K-Pop in 2025, Pt. 1

Initial Release: Jan. 1

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my blog! I'm Grace, A.K.A., Lil' Miss Different, and today, we're looking back at many k-pop songs from 2025! Yes, we have my year-end review!

A few things: One - this list isn't based on any official year-end list. These are all songs I chose myself. Two - we have 80 songs in total we're looking at, some of which were never in the Monthly Reviews blogs. However, we're only looking at the first half in this blog, and we'll check out the second half in Part 2, which I will link here. And three - yes, many of these acts come from the Big 4 (SM, YG, JYP and HYBE), but I also did my best to add the more recognizable acts outside of those companies as well, along with a couple of nugu groups you may or may not know.

We're starting at the bottom of the list based entirely on preference, and my the end of Part 2, we'll be at the top! If you disagree with any of my thoughts on these songs, that's fine, but please be respectful about my opinion if you want me to respect yours.

With all of that out of the way, let's get this list started! Are we ready?

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Worst Picks

The Worst Picks segment is very self-explanatory: these are all songs I really dislike, ranging from crap, bad to mid. Considering there weren't too many songs from this year I hated, this segment shouldn't take long.

And the very song I labeled as the worst k-pop song of 2025...may not surprise you. What is it?

80. ‘Dirty Work’ by aespa 

Release: June 27 

Label: SM Entertainment 

Yeah… This is a massive downgrade from aespa's 2024 releases. Seriously, how did we go from ‘Supernova’ and ‘Whiplash’ to this shit? And I mean it - this song sounds awful! The beat is ugly, none of the girls sound good whispering, and it tries to come off as more badass than it actually is (meaning, hardly at all). 

They did somewhat get back on track with ‘Rich Man', but even then, most of us can agree that it’s not one of aespa’s better title tracks. I still really like aespa, and I hope they come with bops next year, but for now, I fear this may be another 2022-23 ITZY situation. At least that group’s bad songs tried to evoke some fun. 

79. ‘Stylish’ by THE BOYZ 

Release: July 28 

Label: ONE HUNDRED 

It's hard to decide whether or not this is THE BOYZ’ worst title track. Sure, ‘WHISPER’ exists, but ‘Stylish’ marked a new era for them! This was their first comeback after Sangyeon enlisted in the military and Ju Haknyeon left the group, and this is what they came up with?! A jerky beat with awkward rap flows and repetitive lyrics? 

Spoilers for Part 2, but THE BOYZ have another song from this year ranked very high, and the difference between those two songs are night and day! It's almost comical in a way! 

78. ‘BREATHE’ by xikers 

Release: Apr. 4 

Label: KQ Entertainment 

Last song in the Crap Tier, and I feel like I need to explain why this is higher than it should be. For me, aespa and THE BOYZ have standards, and both of them have songs I really love. xikers, on the other hand, don't have that. I love when boy bands let loose with noisy songs, but this is noisy in the more obnoxious way rather than naturally cool, something their big brothers, ATEEZ, have perfected in the past. Maybe next year, they'll get better(?), but I have my doubts. 

77. ‘Lips Hips Kiss’ by KISS OF LIFE 

Release: June 9 

Label: S2 Entertainment 

We made it to the Bad Tier, and man, this one hurts! KISS OF LIFE started off this year as my favorite 5th Gen group, and they cap it off as not being on my radar. Any potential of them gaining more attention was completely thrown out the window after they made that racist livestream! 

And yet, even if they didn't mock the black community in said livestream, I still wouldn't like this song. The girls’ vocals sound nice as always, but that ugly low-pitched vocal and limp-ass production clash so horribly with each other that the song ends up sounding so miserable! 

I don't know what 2026 will hold for them, but good God, don’t make more of this! Can we go back to ‘Midas Touch’ and ‘Sticky’? Those were way better. 

76. ‘96ers’ by HxW 

Release: Mar. 10 

Label: HYBE - Pledis Entertainment 

Yeah… I still don't like this song. “Celebratory” and “experimental” are a bad combo, and this form of experimental ended up sounding disjointed. And this is one of the last things we hear from Hoshi and Woozi before they started their military journeys?! Sigh… 

75. ‘Mamma Mia’ by izna 

Release: Sept. 30 

Label: WAKEONE 

Hey, our first song on this list that I didn't already review in one of my previous blogs! 

