We are entering the 5th Generation of Kpop 

I’d say that one of the main differences between the third and fourth gen is that there were only a handful of extremely popular groups in the third gen, but the fourth gen is overall more popular broadly and think that is what makes the fourth gen different

I think one of the factors makes it hard to believe that 5th gen is actually starting is because 4th gen still feels so fresh, tho probably because the pandemic really mess up my sense of time 😅

I also think it’s sort of silly to try to say “hey the 5th gen starts now” it will happen naturally. When the shift from 3>>4 happened it wasn’t something we all collectively agreed on, it happened retrospectively

The 4th generation felt short also because 3rd generation defyed the 7 year curse. Most 2nd gen groups reduced/left the industry at the start or mid 3rd gen. However with the ending of the 7 year curse this would be the new norm!!! We are starting 5th Gen groups and still have brilliant 3rd gen groups who are not leaving. Which is a win win situation!!! Your music is what will define you❤

The way people are unironically calling Itzy a third Gen group and shoving all the older groups into 3rd Gen is funny to me because it’s the same thing that happened at the beginning or 3rd Gen because people don’t like change.

I can tell you're a college student because I'm literally never awake when you upload and we're in the same time zone 😅

Being a 3rd gen fan bro i feel so old 😂

I feel like in the future, we’ll know when 5th generation starts. During the pandemic, I remember watching videos explaining the different generations and what terrines them but one thing I will always remember is that it takes time for fans to know when the beginning of a new generation happens. One of the best examples is from 2nd to 3rd generation where majority of K-pop fans weren’t aware that a shift occurred during that time but now looking back at it in the future, many people have came to the consensus that Exo debuting was the beginning of the 3rd gen but at the time we didn’t know that. We didn’t realize that a new gen started cause we need the time to differentiate the generations. For 4th gen, I believe that (G)-Idle and Izone debuting was the beginning of 4th gen because that is when we see the shift of direction in music style. For me it’s incredibly hard to say that (G)-Idle or Izone are in the 3rd generation now but it’s important to remember that when they debuted they were considered 3rd gen groups. Like Izone wasn’t 4th gen until after they disbanded when people realized that the shift began with them. And I think the same thing will happen with 5th gen. We can’t say when it’ll start because we’ll have to see what differentiates 4th and 5th gen. Who knows, maybe New Jeans will become the start of 5th gen in the future if we see more of a Y2K or softer concept compared to the heavy teen crush we saw in 4th gen, which I have a feeling is where we’re heading. Anyways, thank you for reading this far of you did 😊😊

The thing is 3rd gen groups like blackpink and nct didn’t start getting super successful until around end of 2017 and early 2018 (especially nct). So the fact that 3rd gen groups were still thriving and getting more and more popular while 4th gen was beginning might confuse some people timeline wise. Another reason as to why people think it passed so quickly is because 4th gen groups have started having real success only the past year. Next level was the very first actual 4th gen hit and since then we’ve had love dive, after like, tomboy, hype boy (all of which are very recent) so I guess some fans think it’s too soon to move onto a new gen when 4th gen are finally establishing themselves

honestly, 5th gen starting makes sense. groups like 8turn, xikers, and now boynextdoor are all debuting with concepts and sounds that are completely different to groups like the boyz, stray kids, ateez, and txt. plus with some debuts last year from newjeans and fifty fifty, i felt like it pushed and influenced a new style of k-pop. with recent debuts, it feels quite fresh, colorful, bright, and have hints of y2k. the 4th gen didn’t really have this style until last year and since it’s becoming big, change doesn’t hurt! hopefully what i said makes sense

I’m kinda at the point where I feel the 5th gen will launch with groups such as BoyNextDoor, ZB1 and BabyMonster. I feel those groups are gonna be the starters!

Part of the reason I feel like we’re still in 4th gen right now is because I haven’t felt that heavy shift yet, it’s a feeling I don’t know how to describe but I remember in the transition from 3rd to 4th a big sign to me were the debuts of TXT and Itzy. At that time it was BigHit’s first group after the explosion of BTS and JYP’s first girl group after Twice’s takeover. It was like a feeling of “oh hey these companies are pushing out the new wave”. I don’t think we’ll get that feeling of little sister and brother groups debuting again in new generations because of just how close groups from the same companies are debuting. I think I’ll start feeling that same shift when LOUD and BabyMonster début since JYP hasn’t had a boy group (Xdinary Hero’s is a band so I’m not counting them in the boy group sphere in the same way SKZ is) in awhile and YG hasn’t had a new gg for even longer so I think the shift will start hitting a lot harder during those debuts.

