Over PENTAGON’s six years as a group, they have produced an abundance of great music, each following a distinct and fascinating concept. Since their debut in October 2016, they have produced 12 mini albums, 1 album and 3 digital singles. On top of this, they have produced mini albums, albums and digital singles in Japanese and Chinese.

From strong and fierce concepts to something more laidback, PENTAGON has done it all. No matter the concept, it can be guaranteed that they will always be creative. We have selected their five most creative songs.

1. ‘Shine’ (2018)

One of the top K-Pop hits of 2018 currently with an accumulated total of 260 million views on YouTube (1TheK and Official Channel), ‘Shine’ is a dorky, geeky and fresh take on a confession to your crush. With their lively charm, everything about the details and killing parts of the choreography and the styling captures fans’ hearts.

Undeniably, the Fortnite Hype Dance in the chorus is the main killing point of the choreography. It’s easy for fans to dance along to, is catchy, and fits the dorky theme of the song. Centering the choreography around this dance move also kept the song relevant as the move was trending on the internet at that time.

Another killing point is YanAn’s adorable exclamation, ‘My baby!’, towards the end of the song. As the member possessing prince-like visuals and natural cuteness, YanAn is the perfect member to take charge of this part. Although it is a short moment, it has become memorable within and outside of the fandom even nearly five years on.

Fans also couldn’t take their eyes off the cute styling of the members. During their music show performances, the members had blushed cheeks and facial wounds to express their helplessness when it came to acting on their feelings for that special someone. The outfits also included interesting accessories such as capes, ski goggles and trapper hats. They even used a Pinocchio string puppet on stage. The use of these accessories accurately depict the members as dorky, young boys which matches the key lyrics of "널 사랑하는 찌질이 찌질이, 그래 나는 머저리 머저리, 난 너한테는 거머리, 겉절이", translating to "I’m a loser, loser who loves you, Yes, I’m a fool, fool, I’m a leech and an outsider to you".

It is a cheerful track showing that we are all a little bit of a fool when it comes to love.

2. ‘Naughty Boy’ (2018)

‘Naughty Boy’ was released on September 10, 2018, as the title song of their album, “Thumbs Up!”. It was their first comeback after ‘Shine’, the song that really got PENTAGON’s name out there.

Even four years after its release, ‘Naughty Boy’ still stands strong as a refreshingly cute but witty song. Not only is it engaging to listen to in a break away from a strong or fierce concept, but the song also delivers an important message. With its playful sound, it encourages a sense of rebellion against norms to help individuals be more assertive in their own path in life. It also expresses that it’s best to go your own way in a world that is unreliable.

Below are some of the song’s key lyrics.

"Umchiki umchiki, don’t force me, umchiki umchiki, please just go eat some chicken"

"5 plus 5 is 9, dogs go oink oink, if they say I’m too loud, I go nununana, I don’t listen to anyone"

"There are a lot of nice people in life but eventually they all change"

The metaphors used in the song and the motifs in the choreography center around frogs. On the surface, the usage of frogs seems like a cute and eye-catching way to gain the viewers’ attention. However, the frog motif holds a deeper meaning deriving from the Korean folktale, "The Green Frog". "The Green Frog" tells the story of a mischievous frog who always did the opposite of what he was told. Always doing the wrong thing lands him in a great deal of sadness and trouble when he fails to fulfill his mother’s dying wish.

The choreography itself is also inventive. The song begins with a single open umbrella placed on the ground hiding all the members who are lined up behind it. It’s to the audience’s surprise that behind a small umbrella are hidden eight grown men who hop up one by one to present themselves. The dance moves in the chorus are choreographed to resemble the movements of a frog by moving their hands and legs and jumping around like a frog.

The lighthearted yet clever use of Korean cultural references in pop music to share a message that is so important to the younger generation is what makes ‘Naughty Boy’ so creative.

