A Guide To Four 2nd Gen K-Pop Boy Groups That Made A Comeback This Year

2023 is a special year for many “veteran” K-Pop fans as it marks the return of many 2nd gen K-Pop boy groups including INFINITE, filling the K-Pop industry and fandom with nostalgia. You might not know much about these groups if you are new to K-Pop, but they are some of the major acts that ruled the K-Pop scene in the early 2010s and are definitely worth checking out. Let’s go back in time and dive into the stories of four 2nd gen K-Pop boy groups that made a comeback this year and discover their amazing discography!

1. SHINee: Multi-faceted Concept Kings

SHINee is a boy group under SM Entertainment that consists of leader Onew, Key, MinHo, TaeMin, and JongHyun (passed away in 2017). The group debuted in 2008 with the mini album “Replay”, which the pure boy-next-door concept coupled with the members’ prince-like visuals immediately captured the hearts of millions of “noona (older sisters) fans”. However, SHINee switched to a darker and more masculine concept in the next two years with 'Ring Ding Dong' and 'Lucifer'. This was proved to be a right move as the two songs made SHINee gained huge popularity across the world and especially in Japan, which built a solid foundation for their official debut in Japan and first world tour in 2011.

Since then, SHINee continued to release hits after hits while trying out different concepts and music genres in every album, including powerful EDM 'Everybody', easy-listening deep house pop song 'View', groovy 90s new jack swing '1 of 1' and more. As SHINee continued their rise to stardom, JongHyun passed away in December 2017. This shocked the entire K-Pop industry and all the members suffered a huge mental blow. However, SHINee quickly turned the sorrow into motivation to grow even stronger. They resumed its activity as a quartet with a series of concerts in Japan in February 2018, and released a new full-length album “The Story of Light” in the same year.

After Onew, Key, and Minho were discharged from the military, SHINee dropped another studio album “Don’t Call Me” in February 2021. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Gaon Album Chart, and No. 7 at the Billboard World Albums chart, testifying the unwavering popularity of SHINee as one of the most successful K-pop boy groups in history. Over the past 15 years, SHINee’s members have evolved from idols to multi-talented artists. Apart from promoting as a group, each of the members have released their own solo albums and are now actively involved in different fields in the Korean Entertainment industry such as starring in TV dramas, movies, musicals, and variety shows.

One of the most well-known title songs from SHINee is 'Sherlock (Clue + Note)' from their 4th mini album “Sherlock”. The song describes the members trying to find out more about a mysterious girl whom they are attracted to, and the girl was played by Jessica from Girls’ Generation in the music video. The punchy and intense brass depicts the tense atmosphere of the investigation perfectly, and the signature line “I’m so curious yeah” in the chorus and TaeMin’s long blonde hair remain as eternal legends in every Shawol’s heart!

SHINee also has many outstanding B-side tracks and one of them is 'Beautiful', which is from their 3rd full album “Dream Girl - The Misconceptions Of You”. It is an upbeat track with comforting lyrics telling fans that their existence alone is already beautiful, and that they can lean on SHINee any time as they will embrace every part of them.

SHINee made a comeback in June this year with their 8th full-length album “Hard”. The title track 'Hard' is a 90’s hip-hop influenced track that seldom appears in SHINee’s discography. The chorus in particular elicits the old-school feeling of Seotaiji and The Boys’ music in the early 90s. However, it doesn’t sound old-fashioned at all with the piano instrumental and dynamic rap and vocal of the members. It is impressive to see SHINee continues to make breakthroughs in their musical spectrum even in their 15th year of debut!

2. U-KISS: Ultimate EDM Kings

U-KISS is a multi-national boy group debuted in 2008 under NH Media. The group has gone through several changes in the line-up, and is currently a sextet consisting of leader SooHyun, Hoon, KiSeop, Macanese-Korean Alexander, and Korean-American Eli. Same as SHINee, U-KISS showcased a cute image in their early days such as debut song 'Not Young' and the next title song 'I Like You'.

However, U-KISS switched to dark, masculine concept in their 3rd mini album “ContiUKiss”. The addictive EDM beat and choreography (and Alexander’s legendary "여우같은 (foxy) girl" line) of the title track 'Man Man Ha Hi' made them start to receive attention in the Korean music scene, and the song even conquered the domestic K-Pop music chart for several weeks. Following the success of 'Man Man Ha Hi', U-KISS continued to release EDM tracks such as 'Bingeul Bingeul' and 'Shut Up!!', which made them become popular not only in Korea but also other Asian countries in particular Japan, where it was chosen as the #1 Hallyu Group to Watch in Japan in 2012.