It seems Generations are getting short and shorter... it is quite interesting to see in Kpop. 1st Gen was 10 years, 2nd Gen was 8 years (with the debut of TVXQ), 3rd Gen was about 6 years (with the debut of B.A.P. and EXO), and then 4th Gen is now in it 5th year now. Isn't that interesting to see. People say the Golden Years of Kpop was back during 2nd Gen, and yet that Gen didn’t even last a decade like first Gen did. It is quite interesting to see Kpop stans react to this change. 5th Gen is still a question mark for me. I see all of these outlets say they are gonna make their 5th Gen groups, and I am thinking to myself, "Okay, if they are gonna make these idols 5th Gen what are these companies gonna do that will completely distinguish 5th Gen from any other 4th Gen K-pop Group?" 4th Gen is very loud, bratty, and in your face, yet can be refreshing, fun, and beautiful. Not only that, but there is much more of a focus on stage presence and idol chemistry than there is with any other generation. 4th Gen has set its foundation on what it sounds like and what comes with it. People are just feeling comfortable with 4th Gen (and losing 2 years of your life, and being stuck at home). It seems like time just flies by. I do hope you are right, Taejiu, and we are in 5th Gen, but I just don't know yet. However, I will be fascinated to see what happens when these new groups debut.

I didn't realize how different early 4th gen groups were from the more recent groups until watching this. It's wild

Kpop stans not wanting groups to go global because they’ll become too successful is selfish. Like no your fave won’t be at inkigayo every week and that’s a good thing. I can’t wait to see how far these talented humans can go.

5th is gonna be interesting because it feels like more groups renew contracts and the amount of solo debutes and the idols getting younger. Then you will have groups with members in their 20s that are already close to renewal at an age where some just debute. Forget the 4th gen girl group war, thats gonna be insane

In my personal opinion, 4th gen hasn’t ended yet. The last wave of groups have yet to debut and solidify that end (if that makes sense). I call them “transitional” groups. Those groups could either be stuck between two generations or be the last ones before a switch off to the new era. I do think 4th gen will end around the next year or so. It’s tricky because generations in kpop aren’t really cut and clear, they happen gradually, so maybe that’s why people in general may be confused. However, I believe when 4th generation ends and the 5th starts, fans will just KNOW. Just like the switch from 3rd to fourth. Right now, there isn’t a majority and fans cannot come to an agreement; it’s still a split debate. I like your videos. Also the ending lmao, we all saw that coming, YG wasn’t fooling anyone.😂

I started taking in the idea of 5th gen, then it clicked me that lessarafim and newjeans debuted last year only😂😂 also I'm sorry but I'm still not over 3rd generation😂💜

Why does it feel like the actual 4th generation just started. I feel like we just peaked 4th gen now with the recent girl groups leading

I feel like kpop stans aren't ready for the 5th generation. Haven't y'all felt the shift in music since LSF and NWJS?. Even before them. We can count Fifty Fifty, Kep1er, IVE, TripleS and NMIXX in. There are many changes in concepts and sound. You can't tell me ITZY has the same sound/styling as LE SSERAFIM (they don't have the same concepts but production wise). HYBE is planning to debut more groups (Source Music, Ador, Pledis Trainee Auditions) and soon BOYNEXTDOOR is debuting. JYP will probably debut a new group called LOUD, YG Baby Monster and SM also a girl group, soon. I feel like the start of 5th gen is veery soon, sooner than we think. But again, Is it really important which generation our faves are? I mean, no one's going to call you old for stanning (G)-IDLE, ITZY, Stray Kids, TXT etc. But yeah, i might edit this later, since i'm on the way to school♡ thanks for listening to my ted talk

I think it has already started , these new groups like Adya, 8turn, Xikers, and even tripleS have a different feel to them and I think that’s one of the signifying factors of a change in generations. I don’t fully understand the fans who are acting like 5th gen starting will make 4th gen irrelevant. 4th gen groups are still very much relevant and they will continue releasing music and I think that’s something fans need to remember. I also think it’s not too early for 5th gen to begin, it’s been around the same amount of time 3rd gen had. I can kinda see how some people aren’t ready for the change, but 5th gen is inevitable and if many are saying it’s starting now I think it’s something we just have to get used to 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m one of the few it’s seems who is excited, but I can’t wait to see what this new era brings if 5th gen has for real started!

some kpop stans seem to forget that the generations don’t have a specific timeline just like general age generations. it’s the same thing how people debate what year makes you a millennials vs gen 3. realistically though the 4th gen IS going to end sooner than the 3rd gen just like 3rd gen ended sooner than 2nd gen did. generations in kpop are generally defined by a major shift in the industry, not just everyone following a trend like the retro movement but an overall shift in the general landscape of kpop. with the stark rise and international blowup of kpop and more and more groups being rushed out in the 4th gen it’s not a surprise that that shift is coming sooner than in past generations when only a handful of groups would debut each year and now you’ve got gallons of groups dumping out each year. with more groups, more options, more saturation we’re bound to get bigger changes faster. the 4th gen being “short” isn’t a bad thing. the only thing changing between a group being 4th or 5th gen is how stans will end up labeling their achievements.