3. ‘Round 1’ (2019)

What group can make a song out of dissing each other and exposing each other’s embarrassing traits? PENTAGON can!

A B-side track in their 2019 “Genie:us” album, ‘Round 1’ is a playful song where the members pair up and poke fun at each other in an affectionate manner.

In the stage performance of the song, WooSeok is the ring announcer singing the chorus and bringing up a pair in each verse for their diss battle. WooSeok being the maknae makes him hosting the diss battles all the more of a cute and clever idea and it is interesting to watch him have the final diss against everyone else at the end of the song.

The lyrics tease the members’ fear of horror movies and ghosts, their dirty bedroom, smelly feet, and excessive love for sleeping. Because of the odd number of members, maknae WooSeok is alone to diss the rest of the group. After the four pairs of members take their turn to roast each other, WooSeok boasts his height, that if height was age then he’d be the eldest.

Although the song exposes each other, PENTAGON can do this only because they are so close and friendly with each other. The end of the song wraps up with WooSeok’s line, ‘Isn’t it that we can do this because we’re so close?’, and all the members gather to hug it out for a happy ending. Hui even happily shouts "we have a good relationship!"

4. ‘Round 2’ (2019)

PENTAGON’s diss battles continue in ‘Round 2’. With a jolly melody, ‘Round 2’ is about the members pairing up, switching bodies, and being fascinated with living as each other.

This time, instead of maknae WooSeok leading the song, JinHo, who is the eldest member, leads the song.

Arguably the most shocking and interesting part of the song is ShinWon and Hui’s turn. ShinWon sings as Hui trapped in ShinWon’s body and, ShinWon being the rock maniac that he is, screams his lines instead of singing. The lyrics go, "Rockstar blood flows through my veins, I don’t like hip-hop, I like rock and playing electric guitar, Long hair, headband and feeling dizzy from headbanging, Rock will never die, Nyaaang!". In turn, Hui sings as ShinWon trapped in Hui’s body about making bank.

Switching bodies and singing about what it would be like to be another member is a creative and endearing way to let listeners get to know them deeper while showing us their everlasting bond.

5. ‘Daisy’ (2020)

The K-Pop industry has no shortage of songs about the different aspects of love. From the feeling of laying eyes on someone who makes our heart beat differently, the hesitation of expressing our feelings, the happy moments shared together, trying to get through conflicts, the separation between two lovers and the aftermath, there is a song for every one of these stages of love.

PENTAGON’s ‘Daisy’ is a passionate and theatrical expression of the pain of a breakup that contrarily leaves us as pure as we were before.

The composition of the song parallels the up-and-down trajectory of emotions felt in this situation. The verses and bridges are relatively soft and delicate with an undertone of sadness and desperation before plunging into an explosive and dramatic chorus filled with powerful vocals.

The choreography for ‘Daisy’ is definitely one of their most poignant and striking. The dance moves are equally as explosive and dramatic as the chorus to deliver the full emotions to the audience. Although the drama in the choreography is consistent throughout the song, the chorus features especially large, theatrical movements of the arms, powerful jumps and spins, and sees the members moving dynamically around the stage in different formations. Each move is sharp and strong yet soft and fluid.

There are also symbolic moments embedded in the choreography. The first of which is at the very beginning of the song with the focus on YanAn. The rest of the members have already taken their starting positions while YanAn stands at the back and walks to the front towards the other members. This move can be interpreted as a symbol of YanAn returning to the group after his one-year and three-month-long hiatus.

The other is the representation of daisies through the use of hand gestures. Daisies are represented by the hand gesture of a flower blossoming. Additionally, just before the song wraps up, the members walk into their final positions while passing around a daisy with their hands. Incorporating the metaphor of daisies, a flower that symbolizes innocence, hope, and purity, makes good use of floriography to tell a clear story both musically and visually.

PENTAGON learned their first win on a music show with ‘Daisy’, taking out 1st place on "The Show" ten days after their 4th debut anniversary.