I mean, I was tempted to review ‘Mamma Mia', but the September blog was already packed, and this song was released late into the month anyway, so I decided to hold it off until now. And I hate to say it, but this is really bad. I'm sorry to anyone who likes izna, but I just find them really generic. They lack any charm and personality that I see in several other girl groups, even the ones I placed lower on this list. 

So what's wrong with ‘Mamma Mia'? Simple: this production sucks! Teddy Park had a hand in writing and producing it, along with 24, Kush and IDO, and together, they made one of the most limp songs I ever heard! There's no energy throughout most of the track, and at the end, there’s this dance breakdown that appears out of nowhere. Add along some really off-key vocals from the girls and rap verses that don’t stick, and you're in for a headache. Maybe next year, izna will blow me away, but I doubt it. 

74. ‘CLOSER’ by JEON SOMI 

Release: Aug. 11 

Label: THEBLACKLABEL 

The next several songs in this segment are all in the Mid Tier, so get comfortable. 

The ‘Beautiful Girls’ sample isn't too bad, but this production sounds so miserable. Also, the chanting in the post-chorus will never not sound out of place. 

I do want to bring up one thing relevant to this segment: there was a b-side from this song’s album, Chaotic & Confused - it's called ‘Escapade’, and it's so good! It's another dark vibey song, but it also manages to have energy. Seriously, THEBLACKLABEL sucks at choosing title tracks! Jeon Somi deserves so much better! 

73. ‘LOVE LINE’ by NiziU 

Release: Mar. 31 

Label: JYP Entertainment 

Did you know JYP’s j-pop girl group had their first Korean comeback this spring? I wanted to review ‘LOVE LINE’ in March, but I couldn't think of anything to say about it. I'm not very familiar with NiziU’s j-pop stuff, but as for the two k-pop songs I heard from them, they just kind of exist to me. They seem cute, but they don't really stand out in any way. 

This song is just kinda whatever to me. It has a cute electropop production, along with a chipper guitar, but the girls are so uninteresting. The verses don’t leave much of an impression, and the vocals, especially in the chorus, are really painful to the ears. 

I'm sorry if you like this group, but they don't do much for me. At least ‘HEARTRIS’ had a funny music video. 

72. ‘LOOK AT ME’ by ALLDAY PROJECT 

Release: Dec. 8 

Label: THEBLACKLABEL 

Yay… Another BLACKLABEL act… 

I think I’ve come to the consensus that ALLDAY PROJECT are gonna be very hit or miss. ‘LOOK AT ME’ is one of two songs released in December I’m looking at for this year-end blog, and it's easily the weakest of the two. 

I’m not a big fan of that nursery rhyme hook, nor the sickenly innocent melody that clashes with the trap production. The second and third verses do save this from being bad, as Annie, Tarzzan and Bailey give really good rap performances. Woochan’s a non-prescence, and why do Youngseo’s vocals sound awful?! I know she's not the best vocalist ever, but she's unusually terrible here, my God! 

71. ‘KNOW ABOUT ME’ by NMIXX 

Release: Mar. 17 

Label: JYP Entertainment 

I love NMIXX, but this is far from the first track I would choose to listen to. It's fine if you like this song, but for me, most of it is just stilted elevator music. The girls themselves are fine, but nothing interesting happens until the bridge, and by then, the song is almost over. I’ve lost interest by then! 

Fe304: FORWARD may have missed with its title track, but we did get an excellent pre-release track in the form of ‘High Horse'. I may need to review that masterpiece someday. 

70. ‘FUTW’ by LISA 

Release: Feb. 28 

Label: LLOUD 

Wow… This one shrunk on me. If you want to know why, come back to me when I eventually release that overdue ‘K-Pop in Canada’ blog. 

69. ‘NOT CUTE ANYMORE’ by ILLIT 

Release: Nov. 24 

Label: HYBE - Belift Lab 

I'm not sure what ILLIT have in store for 2026 if this is the direction they’re going in. At least ‘Do the Dance' and ‘jellyous' were fun. ‘NOT CUTE ANYMORE’ is not only boring, but way too short as well. 

68. ‘Love Language’ by TXT 

Release: May 2 

Label: HYBE - Bit Hit Music 

This song is fine in a vacuum, but there's a few too many production elements that kill my enjoyment. I felt like TXT were on autopilot this year. ‘Beautiful Strangers’ is good, but not enough for me to call one of their best. 