10:36 pixy rinji just debuted like 5 months ago and there have already been a couple men banned from their tours for being super creepy towards her :( it’s so upsetting

i personally have mixed reactions regarding the start of 5th gen. like it makes sense it's gonna start but i also didnt like how it's gonna start by being told it does . maybe bc it's my first time witnessing a shift in the kpop scene but i usually see the generations as an organic shift of overall sound and culture of kpop, not bc it was said by news outlets idk. im p sure 2022 is where a shift happens and mostly bc it's from newjeans but then iirc lsf and nmixx debuted later than them but i still see them as 4th gen. so i feel like right now, it's gen 4.5 like how 2017-2018 is used to be gen 3.5. but then let's just see now with another way of debuts coming up this yr whether or not we can truly tell a new gen has started

Simply put 3rd gen is still thriving and most are still reaching new heights, which makes it seem like the 4th gen is only halfway through. Twice, Blackpink, BTS, and SVT are still very successful worldwide and in Korea. Really I think the pandemic helped groups like EXO and BTS. For BTS in particular, 2020 was supposed to be their last tour as a group before the military and solo activities. The pandemic gave fans an extra album and 3 English songs. EXO was planning a big comeback with all the members (although Kai can't participate so I don't know what will happen). The pandemic made some of their military services seem short. Most members were done with it by the end of 2023 and they only have two more left. On the other hand 4th gen was definitely hurt by the pandemic. Some of these groups debuted without a crowd and had very limited interactions with fans since there were no tours or fan meets. And many groups disbanded in 4th gen.

I wouldn't say we're entering 5th gen yet. NewJeans, IVE, and Le Sserafim all just got started, and they're all firmly 4th gen. They'll dominate the space for a little while, I think. Maybe next year or the year after that?

i believe that when groups like newjeans, le sserafim, nmixx and ive debuted we truly started to see a shift in the scene, although they are still firmly set as 4th gen groups. next followed a bit of a transition period with debuts like xikers or 8turn (think of it as 4.5 gen) but with acts such as zb1, boynextdoor and babymonster debuting very soon i think we should be able to affirm them as the start of the new generation

the problem with trying to mix bgs and ggs in the same generation timeline is that they dont work the same and the markets are very different, even if 3rd gen started in 2012 with groups like exo, ggs like aoa and exid are still 2nd gen and until red velvet and every gg after we didn’t really consider a gg 3rd gen, and this has happened again in 4th gen, even if the gen is considered ti start in 2017-18 groups like gi-dle, izone and itzy were popular but never suppased the 3rd gen ggs, and it wasn’t until after the pandemic that new ggs started to chart and suppased 3rd gen and at the same time these started to disband or loose popularity, with this we really could consider the real start of 4th gen with groups like ive, aespa, new jeans… and probably baby monster who give the same vibes as this groups. another thing is that when a new generation start theres not only a change in top groups but also in concepts, sound and kpop in general, and this didn’t really happened in the start of the 4th gen for ggs, there was a natural evolution, just like in early 2nd gen to late 2nd gen, but the real change was the pandemic and the end of the 3rd gen leaders. so just in my opinion the 4th gen for ggs really started in 2020-21 and this year will see other groups like fifty fifty, baemon and more debut under 4th gen, and seeing the groups from early 4th gen almost all seem like senior like idle (who one member was in pd101 s1 and another was going to debut in bo) or izone who is disbanded at this point, and for itzy, they were the ones that really seem to start this gen for ggs but with their gradual loose of popularity and jyp debuting nmix this soon seemd that jyp really don’t care about them that much anymore (which is sad because i love itzy and they deserve better), in general we really need to wait to see what would happen, cause usually generations arent just choose by mnet to do mediaplay or to give my favs achivements that they woudnt have if they werent 4th gen (just like no one were arguing if bp or twice were 3rd gen or giving their 3rd gen récords because they broke real récords), a generation start when they suppased the old one, when the gp and koreans decide to change interest and when theres a real change in sound, visuals and market, i mean this is just my opinion and everyone can have their own

I’ve been a Kpop listener since 2nd and you can tell the difference in sounds from each generation

In terms of girl groups, the industry shake up last year with the monster rookies would normally be considered as "yeah, this is when the 5th generation came about" but other than NewJeans, the biggest players shaking things up were 4th gen survivalists. IVE and LE SSERAFIM has remnants of one of the biggest 4th gen groups in K-pop in their groups and (G)I-DLE has been one the faces of the 4th gen for a while now. No one can deny it was those groups who basically shifted K-pop on the path of a new direction. So I think the definition here is mirky, but if there ever was a time when we went "oh, everything's different now" it was last year. Perhaps NewJeans should be viewed as the first 5th Gen girl group, but I still think they didn't change the industry in a vacuum, so it seems an odd title to given them. They all were doing new things, but were also playing off each other at the same time. That said, if Babymonster suddenly took that title when NewJeans did the leg work, that seems a little off too? I don't know lol

Over saturation is hard, so many groups just disband because of how competitive it is. It’s sad.

I think that the only reason people are rushing to a next gen is to make their new fresh favs establish their records apart from active popular groups. But anyways NewJeans is a 4 gen group 🤷‍♀️ the current shift in kpop music sound means nothing it’s only a y2k trend which will end someday and all the groups will switch to another trend regardless of generation.