U-KISS made an official debut in Japan in 2012 and held a sold-out concert tour "U-KISS 1st Japan Live Tour 2012" in Zepp Hall across Japan in the same year. In the following years, U-KISS continued to release EDM hits such as 'DORA DORA', 'Standing Still', and 'Stalker', while at the same time experimented with various genres such as hip-hop style 'She’s Mine' and mid-tempo ballad 'Playground'. While some of the members later left the group as their contract expired, and the members have been focusing on solo and unit activities in recent years, five of the current members except AJ signed exclusive contracts with Tango Music in 2022 and 2023 and started resuming group activities this year by making a full-fledged comeback in June and holding three concerts in Japan in July.

Out of all the EDM title tracks from U-KISS, one of the most remarkable ones is 'Neverland' from their 2nd full-length album “Neverland”. This song welcomes fans to the Neverland, a place full of fantasy where all people can stay forever young. The members dancing to the powerful choreography in water in the music video and "Inkigayo" comeback stage creates stunning visual impact and is absolutely exciting to watch.

Apart from EDM, U-KISS also have many nice ballad songs such as 'Take It Slow', which is a B-side track from their 11th mini album “STALKER”. 'Take It Slow' is a mid-tempo song in which the members ask their lovers to take their relationship slow as they have a lot of time to spend together ahead. The sweet lyrics and melody showcase the members’ soothing vocals and never fail to make KISSme’s (their fandom) heart flutter!

After more than a year of preparation, U-KISS has finally returned as a sextet with a new mini album “Play List” this June in celebration of the group’s 15th anniversary. The title track 'The Wonderful Escape' is a cheerful dance pop where the members invite the listeners to escape from the boring daily lives and set off for a wonderful trip with them. This is a perfect track for summer road trip, and the concept reminds many KISSme of their previous release 'Believe', which is also a EDM track with bright and hopeful concept.

3. TEEN TOP: Legendary Dancing Boys

TEEN TOP is a boy group formed by TOP Media in 2010. Originally a sextet, the current line-up consists of four members ChunJi, Niel, Ricky and ChangJo. As the group’s name suggests, the members’ average age was only 16.3 years old when they debuted with their first single album “Come into the World”. The catchy beat and addictive “clapping” choreography of the title track 'Clap' immediately drew public attention and was selected as the top 60 songs in the second half of 2010 in Korea.

Following the success of 'Clap', TEEN TOP continued to drop several EDM tracks including 'No More Perfume On You', 'Crazy' which brought them their first No.1 in music shows, and 'To You', which topped major music charts in Korea. TEEN TOP’s popularity gradually expanded beyond Korea, and the group kicked off their first European tour "TEEN TOP SHOW! Live tour in Europe 2013" in February 2013 where they performed in Germany, England, France, and Spain. TEEN TOP then held the "High Kick" world tour in the following year, making stops in various Asian, North American, and even Latin American countries. Meanwhile, they continued to release global hits such as 'Miss Right', 'Rocking' and 'ah-ah' with addictive melody and choreography featuring their trademark sophisticated footwork.

In 2020, several of TEEN TOP’s earlier hits especially 'No More Perfume On You' and 'Crazy' received spotlight again due to their viral lyrics and catchy beats. In response to this, the group released a 2020 version of 'To You' in July to commemorate their 10th anniversary. TEEN TOP also performed the song alongside some of their other popular tracks in multiple music shows, and even made their debut performance at “You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook”. In April this year, Yoo JaeSuk invited TEEN TOP to his show “Hangout with Yoo”, where he learnt the signature “seven steps” choreography in 'To You' from the members. To show his affection towards the group, he even formed a parody group called “ONE TOP” with the fellow hosts and filmed a choreography video of the song together, drawing lots of discussions among K-Pop fans across different generations.

One of the songs that can best demonstrate TEEN TOP’s youthful color and amazing footwork is 'Be Ma Girl', which is the title track of their 3rd mini album “Summer Special Be Ma Girl”. The lyrics are very cute that is about the members bravely confessing to their crush, saying that even they are young, they will give her all their love and protect her at all costs. On top of that, the cheerful beats and lively choreography make Angel (their fandom) couldn’t stop falling for the members’ adorable boyish charms!