‘Love Language' is just kind of annoying, mainly with its teetering beat. Not much else I can really add. I just hope next year will be better for these guys. I want to like them again!

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Average Picks

And now we've moved on to the Average Picks segment! These are all songs I just found to be fine, ones I would put in the Decent and Good Tiers. Yes, we're slowly moving up to the tracks I actually like! And how are we starting this off?

67. ‘PYTHON’ by GOT7 

Release: Jan. 20 

Labels: Warner Music Korea/Kakao Entertainment 

Oh yeah, this song exists. The production is decent enough - nice twinkly beat along trap - and the guys are serviceable enough, but I didn't get a long-lasting impression out of this track. I feel like GOT7 are a lot better than this. 

66. ‘Pookie’ by FIFTY FIFTY 

Release: Apr. 29 

Label: ATTRAKT 

Cute, but didn't leave much of an impression for me. Hopefully, FIFTY FIFTY will be more interesting next year? We’ll see… 

65. ‘I DO ME’ by KiiiKiii 

Release: Feb. 24 

Label: STARSHIP Entertainment 

Okay, let's clear something up: According to Wikipedia and Genius, ‘I DO ME’ is listed as the debut single from KiiiKiii, even though they officially debuted a month after this song’s release with the mini-album, UNCUT GEM. And meanwhile, ‘BTG’, the song I ended up reviewing in the March Releases blog, isn't listed as a single at all! So…oops. Whatever, that song’s still alright. 

‘I DO ME' is perfectly fine. Just a simple “be yourself” message with nice vocals from the girls. And yet, I can't help but this of how basic this production is! There's nothing inherently wrong with it - just simple trap pop - but I feel like there could've been more umph to it. KiiiKiii may feel like a step down from IVE in terms of girl groups under STARSHIP, but I’m open to hearing more from them. 

64. ‘Glow Up’ by RESCENE 

Release: Feb. 5 

Label: THE MUZE Entertainment 

Oh, look. Another average 5th Gen girl group song… Just copy and paste what I said about ‘Pookie', and not much would change. Unlike that song, at least we get some infectious harmonies in the chorus. 

63. ‘Episode’ by KANGDANIEL 

Release: June 16 

Label: ARA 

Kang Daniel is usually more interesting, but damn it! His voice is so smooth, I think I’ll let this one slide. 

62. ‘Bad Desire (With or Without You)’ by ENHYPEN 

Release: June 5 

Label: HYBE - Belift Lab 

This song had the potential to be great - cool synthpop production, good vocals even with the auto tune - and yet, this song runs too short for me to get invested in! To me, ENHYPEN suffer the most from HYBE’s overly western sound. I'm sure their b-sides are more interesting, but in terms of title tracks, they haven't had a song rank higher than “just okay” probably since ‘Bite Me’. That song came out two years ago! 

These guys are set to have a comeback in a few weeks, but I doubt my opinion on their music will change. 

61. ‘BEBE’ by STAYC 

Release: Mar. 18 

Label: High Up Entertainment 

Easily STAYC’s weakest title track since ‘ASAP’ (sorry, but I never cared for that one). They tried to make ‘CRAZY’ by LE SSERAFIM or ‘Whiplash' by aespa, but they ended up making ‘COOL’ by Weki Meki. Not an awful song, but it's pretty clear this group can’t pull off fashion runway music. 

I still enjoy this song’s production, and J is awesome here, but Sieun's high, shrill voice doesn't work here at all! Her vocal pitch sounds so awkward in the chorus, and it ends up killing the vibe (not in a good way). 

60. ‘SPAGHETTI’ by LE SSERAFIM (ft. j-hope of BTS) 

Release: Oct. 24 

Label: HYBE - Source Music 

Funny I mentioned LE SSERAFIM in the last segment… 

What can I say? 2025 was a good year for this group! ‘SPAGHETTI' is probably the weaker title track they released, and even then, this one's perfectly serviceable. Food-themed songs are really hit or miss, but this one clicks for me well enough. J-Hope steals the show, though; I’ll make that clear. 

59. ‘DOREMI’ by PURPLE KISS 

Release: July 16 

Label: RBW (until Nov. 2025) 

Yeah…PURPLE KISS disbanded this year… It's a shame, too, because these girls seemed so cool and talented! 