You cannot just decide we're in the 5th gen now. Thats not how it works! Some mayor shifts in music has to take place. It's more like we're in the middle of 4th gen (4th gen focusing on noisemusic, accessibility through things like tikok and "uniqueness"). Usually big 3 will debut at least 1 girl group and 1 boy group in each gen and babymonster and SMs new boy group still haven't debut. Maybe after that we can see if we get closer to a gen change. It's absolutely not something that you just suddenly decide happened. It's not a set number of years in each gen either, that's never been how it happened.

You are honestly one of the most respectful Ktubers, love your videos, I've officially subscribed

i was thinking ever since i saw your upcoming video on 5th gen about why a new generation is starting and i came up with 2 reasons one is that 4th gen is over saturated so many groups have debuted in the 4th gen and there are too many top dogs in the industry who are 4th gen right now the second reason is that the groups debuting now are debuting in a post pandemic world so that makes the debuts of 2022 part of it kind of maybe and that’s all i’ve got 4th gen felt shorter 100% bc of the pandemic and time is going by so fast alsoooo because people weren’t even convinced 4th gen had started it made it feel even shorter because it took a long time for it to be accepted

THE 3RD GENERATION WAS EVERYTHING, NOTHING CAN BEAT IT

2023 is the start of 5th gen. cool how it’s being ushered in by boy groups too. people can say what they want about rookie groups just debuting in the past years but that’s just how the gens work. groups won’t stop debuting just cuz your faves are still on the rise. like you can’t tell me that ateez and xikers are in the same gen. 5th gen has started, whether we like it or not.

Before the video, I would have said "no way, 4th gen just started" but... wow not at all actually. Covid really messed up my perception of time. I'm re-thinking everything now and I'm starting to think that we're actually already in it ever since Newjeans debuted. I really felt a shift in sounds and concepts since they started in the whole industry. But people didn't really realize it yet. Maybe I'm wrong tho, I guess we still need a bit more time and Baemon's debut to figure out when it really started. But if it's not now, it's probably soon. It'll be before 2024 in any case. Wow. I feel old now. I started to get into kpop around the end of 3rd gen.

Personally as someone who keeps denying 5th gen is starting , I admit , yes I am just scared of change tbh , I do understand why people think 5th gen is starting and alot of stuff has changed but I am just scared of such a big shift but I guess I'll have to get over it cause it's not like this is the first generation change and I especially started thinking maybe 5th gen really is starting when you compared iz*one to newjeans like they're so different

4th Generation is from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025.Already 5th?

as a kpop fan that was around during the transition from 3rd to 4th gen, there's just a feeling you get that makes you aware that the generation might end soon. i felt it with the start of the stray kids reality show, and last year there was a sort of finality that i felt when newjeans and le sserafim debuted. not that they were 5th gen, but that the 4th gen was likely ending soon. watching this video ~5 months after upload is interesting, considering as of now zerobaseone and RIIZE have debuted and are now considered to be the very first 5th gen groups.

I think after newjeans debut I kinda felt like we were going on a different direction, not because they sound or look different itself, but a new direction like they don't fit with the other 4th gen groups so well, and maybe they are in a transition into the 5th generation. Also I have a feeling that with babymonster and other new groups debut we'll see how there are theoretically 4th gen are more like a middle ground, mostly the ones that sound "unique" among the 4th gen like newjeans. I am excited for the new generation and what they new things they have for us

Im pretty sure that 5th Gen is going to start in Jan 2024

Now we're in 5th generation era

Thank you for this insight it is very helpful, you're so right time passes and everything changes let's embrace it❤❤❤

5th gen starting makes sense for me as well, i was in 7th-8th grade when 4th gen started and am now turning 20 soon and entering my sophomore year of college. time has definitely passed, let the new gen start !! idk why new kpop stan’s are so scared for it to start !

i'm not shock if *5th gen* will start very soon for example, early *3rd gen* groups like spica, exid, aoa (2012), their music is different to groups who debuted from (2016-2017) just like twice, blackpink, weki meki, dreamcatcher just like in early *4th gen* (2018-2019) groups like iz*one, itzy, or (g)i-dle, their music is different to billlie, newjeans, fifty fifty who debuted lately every gen has a changes also from concept, style and music, maybe that's reason why ppl feels like we are in 4.5 gen era so the shift from a gen to another gen will happen naturally :>

Thanks for making this video, the way you touched on all these different factors made me feel a lot less reluctant about the 5th gen approaching 😄

another reason the 4th gen may feel short to people could be due to oversaturation or the amount of groups that are constantly debuting. lol nvm you mentioned that

(Yeah I'm writing another comment) If you're so afraid of change, look at 3rd gen groups TWICE and Red Velvet. Technically they are 3rd gen groups, but they are still around and still relevant. TWICE is even in a golden era and is show NO signs of stopping. Change didn't effect them, they moved on with the times. So don't be afraid for your favorite groups. If the fanbase is there and their willingness to continue is also, they'll still be around. Didn't recently we got SNSD and Kara comebacks? So it's not a big deal.

