Underrated K-Pop Groups Worth Checking Out (2024)

Love K-Pop? Add these underrated groups to your Spotify and SNS accounts.

Each year over fifty groups K-Pop groups debut, trying to break into the industry and become successful. Only a lucky few of those debuting find enough success to continue for more than a year or two, and even if they manage to break out of their “rookie” status, hitting the five, seven, or even ten-year mark is rare. While these groups may not have tens of thousands (let alone hundreds or millions) of fans and followers on SNS yet, they have worked incredibly hard training for their K-Pop debuts and deserve just as much recognition for their talents as singers, dancers, and entertainers.

There are so many talented groups that exist today that it can feel overwhelming to find, learn about, and stan them all, but that’s where we come in. We’ve put together a list of thirteen incredible K-Pop groups that are underrated and deserve more attention. Without further ado, let’s dive into some underrated yet super-talented K-Pop groups.

TAN

The seven-member boy group, TAN, was formed through the MBCsurvival competition showExtreme Debut: Wild Idol. Composed of Changsun, Jooan, Jaejun, Sunghyuk, Hyunyeop, Taehoon, and Jiseong, prior to appearing in the program, most of the members had already been active in the entertainment industry. The group debuted on March 10, 2022, with their first mini album 1TAN and have since wowed fans with their subsequent projects, unique musicality, and ability to produce not only their own music but music for other groups as well.

GHOST9

GHOST9 is a 7-member boy group under Maroo Entertainment, first appeared on the K-Pop scene on September 23, 2020, with their first mini-album, “DOOR.” Consisting of Junhyung, Shin, Kangsung, Junseong, Prince, Woojin, and Jinwoo, the group most recently participated, in JTBC’s highly popular survival competition show, PEAK TIME,finishing in the top 10.

KINGDOM

Consisting of Dann, Arthur, Mujin, Louis, Ivan, Hwon, and Jahan, each member of KINGDOM represents a different king with their own fantasy Kingdoms. They debuted on February 18, 2021, under GF Entertainment, with History of Kingdom Pt.1 Arthur and the title track of “Excalibur.” They won back-to-back awards at the Asia Artist Awards, winning the AAA Focus Award (Singer) in 2021 and the AA Potential Award (Singer in 2022). Next up, the group is scheduled to embark on their first U.S. tour, titled KINGDOM Grand America Tourkicking off in September.

VIVIZ

Following the disbandment of GFRIEND in 2021, members Umji, SinB, and Eunha joined BPM Entertainment to form the trio VIVIZ. The group’s name comes from two separate words, “VIVId,” which means clear, and “dayZ,” denoting ‘days.’ VIVIZ debuted on February 9, 2022, with the EP Beam of Prism and “Bop Bop!” as the title track and ultimately landed first ever music win on Show Champion just seven days after the release.

PENTAGON

From various lineup changes to their leader participating in a survival competition show to get the group more visibility, the talented boy group PENTAGON has experienced more than its fair share of heartache since their debut in 2016. Currently consisting of Hui, Jinho, Hongseok, Shinwon, Yanan, Yeo One, Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok, the group is known for numerous chart-topping hits, amazing performances, and insane duality on and off the stage.

ONEWE

From name changes to agency changes and re-debuting, alternative rock band ONEWE has quite the history. Composed of Yonghoon, Harin, Kanghyun, Dongmyeong, and Giuk, ONEWE originally debuted in 2015 under Modern Music under the name M.A.S 0094 (Make a Sound 0094). The group moved to RBW in 2017 are were renamed MAS, before ultimately being renamed ONEWE ahead of their official re-debut on May 13, 2019.

VAV

VAV (shortened from Very Awesome Voice) debuted as a 6-member group on October 31, 2015, under A Team Entertainment, with the album Under the Moonlight. The group currently consists of St. Van, Jacob, Ace, Lou, Ayno, and Ziu, who are powerhouses both on and off stage. The group has continued to prove themselves as self-producing master, writing, composing, and producing their own music since 2019.

HIGHLIGHT

Formerly known as B2ST (BEAST), this second-generation K-Pop group debuted in October 2009 as a six-member group under Cube Entertainment. Following member departures and the expiration of their contract in 2016, the group announced the launch of their new label, Around Us Entertainment, and rebranded under the new name HIGHLIGHT. Currently, consisting of the ridiculously talented Yoon Doojoon, Yang Yoseob, Lee Gikwang, and Son Dongwoon, HIGHLIGHT has proven their staying power by wracking up three music show wins for their latest EP After Sunset.

PIXY

Formed Allart Entertainment and Happy Tribe Entertainment, the stunningly talented girl group PIXY debuted on February 24, 2021, with the digital single “Wings.” Their current lineup consists of Lola, Dia, Sua, Dajeong, and Rinji, the latter of which joined the group following two members’ departures due to worsening health conditions. Notably, all four of the group’s EPs have charted on the Gaon Album Charts, with their latest album, Chosen Karma,peaking the highest at number twenty.

LUMINOUS

LUMINOUS is a four-member group under SE Group Entertainment. Consisting of members Youngbin, Suil, Steven, and Woobin, the group released the pre-debut mini-album Vision in August 2021 before launching its first mini-album Youth on September 9, 2021. The group was originally set to begin releasing music with a different name and company in 2019 but was ultimately delayed. Luminous’s lyrical theme revolves around youth, while their aim is to “convey a message of hope and comfort” to that audience through their song.

BZ-BOYS

BZ-Boys, also known as Blue Zone Boys, under Chrome Entertainment, made its first appearance in the K-Pop industry on June 17, 2019, with the digital single “Question.” The group currently consists of Bon, Hamin, Double.D, and Seunghyun, while member Taewoong completes his mandatory military service. They are set to release their first mini album, 무법자, on August 14.

MCND

MCND is a five-member boy group formed by TOP Media. Castle J, Bic, Minjae, Huijun, and Win, debuted on February 27, 2020, with the EP Into The Ice Age.The group not only won the 2021 Rookie Artist of The Year Award at the Asia Model Awards but also peaked at number twenty-five on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales with the song “Crush.”

H1-KEY

H1-KEY debuted on January 5, 2022, under Grandline Group (GLG) with the single album ATHLETIC GIRL. Consisting of Seoi, Riina, Hwiseo, and Yel, the members have gone through a slight lineup change over the last year, becoming a trio for a short period of time before Hwiseo joined as their newest member. The group is currently preparing for their comeback later this month with the EP Seoul Dreaming.

Image and Video Credits: The K-Pop groups’ respective agencies.