping three genetic experiments and bringing them across the galaxy, unaware that the scientist who created is chasing them to get his children back. Written as a part of the Exordium Challenge. (unniebee)
*call me daddy, call me baby - chanyeol is going broke for his baby, but he would do anything to keep him...even if that means becoming a baby himself. (Okamiwind)
*EXO-L/Army fanfiction on Twitter
=== Fanart ===
* by mardyart, published July 19, 2018
* by 38sr, published February 22, 2018
* by peachyfrosty, published May 28, 2018
=== Fan Videos ===
Like most K-pop stans, EXO-Ls make a variety of video content about EXO: compilations of funny moments with captions and added commentary, fancam-style edits to popular music, fake music videos, edited official music videos, sliding pictures compilations set to music, comparing EXO members to anime or other fictional characters, and straight up memes.
==== "Crack" style videos ====
*yep4andy 
*hannipunk 
*xiuxiu 
==== Fake Music Videos ====
* EXO 엑소 'Runaway' Special Film by Cosmic Futurism.
* ♪ [FMV] 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐧 - EXO by BEE LALA.
* EXO - Baby You Are 90s FMV by monadchi.
==== Fancam-style edits ====
* #SEHUN: hoes might've never liked me, and i'm fine with it. by @sehuncybers.
* kai ballerino era by @samsoo_ on TikTok
Memes
* chipi chipi chapa chapa meme by @cbcbcb61 on TikTok.
Others
* Levi and Sehun by @gwlsehun on TikTok.
* Ezreal and Baekhyun by @Candyy_Baekhyun.
* #EXO : Happy 11th anniversary <3 by @exorelics.
==Fannish Resources==
===Archives===
*EXO works at AO3
*EXO works at Asianfanfics
:See: List of EXO Fests and Exchanges
=== LiveJournal Communities===
*sonyeoncheonji - fanworks community (2011-2020)
*history-exofics - fanworks community (2012-2018)
*exo-het - het fanworks community (2012-2016)
===LiveJournal Challenges ===
*snjc_reversebb - reverse bang challenge (2012-2014)
*The Exordium, The Primordium, & The Microcosm (2015-2016)
*yourmafiaexo - prompt fest for Mafia AUs (2015-2016)
*aideshou - challenge community (2012-2014)
*runandgun - fic exchange (2012-2013)
*femmexo - femslash fanworks monthly challenge (2014-2015)
*girlexochange - fem!EXO fic exchange (2014-2016)
*exoficpalette - palette prompt challenge, see rules (2015)
*exoparents - prompt fest for EXO members as parents (2015)
*hp-exolliarmus - Harry Potter AU-themed prompt fest (2015-2018)
===Twitter Fests===
*Baeconandeggs (on wordpress)- chanbaek prompt fest (2014-current)
==Other Resources ==
*Wikipedia
*Member Profile
===Official Accounts===
*Official Website
*Twitter
*Instagram
*Facebook
*Youtube
==References==
*