‘DOREMI’ is sweet - the girls sound good as always here. In hindsight, this is a nice disbandment song. Or I would say that if it weren't for ‘Breath’, the actual disbandment song that came out last month. That song is great, with a pop rock production and strong vocals. That's the PURPLE KISS I’m more familiar with! Check it out if you're curious. I wish these girls in whatever they do next in their journeys moving forward. They deserve so much better than this! 

58. ‘THIS IS FOR’ by TWICE 

Release: July 11 

Label: JYP Entertainment 

2025 may have been a milestone year for TWICE, but their music hasn't been anything special. ‘ME+YOU’ is more meant for ONCE than anything, but ‘THIS IS FOR' is still one of the group's weakest title tracks in their catalog. Sure, the production is good, the girls sound nice as usual, the hook is catchy, but the track itself is way too short! I feel like it could've been stretched about 30 seconds longer, you know? 

Also, the fact that ‘Strategy' ended up charting on Billboard instead of this when it was new is just hysterical. And even then, that song only did so because it was attached to the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. 

57. ‘ICONIK’ by ZEROBASEONE 

Release: Sept. 1 

Label: WAKEONE 

ZEROBASEONE are officially disbanding in March of 2026. I'm okay with this. 

I feel like this group’s earlier songs were stronger than the stuff from this year. ‘BLUE’ is starting to shrink on me, and this song is still pretty standard. The vocals are great, but I can't pinpoint an exact moment I enjoy; the whole track just blends together, but more in a “one ear and out the other” kind of way. 

56. ‘Elevator’ by BAEKHYUN 

Release: May 19 

Label: INB100 

Good Tier time, and this is the only EXO adjacent track I put on this list. Not because it's my favorite - far from it - but mainly because this song has the highest views on YouTube, currently around 35 million. I know that might not mean much, but I kinda see why it did pretty well. Baekhyun has a smooth voice, and the production is alright. But just because I find this track “alright”, doesn't mean it's interesting. 

55. ‘STRESS’ by CHUNG HA 

Release: Feb. 12 

Label: More Vision 

I’ll say what I said in the February Releases blog: this sounds like ‘yes, and?’ by Ariana Grande, either as a rip-off or a decent replacement. This song is fine, but Chungha’s music doesn't grab me as much as I wish it did. It's a shame, because I love her voice, and I get why she has her fans. I'm just missing something from her. 

54. ‘CEREMONY’ by Stray Kids 

Release: Aug. 22 

Label: JYP Entertainment 

I’ll bet you were expecting this song to rank higher on my personal list! Yeah…this song may have ranked high on my Spotify Wrapped list, but separating my fangirl-isms from my critic brain, I just found several other songs way better. 

You’d think a song called ‘CEREMONY' would sound a lot more triumphant, but this is pretty standard for Stray Kids, no? The beat has its ups and downs; I like the drop, but the lead-in to said drop sounds like a mouse trying to beatbox, which is just really weird. I do think the members themselves really save this one, most notably Changbin. I just love how sassy his flow is in the first verse, especially with that “No one, nobody can stop me” line! 

It's an okay song, but I know this group can do a lot better. 

53. ‘TOO BAD’ by G-DRAGON (ft. Anderson .Paak) 

Release: Feb. 25 

Label: Galaxy Corporation 

Our first 2nd Gen idol in this list so far! A pretty fun song, G-Dragon is a good rapper and sounds really good here, and that's all there is to it! 

52. ‘Being a Good Girl Hurts’ by YENA 

Release: July 29 

Label: Yuehua Entertainment 

This isn't my favorite Yena song by any means, but I still find it adorable, even if the lyrics are sad. This sounds like it came straight out of an anime, and I love it! 

For me, ‘Hate Rodrigo’ and ‘Good Morning’ are right up her alley! 

51. ‘Bet You’ll Regret It’ by Baby DONT Cry 

Release: June 23 (video released June 16) 

Label: P Nation 

Technically, this is a pre-debut song, but gosh darn it! This one's really good! 

The pop-rock production has a laid-back, yet nostalgic feel to it, and the girls sound really good. Soyeon of i-dle took part in writing this track, and it really shows, as it's about a girl wooing over a guy who rejected her. Not necessarily the girl throwing herself, but BDC act more chill singing the song. 

What can I say? It's cute, the group is endearing, and I'm curious to see what they release next year. 

