Making the Billboard Hot 100 is no small feat for anymusicartist. Whether they’re new to the industry or someone whose momentum continues to grow, anyone making music dreams of making it onto one of Billboard’s most prestigious charts. After all, one of the biggest pop stars, Sabrina Carpenter, just debuted at #1 for the first time on the Hot 100 with “Manchild.”
Of all the genres making waves today,K-Pop’s global reachcannot be ignored. What was once a niche genre that only reached a handful of fans worldwide is now home to one of the most profitable and influential music industries. Gone are the days of no one knowing who you’re talking about when you mention your favorite Korean artist.
Now, there seems to be at least one K-Pop group or soloist atop the Hot 100 or Billboard 200 each week. From the first K-Pop entry in 2009 to the most recent entries in 2025,109 K-Pop songs have charted on the Hot 100. The songs listed below are just 10 of the most significant milestones for the genre to date.
10Cupid By FIFTY FIFTY
First Entry By A K-Pop Group Outside The Big 3
Although FIFTY FIFTY doesn’t exist in its original form anymore, their debut hit still remains one of the biggest K-Pop success stories in recent years. After its release in 2023, “Cupid” gained major radio play and social media attention for its English version. At the time of writing this, the “Twin Version” is at just over one billion Spotify streams.
This song’s significance is less about its sound and more about its foundation. Of the 109 K-Pop songs on this chart,107 of them are from major entertainment companies like JYP, HYBE, and YG, which have been pushing out successful artists for decades.
That FIFTY FIFTY came from a previously unknown company and their debut reached such a wide audience is unprecedented. “Cupid” by FIFTY FIFTY was on the Hot 100 for 25 weeks, peaking at No. 17.
9Lemon Drop By ATEEZ
Second Entry By A K-Pop Group Outside The Big 3
Similar to FIFTY FIFTY,ATEEZis under KQ Entertainment, a relatively smaller company that the boy group has brought incredible prominence to since their debut in 2018. Their recent title track, “Lemon Drop,” debuted at #69 for the week of June 01, 2025, marking ATEEZ’s first Hot 100 entry. With this milestone, they check another goal off their to-do list.
This debut chart placement only solidifies the organic growth that fans have witnessed over the last six years. After making waves as the firstK-Pop boy group to perform at Coachellain 2024 and multiple No. 1 Billboard 200 albums, it’s only natural that this accomplishment was the next step for ATEEZ, encouraging smaller companies to elevate their artists as well.
8Gangnam Style By PSY
First Entry From A K-Pop Soloist
Even if you think you aren’t familiar with K-Pop, you know PSY’s “Gangnam Style.” The mega-viral hit took the world by storm in 2012 while also unknowingly introducing millions to K-Pop in the process. The music video wasthe first on YouTube to surpass two billion views, currently sitting at well over five billion.
YouTube had to upgrade its counter from a 32-bit integer to a 64-bit integer after “Gangnam Style” broke its maximum view count of 2,147,483,647.
“Gangnam Style” was the second K-Pop song to reach the Hot 100 and was the highest-peaking K-Pop song on this chart for eight years. The song, while humorous and incredibly catchy,showed Korean artists what was possible in the realm of music. Artists like PSY could, and would, chart alongside some of the biggest names in music.
“Gangnam Style” by PSY was on the Hot 100 for 31 weeks, peaking at No. 2.
7Chicken Noodle Soup By J-Hope Ffeat. Becky G
First BTS Solo To Chart
Collaborations betweenK-Pop artists and well-known Western artistsare extremely common nowadays, but they were once groundbreaking. The members of BTS, each with their own successfulsolo careers, are especially fond of mixing their individual styles with some of their favorite artists.
Every other member of BTS would go on to chart among this group at least once.
When J-Hope collaborated with Becky G on “Chicken Noodle Soup,” he became the first of the seven-member group to chart on the Hot 100 outside BTS, something that would gradually become more frequent. In fact, every other member of BTS would go on to chart among this group at least once, proving their direct impact on K-Pop’s globalization efforts.
“Chicken Noodle Soup” by J-Hope feat. Becky G was on the Hot 100 for one week, peaking at No. 81.