I would say that 5th generation starts late 2023/2024... i think it's still a bit too early but a lot of new groups are debuting soon😅

Tbh I felt like to the shift to 4th gen in 2018 was pushed by kpop companies to the media, just like MNet is doing for 5th gen. Back in 3rd gen, nobody was saying "Bigbang was the 2nd gen king of kpop" or "BTS is the 3rd gen nation's treasure" or "Twice is the 3rd gen nation's gg." They just were overall holders of the said titles. But when new groups had a hard time gaining traction since 3rd gen groups were so massively successful, suddenly we see companies pushing for 4th gen and then we now see that this and that group are the "4th gen leaders" "4th gen it boy/girl" "1st or faster 4th gen..." Etc. That's gonna be the same with 5th gen. Mnet is pushing for it to "set new records" and distance from the 4th gen.

My one question . Why this "generation" thing even exist. Haven't seen such things in any other music industry😅😅😅 Btw Really great video.🎉

I think it will always be defined by shifts, it really is just a feeling. I think right now is the perfect time for 5th gen to start as 4th gen has started and ended with their heavy hitters and the last few all debuted around the same time (Le sserafim, Newjeans) and there hasn't been any groups after them to get as popular now it's basically a year later and there are big groups coming but there's a clear time gap so it feels more like another shift rather than just more groups being added to 4th gen, especially because the boys planet group seem like they will be big and honestly we haven't had any majorly popular bgs for 4th gen in a while, so definitely the start of 5th gen happening with them makes sense to me. I think it confuses people because in past gens you saw the previous gen start to fade a bit as the new one got popular however some of the biggest kpop groups right now are still from 3rd gen, and it wasn't until later 4th gen (around 2020-2021) that we started getting so many 4th gen hits but I think this will just be a new normal with how global and popular kpop is now than back then. It isn't just solely reliant on how well groups are doing in south korea or asia anymore and more people means more fans that are gonna hold on and keep you popular. I think people will find it easier if they don't view 5th gen coming as a way of saying 3rd-4th gen is old or unimportant they're all still new and fresh and/or extremely popular and loved and 4th gen will probably be the same as 3rd gen still dominating while the 7th gen is debuting because that's just how it seems to be now. 4th gen still have plenty of time to grow I see it the way the later 3rd gen groups took a while to really become established (NCT especially for an sm group) so yea I think it's starting now but it's really just a title because all these groups are gonna remain popular for a long time.

having a leader in the 4th gen is subjective depending on who you ask. it's hard to pinpoint one group when there are so many popular groups

I think in the 5th gen english speaking idols will be the norm. More of a blend in english/korean lyrics

We're still in 4th gen towards the tail end. 5th gen will debut sometime in 2024.

For real, we still on 4th Generation If all people in K-Pop follow the 8 year cycle, the 5th Generation is still yet to start Remember, 4th Generation start in 2020 2018-2019 is the Transition year, so group like (G)I-DLE, ITZY, TXT, Stray Kids, ATEEZ etc. is the part of 3rd Generation not 4th Generation

I believe the transition started with new jeans, they shook the kpop industry and took their debut strategy out of the comfort zone is it the fifth yet? idk but we're definitely transitioning

I wouldn't be shocked if retrospectively we considered the girl group wave of 2022 the start of 5th gen.

So 4th started around 2018 and you want it to end technically 2022 in five years is insane, till now 4th gen didn’t end yet !!

so excited for the fifth gen tbh!!!

Whats the purpose of having these generations in kpop anyway? The purpose (if any) would define how each generation is delineated in a clear cut manner.

When 4th gen started I was a senior in high school and now I’m living alone in a different country about to graduate with a masters degree lol

Thank you for your video! I have read some of the comments with great interest, since I only started getting seriously into kpop in 2022 and still have a lot to learn. Hearing about the potential rise of a 5th gen, the first question that popped in my mind has been: what would be this 5th gen? Because from what I have read, all generations in kpop have been defined by their commercial and cultural impact: 1st gen started the kpop industry, 2nd gen made it into a major economical market, 3rd gen pushed kpop onto the international scene and 4th gen established kpop as a popular international music genre. So considering these observations, what could a 5th gen achieve more ? I genuinely don't hold the answer and I'm very excited to see if it eventually comes to me! Aside from the cultural and economical aspects, I do agree though that every kpop generation has its typical sounds and aesthetics. Considering this part of the analysis, I align with people saying that NewJeans could represent the start of a transition into 5th gen. Lastly, I also agree with the fact that the big kpop industries lead the way and them debuting new groups can surely mark the rise of a new gen - just like BigHit did when TxT debuted as the first "little brothers" of BTS (I am adding to this example that BigHit has launched a recruiting campaign for their next boy group at the beginning of 2023. We can maybe expect a new group in 2024-2025, which would indeed mark a 3rd step in BigHit's growth). As people said in the comments, History can only be defined once it happened: we can't know for sure yet if, and when a next generation will start - but in a few years, we'll be able to look back on our current situation and define what happened at this time. I'm excited to witness the kpop industrie's growth (I would personally also enjoy a slowing down in the industry, with less comebacks but more groups composing and producing their own music... It would be amazing and bring the industry to a whole other level of quality, raising artists and not only performers!)!