50. ‘Panorama’ by TAEYEON 

Release: Dec. 1 

Label: SM Entertainment 

Hey, the other December release in the blog! And of course, I have to add Taeyeon, the leader and main vocalist of Girls' Generation! Did you know she's been releasing solo music for a whole decade now? Honestly, I need to look into more of her work, because she has a beautiful voice! 

And it's no different in ‘Panorama’! This is a lovely, yet devastating track, and while the song starts off pretty slow with a somber piano, it soars in the chorus with a pop-rock instrumentation, letting Taeyeon’s vocals shine. Seriously, she's incredible on this! 

I have this song here, mainly because the intro feels pretty standard. And while, yes, the rest of the track sounds fantastic, it just goes one ear and out the other. Maybe it will grow on me, but we'll see. 

49. ‘Killin’ It Girl’ by j-hope (ft. GloRilla) 

Release: June 13 

Label: HYBE - Big Hit Music 

Probably the best song J-Hope released this year! Just your really cool hot summer bop! 

Next year will be interesting, because BTS are set to make their first full group comeback in four years. Already, I can see ARMY squeeing for joy - I’m happy for them, but also really nervous. 

48. ‘HER’ by MINNIE 

Release: Jan. 21 

Label: CUBE Entertainment 

Yuqi's ‘M.O’ might have been my favorite of the i-dle solo member releases from this year, but I think Minnie's ‘HER’ stands out a little more to me. Her voice is soothing, the production is really nice to listen to, and the song gives an interesting perspective of Minnie as an artist and person. I'm curious to see what else she does in the future! 

47. ‘Mama Said’ by KickFlip 

Release: Jan. 20 

Label: JYP Entertainment 

It's ironic that KickFlip's debut song is about the uncertainty of living their independence when these guys had to wait an extra three years to debut. It has a fun, bouncy production, the guys are charismatic - it's everything you want out of a new-age JYP boy band! 

Speaking of which - 

46. ‘Beat-Boxer’ by NEXZ 

Release: Oct. 27 

Label: JYP Entertainment 

Yeah… I think 2025 proved that NEXZ can hold their own. ‘O-RLY?’ was great, but that was more for how the production went all out. ‘Beat-Boxer' has a very strong chorus, with verses from the guys to get you pumped up. It's a motivational song that deserves more attention! 

45. ‘I Feel Good’ by BOYNEXTDOOR 

Release: May 13 

Label: HYBE - KOZ Entertainment 

Man, that slick guitar instrumental carries this track! It sounds so cool! I love the way Leehan sings with his head voice as he opens the second verse as well. I’ve been watching a lot of fancams of this group (and other groups, too), and I think he might be my bias in BND. 

44. ‘XOXZ’ by IVE 

Release: Aug. 25 

Label: STARSHIP Entertainment 

This may be the most IVE-sy sounding IVE song this group has ever made. You have a dark, yet pretty production, the girls sing really well here, and I guess the hook isn't as cringy as I initially thought. I have it placed here, mainly because IVE have made several better songs in their career. It's still good, but not great. 

43. ‘like JENNIE’ by JENNIE 

Release: Mar. 7 

Label: Odd Atelier 

We're almost done with the Average Picks segment, and I’ll bet you're wondering why this song is so high up on here. It's Jennie. She's so badass on this track, and the production goes so hard! I do have to take points off for the song being utterly short, and Jennie had another hard-hitting rap song from Ruby that I prefer much more. 

42. ‘body’ by DAYOUNG 

Release: Sept. 9 

Label: STARSHIP Entertainment 

I wasn't expecting this song to stick with me, but it found a way. What can I say? Dayoung’s vocals are infectious, and the production is perfect for a summer anthem! 

Do you think we might get a full group comeback from WJSN anytime soon? Eh…one can dream. 

41. ‘Air’ by YEJI 

Release: Mar. 10 

Label: JYP Entertainment 

Yeah, 2025 was the year of female soloists. Yeji sounds fantastic on this song, and I just love this synthpop aesthetic! This release makes me curious about what the other ITZY members could do outside of the group, similarly to how I feel about their labelmates, TWICE. ‘Air’ is just a really good song all around!

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And that's all for Part 1! What were your least favorite k-pop songs of 2025? Was there a song you didn't see that you wished was here instead?

Don't worry, because in Part 2, you're gonna see all the k-pop songs from this year that I love! If you want to stay up to date, make sure you sign up on my blogsite and give me a follow to my social media sites linked at the top of this site! I'm Grace, and have a wonderful day!