6Ice Cream By BLACKPINK & Selena Gomez
Highest Peaking K-Pop Girl Group Song
The K-Pop girl group that lays its claim on the Hot 100 is undoubtedly BLACKPINK. Their 2020 collaboration with Selena Gomez was released at a time when all fans wanted to do was consume music and content by their favorite artists to pass the time. This fun track allowed for just that with its catchy lyrics and bright music video.
The incomparable four-member girl group is a staple on the Hot 100 at this point, but this song set them up asthe highest-charting K-Pop girl group, a role only fit for them. With their upcoming world tour andhighly-anticipated K-Pop group comebackjust around the corner, they’re sure to make another appearance on several charts.
“Ice Cream” by BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez was on the Hot 100 for eight weeks, peaking at No. 13.
5DDU-DU DDU-DU By BLACKPINK
First K-Pop Girl Group Song To Chart
Along with holding the role of the highest-charting K-Pop girl group, BLACKPINK’s"DDU-DU DDU-DU" made them the first K-Pop girl group to reach the Hot 100 in 2018. With 2.3 billion views on the music video and over 700 million Spotify streams, it’s no wonder that this was the song to bring them to heights that previously felt impossible.
Despite such a small catalog of music released over a wide stretch of time,BLACKPINK’s relevance in music has never been stronger. Their solo projects have allowed fans to continue supporting them while eagerly awaiting their return as the biggest girl group in the world.
“DDU-DU DDU-DU” by BLACKPINK was on the Hot 100 for one week, peaking at No. 55.
4DNA By BTS
First BTS Song To Chart
It should come as no surprise that BTS holds the most entries on the Hot 100 from a K-Pop artist.“DNA” is just the first of 27 entries, and is the perfect track for the group to claim their first with. It was also the seventh K-Pop song to make the Hot 100, which feels like fate.
2017 was one of several years that served as a turning point in BTS' career. They’d go on to perform “DNA” at the American Music Awards that year, and things would only go up from there. In some ways, this is the most significant song just for the simple fact that it led the global charge K-Pop was embarking on.
“DNA” by BTS was on the Hot 100 for four weeks, peaking at No. 67.
3APT. By Rosé & Bruno Mars
Longest Charting K-Pop Song
When “APT.” dropped with its references to a popular Korean drinking game, no one could’ve predicted the success it would see. That is, unless you know the sheer power that BLACKPINK and Bruno Mars already hold as individual artists. Putting the two together seemed likea surefire way to make a hit record.
With over one billion Spotify streams and YouTube views, “APT.” continues to break records and get stuck in people’s heads. It was released in November 2024, butit’s still conquering the Hot 100 to this day. Odds are, it’ll be a while until another K-Pop song comes along to break Rosé’s longest-charting record. Maybe until the next BTS comeback.
“APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars has been on the Hot 100 for 37 weeks, peaking at No. 3.
2Dynamite By BTS
First K-Pop Song To Reach #1
After taking over the K-Pop industry and sweeping awards shows, BTS turned to the Western market with three English single releases between 2020 and 2021. “Dynamite,” the first of the three, did exactly what it set out to do and more. The single becameBTS' first No. 1 on the Hot 100 and the first K-Pop song to reach No. 1.
This song currently boasts 1.9 billion YouTube views and over two billion Spotify streams. The power of BTS hasyet to be replicated. That fact alone is what makes it so natural for them to be the group to take K-Pop to even higher heights year after year.
“Dynamite” by BTS was on the Hot 100 for 32 weeks, peaking at No. 1.
1Nobody By Wonder Girls
First K-Pop Song On The Hot 100
Close your eyes. Take yourself back to 2009. Did you ever stumble upon a catchy song with a music video that featured JYP’s CEO getting trapped in a bathroom stall while his back-up singers took the stage in his place? If so, you might be familiar with the classic K-Pop song, “Nobody” by Wonder Girls.
In 2009, this song becamethe first by a K-Pop artist to chart on the Hot 100after its English version gained major traction online. This idea of releasing an English version of a K-Pop song is something that nearly every current group uses to reach listeners outside their domestic space, but Wonder Girls were one of the first to see results.
“Nobody” by Wonder Girls was on the Hot 100 for one week, peaking at No. 76.