I think the thing with 4th gen is that, some 3rd gen groups like BTS & black pink are still dominating with streams, album sales, even with award shows and all, so 3rd gen never really went away. Plus I agree there is no 4th gen leader because of the sheer volume of groups debuting, too much competition that one group starts out strong and then just fizzles away. Another problem with 4th gen is too much focus on numbers, companies are not trying to create groups for longevity and that is something 4th gen lacks. You see how other generations produced groups that even years after we still respect and remember them & their songs like SNSD, shinee, EXO, BTS, bigbang, TVXQ, 2NE1, TWICE…4th gen don’t have this, it’s all about numbers and faking popularity. Just because a video has 100m views doesn’t mean they are popular if most of those views are from ads or if an album tops with sales but has countless versions, or the premature push into luxury brand deals & western market, it all feels forced. This isn’t to say they don’t have good groups or potential, my fave 4th gen group is TXT. Main reason asides from their music is because their growth doesn’t seem forced, they’ve gone step by step, you know the saying “slow but steady wins the race” that’s the case with them and that’s why I feel they’ll have longevity.

Cool video once again! I agree we should embrace aging as well, and learn to simply appreciate the present more. At the end of the day, the "5th generation" is just a label, we decide how much power to give it. To add on to your point about change at @17:57, I think kpop fans are not only fearful of aging themselves, but also of their favorite groups aging as well. As a repercussion of aging, said groups may lose momentum in terms of popularity, not receive as many promotions from their company in favor of younger groups, splinter off with solo activities, or entirely disband. In the case of fans of boy groups, enlistment is also something that's always looming, and the potential effects enlistment may have on their favorite group.

You said the 4th gen has been as long as previous generations, but we're around the 5th or 6th year of the 4th gen, and previous ones lasted a couple more years than that at least. I was thinking thst maybe it could make sense for it to be shorter if there were way more artists debuting, but I just looked at some lists of groups that debuted in the years 2011 (I counted 43), 2015 and 2022 (I counted 60 something for each). It seems that throughout 4th gen there hasn't been a huge increase in the number of artists debuting so that doesn't explain the shorter span.

A 4° geração só está no seu pico e essa "era" de transição do audiovisual apenas acabou, agora dá pra saber que "Nossa, é realmente 4ª geração, tem algo diferente"

13:29 THIS IS SO FREAKING TIRING! i love kpop but i need to focus on uni too and all and even just keeping up with new release (i gave up on watching the variety shows of idols that arent my ults) feels impossible. i like to digest music peacefully but there's always new music coming out before i could finish listening to the other ones... plus i want to listen to groups like fx and shinee, but its all so much! if nowadays they want to release music, then do what you want, but stop releasing music just because. it turns me off so much - this happened with skz & twice especially. i know that like skz have a ton of music on their laptop wainting to be released, but i really which they'd learn to better filter out their songs and focus on releasing the better ones. japanese releases are also overwhelming, but then you listen to them and its a blander poorer version of the group's sound, and feels like a waste of time and resources. these are all subjective thoughts i have, with a ton of generalizations during the rant, but as someone who enjoys diversifying their taste, giving every song and group a chance, and not sticking to the same groups always, it's frustrating being thrown all this music. most of the time, i just give up and ignore new releases, ending up listening to the songs i already know :/

I whole heartedly believe 5th gen is starting, idk why people are saying "the 4th gen is just getting started" no honey it started 5-6 years ago😂 but whatever floats your boat i guess 🤷🏿‍♂️

the fact that people say “WE can’t move on” is insane because WE don’t control it??? And the 4th gen doesn’t need US to find a main 3-4 groups when there’s so many standout groups(NEWJEANS, Le sserafim, Izone, æspa, itzy, skz, txt, fifty fifty, ive, etc.) As for the younger idols, man, just save my poor CHILDREN ATP…the fact that Yunjin & Sakura get sexualized while being in the same group as a 15 YEAR OLD just makes me feel weird because I feel like I can’t say “Oh Hanni looks so good and really pretty here” Another thing that is sad(and true imo) is the 3rd gen gg’S falling behind, so many people say twice is not sounding like twice anymore, Blackpink doesn’t enjoy music(but that’s true tbh), and red velvet is old and overdue which breaks my 2nd and 3rd gen heart! 😭

idk i still think the shift will happen naturally and not like this year/this summer cuz i once read an article where they listed a few things you can notice when a new gen starts. first of all the current it girl and it boy would start shifting their careers (for example jennie the it girl of 3rd gen started promoting more overseas), but yeonjun and wonyoung are still active especially in korea but also international. second, you can really see a change in genre or concept (?), 3rd gen was more focused on vocals while the 4th gen is heavily focused on performance. i personally think that while new jeans had or still has a big impact on the kpop industry, they’re just trying out a new genre within the 4th. maybe they mark the end of the 4th gen but i think it’s around 2024/25 rather than this year. so groups like nj, xikers, baemon and boynextdoor just mark the final era of 4th before it shifts into 5th gen in around a year and a half i would say (they’re like late 4th gen groups)

