Third-Gen “Nugu” Boy Group Goes Viral As Their Comeback Gets Simultaneously Praised And Ridiculed

The third-generation boy group A.C.E has been active in the K-Pop industry since 2017, but it was only recently that their music achieved virality. However, the attention they have received online is not all positive.

A.C.E | @official_a.c.e7/Instagram

The group recently released a new single, “PINATA,” on November 20, KST. The music video combined the interesting soundscape with intriguing visuals, delivering a stunning end result.

So, when a fan posted a short clip featuring the song’s chorus on X (formerly Twitter), netizens were immediately taken aback by the high-quality visuals.

the lyricism goes crazyyyy pic.twitter.com/nAXFz5l1Ax

— ؘ (@kissjinni) November 19, 2024

At the same time, the song itself invited serious criticism. Some of the scrutiny extended to the K-Pop industry as a whole, as many felt that the industry now prioritizes visual elements more than music, which should be its core.

Was watching this on mute gagging until I opened the video…. https://t.co/9xaO3M5DuV

— Nicolas is happy (@niggaolas) November 21, 2024

It’s crazy how visual direction in kpop almost always eats and then you click on the song and it’s like….. is this not a music industry?… it’s so confusing https://t.co/WrwbcEHLNw

— 작은 민지 처럼⁷ (@minji_munji) November 20, 2024

Listening to this is like the musical equivalent of getting jumped. https://t.co/eIIxKTlFzk

— Tera Anhedonia (@tera_bytess) November 21, 2024

Fans, however, have defended A.C.E, pointing out that it was unfair to take such a short snippet from “PINATA” and consider it representative of the group’s diverse discography. Some even lamented the fact that it was this specific clip that finally propelled the group into virality.

this part of the chorus is GOD TIER WHY DIDNT THEY JUST DO THIS FOR THE WHOLE THING https://t.co/6MpMd0CHSu pic.twitter.com/QeKn1NDJSw

— aIy IS SEEING STRAY KIDS💕 (@jonghoasis) November 20, 2024

27 million views on a song because it’s considered bad but if this group released something actually good none of you would give a single fuck, because it was never about music for kpop stans https://t.co/1dJdwr0fkE

— 🐈‍⬛ (@khjfilmss) November 22, 2024

A.C.E finally might be out of nugudom fully but at what cost ?! But seriously this concept is nothing new to them and they make really good music like undercover ( the song in the video ) and savage, this new song doesn’t define their entire discography pic.twitter.com/xKZVJ9qgQq https://t.co/uNGyIaEeDg

— ͏͏͏͏ً (@nuguwonz) November 20, 2024

What do you think of A.C.E’s “PINATA”?