SB End-of-Year Review, 2025: K-pop Debuts Have Gotten Too Good

It’s 2025, and K-pop has gotten too good. The myriad of debuts this year were all notable (and I’d certainly encourage anyone reading this to give them all a stream or two; there are several nuggets of gold to be found amongst an already silver-laden platter). We saw intricate concepts, back-breaking choreography, and overflowing charisma. I would be remiss to ignore the uptick in live singing during broadcast stages, which would have played a much larger role in selection criteria if only almost every single group hadn’t done it. 

In previous years, our writers have judged debuts on concepts, music videos, and song production. However, these factors alone make it impossible to narrow down 2025’s best debuts to just five. I had to consider additional factors, and in the end, the five featured here were the ones I personally felt conveyed the energy of experienced groups well beyond their first year in the business. 

First, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, is Xlov. The group, made up of four members (three of whom Boys Planet viewers will recognize), debuted with a genderless concept in January. Since then, Xlov have challenged the industry with impressive, fluid choreography and fashion that few in K-pop have taken on before. Not many can pull off their particular style of dance, which marries masculine movements with feminine energy (as Kenny from 1Verse so eloquently asked of the “1&Only” choreography, “How are they doing that?”).

Beyond their extraordinary talent, catchy clubby tracks, and iconic fashion (the wigs! The makeup! The nails!), Xlov’s impact shines through the number of fans who feel safe and seen by the group — helped along by every member’s openness to all gender identities and pronouns for themselves as well as their fans, Evols. They exhibit an energy and finesse that no one else can replicate in the industry right now, and the importance of their presence in a conservative country like South Korea cannot be understated. 

Meanwhile, AtHeart have flown relatively under the radar this year, but their MV for “Plot Twist” rewards any who stumble upon it with a visual treat. Considering about half of the members have been dancing for over half of their lives, their performance skill far exceeds the average rookie group; they make juggling facial expressions, formation changes, and dance moves look easy — and, most importantly, they do so while looking like they genuinely love the stage.

Also, the production on their debut EP is just plain good. The songs embrace contemporary and cool with R&B pop sounds masterfully produced by seasoned producers like John King (one of the producers for the Fight Club soundtrack and “MMMBop” by Hanson), Rykeyz (behind Lisa’s “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)”), and Sermstyle (of Pitbull’s “Timber” fame). All it takes is one listen to understand how the whole EP ended up in my top 100 songs of 2025.

Still, 2025 was largely dominated by new boy groups. So many debuted with a certain grungy skater boy concept that they started to blur together while I was researching for this review. However, one group in particular stood out to me with not just their heaping charisma, but also their joy on stage. Starship Entertainment’s new group, Idid, was formed on a survival show, and perhaps their greatest strength is the member who ranked number one by the show’s conclusion: Kim Minjae. My eyes can immediately find Minjae, even in 240p, just by the smooth flow of his movements alone; it would just be a shame to miss out on his A+ facial performances as well!

Aside from that, their MVs are just the most fun. The fisheye lens industry made a killing off of K-pop boy groups this year, as did choreographers who can choreograph dances in a circle formation, but Idid take the visuals beyond just visuals and incorporate a silly story about a part-time job, fishing, and music into their “Push Back” MV, and ice in “CHAN-RAN,” which led me to revisit both countless times just for a pick me up while struggling to the end of the year.

We can’t end without acknowledging the singular boy band that debuted in 2025. AxMxP is FNC Entertainment’s latest boy band, and so far they’re very promising. I love recent forays into embracing different genres in K-pop, and AxMxP’s pop punk, garage rock sound is no exception. As I wrote when I first discovered them in October, their songs “remind me of my favorite pop punk bands from my youth, including All American Rejects and Simple Plan.”

Vocalist Ha Yoojoon takes on quick-tempoed raps and raucous howls in the group’s aggressive debut song, “I Did It,” but sounds like a total angel on slower tracks like “Love Poem.” My favorite remains “Season of Tears,” which perfectly captures teenage angst with beautiful harmonies and chord progressions I can’t get out of my head. 

Lastly, Ifeye captured public attention with their viral hits, “Nerdy” and “r u ok?” While “r u ok?” is more my cup of tea, the choreography for “Nerdy” had me tuning into the song’s live performances anyway, and boy are those girls giving their all. I’m not even sure if I would say the dance is particularly good, though it is certainly unique, but the group performs with such distinct movements — softness and slowness at all the right moments, balanced by speed and power at others — that it’s satisfying to watch anyway. In particular, members Kasia and Rahee are impossible to tear your eyes away from. 

Regardless of my personal taste, though, the production and songwriting quality must be acknowledged. “Nerdy” credits legendary Swedish songwriter Cazzi Opeia, who has over 100 K-pop songs under her belt, and whose work is often so ahead of trends that I often only truly understand a year or two after release, when everyone else is doing the same thing she’s already paved the way for.

Meanwhile, “r u ok?” was produced by Wonderkid, who is behind many of Enhypen’s greatest tracks (no wonder I, a hardcore Engene, like it so much). What’s more, many of the producers and songwriters of Ifeye’s tracks remain the same between their first and second EPs released this year, which indicates to me that their company is interested in a strong and consistent creative direction that will continue in the same vein across releases. 

Of course, with the way I sang such high praises of this year’s rookies, it’s impossible not to acknowledge any honorable mentions. Basically every rookie group of 2025 has something valuable to offer, but I particularly adored what Hearts2Hearts brought to the table. Their discography so far is perfect to me (I loooove “Apple Pie,” both the song as well as the food), and they exhibit the standard SM vocal ability and synchronized choreography. If they didn’t come from a company like SM, their debut would be even more worthy of applause (as opposed to what is expected from one of the first K-pop companies to ever be established!).

Kick Flip were also such a joy to get to know over the course of the year. They carry themselves with more confidence than your typical rookies, yet their simultaneous fountain of “can do” energy is hard to find in more seasoned groups. I was particularly impressed by their live vocal performance of “My First Love Song” on Beyond the Studio, which, I know everyone says this all the time, but I truly mean it when I say it sounds like they ate their CD. 

Finally, I became super obsessed with Kiiras while researching for this review because I’d never heard a K-pop and country crossover before. I especially liked the Real Country Mix version of their first single, “Kill Ma Bo$$” — how did they nail that country twang so well? — and was then even more impressed by their latest release, “Bang Bang,” which has a colorful MV and an energetic dance performance that I’ve found myself returning to over and over again just for the fun of it. 

Each of these group’s consistency, along with their powerful stage presence, sets them apart in an increasingly oversaturated industry. The energy that led me to select them for this list is exactly what will keep them relevant in the years to come, and I look forward to seeing what they all put forth in 2026!

(X [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], YouTube [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], Seoulbeats. Image via 257 Entertainment.)