Personally I get why people feel like it’s the start of a new gen but I don’t agree. I think while BAEMON is debuting a lil late they are a great sign that we are still in fourth gen since they are YGS fourth gen gg. I think we have one more year before 5th gen starts

i wonder if another reason we’re seeing a rise in minors debuting has to do w/ c*vid bc i presume most companies weren’t taking in trainees at the time (correct me if im wrong) so by the time auditions were posted again the majority of ppl who COULD’VE been trainees & became idols now can’t bc they’re deemed as “too old”

Same here...I got to know BTS and kpop in the late 2017 but I didn't even know that generations existed in kpop until 2022

4th gen felt short also maybe because 3rd gen groups ruled the era......in 3rd gen if i am not wrong 2nd gen didn't overshadow them....exo,twice, blackpink,red velvet and later bts blew up and ruled their own respective generation but no 4th gen group overshadowed 3rd gen and ruled the era(yes some 4th gen groups are popular but not at the top)...... don't know what will happen but if bts comes back in 2025 and blackpink do not disband, twice also....then 5th gen will be the same and once again 3rd gen will be the talk of the town.

Im not ready for this😭 everyone make a promise to never forget 1st gen groups, 2nd gen groups, 3rd gen groups, and 4th gen groups

lol again, 5th gen will happen naturally, like the others, not bc mnet n their paid kmedia say that 5th gen started is a fact 😂 even knetz still consider the groups debuting this year as 4th gen. I won't say which fandom is the one pushing this but they're just following everything mnet says like sheep lmao relax 😂 when did gen chance become so important

5th gen may be starting but I’m still on the 3rd gen and I’m not going anywhere 😂

6기 목표 기획에 대한 케이팝 걸그룹과 케이팝 보이그룹의 앞선 활약을 기대해볼 수 있겠네요🌐🙏 부탁드리고 감사드리며 2024년 날짜에 케이팝 걸그룹 6세대와 케이팝 보이즈그룹의 새로운 세대 목표 계획을 기대해보겠습니다! 🙏♥️

There are no fixed time gaps between generation in kpop. When knetz and korean media notice a drift in kpop they declare a new generation. Which already happened in 2023 mid. We international fans have no say in this, so it's pointless to argue about generations. Also many groups including groups from big4 debuting in 2023 shows that even the kpop agencies have accept the begging of new generation. There are zerobaseone, baby monster, riize, bnd, lun8, kiss of life, xikers, adya, the wind, xodiac, evvne, tiot, dream academy debuting group etc.

This just doesn't make any sense. 3rd gen was till Dec 2017 so why is 4th gen ending in just 6 yrs?? Does this generation thing work according to members age?? It just seems like people want to throw Baemon at 5th gen because they know Baemon is gonna rule 4th gen despite debuting late

my overall favs from 1st gen: lee hyori 2nd gen: snsd 3rd gen: mamamoo 4th gen: pixy

theres no way yall telling me stray kids and baby monster are the same gen like we’re def in 5th gen and 2024 debuts, like pledis new bg will solidify that

Debuting young idols has always been a thing in the industry, we're just a lot more aware of it now. I still think it's messed up having 14 and even 13 year olds debut, but I don't think the industry will ever really do anything about it (at least for now). For example, the maknae of upcoming babymonster was literally 13 when the group was announced... I'm really worried for her mental health, stans are toxic af and can really do some damage, especially to younger idols. Also, I don't really want to stan a bunch of middle schoolers, it just feels weird.

Loved the vid, I do have a qns tho. Do u think that as more young idols debut in the future, older ppl might feel weird abt listening or staining these grps due to fear of p*do accusations? And do u think that might negatively affect the industry. I’d like to see others’ opinions since I’m a young fan

So here is my opinion, I’d be glad if anyone read it! I discovered K-pop around march of 2021, starting off with Blackpink. I then continued my journey with finding out about Red Velvet, then Itzy, then Dreamcatcher, then aespa and became a gg multistan. Now, I’m starting to discover boy groups as well. I’m so ready and exited for a generation change! I was alsways confused of this generation thing and always envious of all the stans who lived with the change of gens. BUT I also think, like said in this video, that there’s always a flowing change and we can only tell later. I’m sitting here with my tea and super ready to watch and see. I also think: 4th gen is special because it has sooo many leaders and interesting groups, and one of the biggest 4th groups you’d think of debuted only last year (IVE, lesserafim, newjeans etc etc.). I think like this: This new phase with more chill music (like ADYA, Fifty fifty, Newjeans) and more “meaningful” self-esteem boosting music (like Lesserafim, IVE, Newjeans-> this is different from self-loving music like Itzy and cignature did) could be the last phase of gen 4 (meaning we’ll probably start when it fades off again)or the START of gen 5 (meaning we’re actually in the flow between the gens right now). Both of them seem very logically possible for me, soo

Wow your prediction was right, Kpop debuting more younger girls is correct, we have that already and right now she is considered to be the youngest in the industry, Lim seowon of unis Korean age is 12 but globally she's 11 she's about to turn 13 this year of age(12 global) You were also right about a GG that was produced for social media content only like there song is so built for the platform of tiktok use its catchy, easy to follow steps, am not going to say there name I might get hate lol but man bravo 👏👏 amazing

I can’t wait for 5th gen. I’m futuristic person.