Although TEEN TOP is best known for their top-notch dancing skills, they also have outstanding vocals. '5 Seasons', a B-side track from their 6th mini album “Natural Born Teen Top” which they promoted alongside the title track 'ah-ah', is one of the group’s ballad tracks that can prove their singing skills. It is a lovely song that the members shyly express their love towards their crush. The track highlights the members sweet voices, and ChunJi and Niel vocals really shine with the ad-lips and harmonization in the last chorus.

TEEN TOP made a return in July this year as a quartet with a new single album “4SHO”. The title track “Wheek” is a summer track filled with freewheeling vibes that coincidentally shares the same theme as “The Wonderful Escape”, where the members invite fans to take a break from the stressful daily life and have fun together. Not only does the choreography highlight TEEN TOP’s skilful footwork, but it also incorporates the point choreography of “Rocking” and “Miss Right” towards the end of the song, which gets Angel dance along while watching their live performance!

4. INFINITE: Synchronized Choreography Pioneers

INFINITE is a boy group formed under Woollim Entertainment in 2010. The group currently consists of leader SungKyu, DongWoo, WooHyun, SungYeol, L and SungJong. INFINITE was first introduced to the public through the Mnet reality television program “You Are My Oppa”, where the members took care of high school student Yoo JiAe, who was later a member of the girl group Lovelyz. INFINITE officially debuted in June 2010 with their first mini-album “First Invasion”, and dazzled K-Pop fans with their sharp and highly synchronized choreography in the title track 'Come Back Again'.

In January 2011, INFINITE made a comeback with their second mini album “Evolution”. The “scorpion dance” in the title track 'Before The Dawn' drew attention among many K-Pop fans, and the song entered the Music Bank K-chart for the first time. INFINITE then released their first full-length album “Over The Top” in September 2011, and received their first No.1 in music show with the title track 'Be Mine', making them one of the most aspiring rising stars in the K-Pop scene. In 2012, INFINITE launched their first concert tour “Second Invasion” in Seoul and Tokyo, followed by their first world tour “One Great Step” the next year where they performed in various Asian, European, and American cities. Meanwhile, INFINITE continued to release numerous hits such as 'Man In Love', 'Destiny', and 'Last Romeo'.

After releasing their 3rd full length album “Top Seed” in 2018, INFINITE started to focus on solo activities as the members completed their military service one by one. However, the members have always hoped to reunite again. In January 2023, SungKyu established Infinite Company to manage the group activities of INFINITE. On INFINITE’s debut anniversary June 9, all six members celebrated the group’s 13th anniversary together with INSPIRIT (their fandom) and announced that they will be making a comeback the following month. Since then, INFINITE has been actively releasing group contents and interacting with INSPIRIT on social media, proving their ever-lasting friendship.

Throughout the past 13 years, INFINITE has released many legendary tracks with different concepts. One of the best ones is 'The Chaser', the title track from their 3rd mini album “INFINITIZE”. It is a synth pop track that sings the members’ determination to overcome all the hardships to find and protect their love. The song incorporates Korean traditional musical instruments and expressions, which perfectly blend with the dynamic bass guitar and powerful trumpet, making it still sounds very trendy even until today. 'The Chaser' was exceptionally well-received both in Korea and abroad, that it won 7 first place in music shows and was even selected as one of the 20 best K-Pop songs in 2012 by Billboard!

As boy groups debuted in the same year, INFINITE and TEEN TOP had once put on a special performance where they covered 'To You' and 'The Chaser' respectively in Music Bank. Check out this legendary performance below!

Apart from catchy title songs, INFINITE also owns a lot of nice B-side tracks, and 'Memories' is one of them, which is from their 2nd studio album “Season 2”. Despite the light-hearted melody, this track illustrates the bitter-sweet memories with first love, in which the members reminisce the beautiful moments they spent with her, singing that they still miss her so much even though they have already broken up for a long time.

Last July, INFINITE finally made a full-fledged return with their 7th mini album “13egin” in celebration of their 13th anniversary. The title track 'New Emotion' features intriguing and groovy synth bass. While it deviates from the original sound of INFINITE’s discography, the beat is surprisingly addictive. The catchy music together with the well-crafted choreography bring out a mature and sexy charm of INFINITE that they have never presented before, which literally got all INSPIRIT saying “you make me lose my mind”!

Do you stan any of the above groups, and what other 2nd gen boy groups do you wish to see their comeback? Share us your thoughts and memories with 2nd gen boy groups in the comments below!