Boy band stans don't like to hear this, but I think the "generations" are truly driven by girl group debuts. You have to ask, "what group or event has really come along that changed the sound, the style, and the landscape of the industry?" For example, most lists consider PSY releasing "Gagnam Style" in 2012 to be where 3rd Gen begins. I don't, I think he brought the 2nd Gen to the world. 3rd Gen began IMO in 2014 with (sadly) several highly publicized self-terminations and the debuts of Red Velvet and game-changers Mamamoo, includes BlackPink and IOI. 4th Gen began with the debuts of (G)i-dle, ITZY, AleXa, IZ*ONE, etc. and is still going on. No 5th yet!

As someone who has lived through the very last year of the 2nd gen and the entirety of the 3rd gen and 4th gen up to this day, I can attest to the 4th gen feeling exceptionally short due to Covid.

There is no effing way 5th generation is starting no way bruh so like if the big companies debut grp doesn't equal to new generation some fans need to understand 💀 in this sense yg never had a 4th gen girl group representative nd its too fast to say 4th gen fell off or 4th gen don't have a leader it takes time to solidify urself in the industry look at bts it took them so long to solidify themselves this so called fans who say its 5th gen or smthing they just saying so bcs they want achievements nowadays ppl are more obsessed with achievements thn music they want their grp to become 1st at something and what's the better way thn to start a new generation fast that's just my take of why this is happening its like barely 6 years we haven't even given 4th gen proper chance to showcase their abilities we're still stuck with 3rd gen 3rd gen grps are still dominating 4th gen wasn't even given chance properly if 5th gen starts now 4th gen will be the most underappreciated nd mistreated generation like literally it would mean they got the short end of the stick of going global

The fourth generation began in 2018 as a kpop fan since 2018 it was widely known that it was the start of the fourth generation so that means the fifth generation starts next year makes sense to me DareDB made a video about this in 2018 i was a fan of kpop during the beginning of fourth generation so its weird seeing everyone say 5th gen is starting when it hasn’t begun yet cause the 4th didn’t go through its 7 year run and yg entertainment has a 4th gen bg as in treasure so that makes baemon 4th gen yg gg group 🤷🏽‍♀️

since 2017 its been 7 years exactly so by 2024 the 5th gen start it is a simple calculation the problem is some people doesn't seem to be aware of the time JUST THAT .

plz excuse my poor english its not my first language T_T i will try my best to explain my point. as someone who has been kpop fan since 2009-2010 2nd gen's peak period, i just want to share that kpop generation has nothing to do with time period at all. its more about changes that we have experience and how group debuting after those changes have a certain shift in sounds, music, styling and fashion, themes and concepts, different gender politics, fan experience, fandom culture, new policies and tactics being used by kpop companies etc. the list goes on. I'm sure everyone agrees with the fact that ever since the pandemic started, the internet has literally changed. every day there's something new and people move on from one thing to another so freaking fast that they are spouting nonsense like their attention span has decreased more than goldfish. which is not true at all. the truth is somewhat different from what you keep hearing on the internet but this isnt a scientific discussion at all so i'll leave this topic here. the point is that internet becoming a big part of people's life in pandemic has changed the whole music industry and kpop is not an exception as well. tiktok became bigger than expected and artists started releasing music keeping tiktok virality in mind. weird sounding music getting recognition on different platforms for sounding "cool" or "hip" etc. on the top of that new trends in fashion, music and idol culture along with new movements to include people of different races, genders, sexuality etc. has also changed kpop industry as well. the inclusion of international fandoms by the help of technology and internet e.g. fan calls, online concerts, subtitled content etc. there are so many new changes ever since the panini happened you cant deny it. new fans arent aware of these changes bc there was an influx of new fans in 2019-2020 period, and they were late to the party.whether

The 4th gen has barely reached its peak….5th gen hasn’t started yet that’s years to come. Be f* forreal.

me a 2nd gen fan: am I super old now?

Anothee thing is that if people say that there is not leader? Well just think like this, if you check the leaders of 3rd gen were BTS and Blackpink, BP debut in 2016 and if 3rd gen ended by 2017, that means BP was just a rookie group when it was named "leader" of the gen. So is very hipocritical to say to think that groups like Itzy, SKZ, New Jeans, Ive, Ateez can't be leader because they debut no long ago.

I believe the idea is to continue with broadening the genre as a whole, there really is no need for a "Leader group" anymore because that would only diminish the Industry as a whole. There are many talented people that work hard and that is a good thing because it welcomes more fans and more jobs. So expect 5th gen to be more of the same with even more groups.