In July 2012, PSY introduced his single "Gangnam Style (강남스타일)" to the world. By the end of the year, it was the most viewed video on all of Youtube, an achievement it still holds to this day. Although it swept the globe in a way never seen before, Korean culture and music has been spreading outside of East Asia for decades.

Particularly since the mid-2000's, the 한류 (Hallyu ─ literally meaning "flow of Korea," otherwise known as the Korean Wave) reached people across the world in the form of Korean music, movies, and dramas. In the modern day, Korean pop culture is at the forefront of Asian trends. With the growing presence of Korean music in the Western world, there is a growing desire to look into the genre of Korean pop known for its colorful music videos, synchronized group dancing, and cutting-edge fashion.

1. iKON

Debuting in the autumn of 2015 under YG Entertainment, iKON is headed by producer and leader B.I. Their lineup of seven includes Korean-American rapper Bobby who won season three of Show Me the Money, K-pop Star participant and vocalist Junhoe, and former child actor Chanwoo.

Their first single "취향저격 (My Type)" reached the number one spot on every music chart in South Korea, breaking records for hitting the Melon music chart's highest point over 18 times. The entire album, titled Welcome Back, released later in 2015, charting successfully and setting a high standard for the young group.

2. MAMAMOO (마마무)

Despite the cutesy name, the fearsome foursome of MAMAMOO are not to be underestimated. Debuting with the song "Mr.애매모호 (Mr. Ambiguous)" in 2014, their group debut was considered one of the most successful of the year. The members later appeared on different variety shows including Immortal Songs 2, a singing competition between different singers and celebrities.

There they displayed their incredible vocal ranges, belting and harmonizing effortlessly. Since then, their sales improved dramatically. Their 2015 single "음오아예 (Um Oh Ah Yeh)" sold over a million digital copies in South Korea. In 2016, the group won for the first time on a South Korean music show with the song "넌 is 뭔들 (You're the Best)" on SBS Inkigayo.

3. SISTAR (씨스타)

One of the most renowned girl groups of modern Korean pop, SISTAR consistently remains one of the most popular groups throughout the genre as a whole. The group was formed in 2010 with the release of "Push Push" as their debut single.

Future promotions almost always led to SISTAR topping the charts, most notably with "So Cool" in 2011, "나혼자 (Alone)" in 2012, "Touch My Body (터치 마이 바디)" in 2014, and "Shake It" in 2015. Collectively as a group, they have accrued over fifty awards. This includes winning Best Female Artist twice at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, one of Asia's largest music award shows. As individuals, their talent is well-known in the industry, from leader Hyolyn's solo album and collaboration with Disney to member Dasom's starring in several dramas including Melody of Love and The Virtual Bride.

4. Bangtan Boys (방탄소년단)

A seven member group with roots all across South Korea, from Busan to Daegu, the members themselves are just as diverse as their upbringings. They include former underground rapper Rap Monster, film arts student Jin, trained modern dancer Jimin, and J-Hope, an award-winning street dancer from Gwangju. Debuting with the song "No More Dream" in 2013, their focus remained as a group focused upon rap, Korean hip-hop, and R&B.

Later starring in American Hustle Life, the group traveled to California to learn more about hip-hop culture and music. It marked a noticeable difference in the quality of their later albums, winning for the first time at a music show with the single "I Need U" in 2015. Following their world tour in 2015, group won numerous awards for their latest album, 화양연화 (The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2), earning critical acclaim for their relatable songs about love and youth. Dominating music charts for weeks, Bangtan Boys ended 2015 with the 5th best-selling album in South Korea.

5. Ailee (에일리)

A Korean-American soloist who was raised in New Jersey, Ailee humbly began her music career on Youtube. Auditioning for YMC Entertainment, the agency she is currently signed to, she was recruited immediately following her audition. Prior to her official debut, Ailee performed on a special holiday episode of Singer and Trainee, giving a powerful rendition of Beyonce's "Halo" which was widely-acclaimed by viewers.

It took one month after releasing her debut song "Heaven" for Ailee to receive her first few awards. Following appearances on Immortal Songs 2 where she won several times against veteran singers, her second mini-album A Doll's House topped music charts and was sold out across Korea. A Doll's House and it's hugely-successful single "U&I" cemented her place as one of Korea's powerhouse vocalists.

6. TWICE (트와이스)

Formed by JYP Entertainment, TWICE garnered widespread attention before their debut in October 2015. On May 5th, 2015, a reality competition show titled Sixteen premiered Mnet. Throughout the season, sixteen aspiring singers competed against each other for a secure spot in the group. In the finale of the show, the final members of TWICE were named. Their first mini-album The Story Begins released approximately four months after the show's final episode. The lead single "Ooh-Ahh 하게 (Like Ooh-Ahh)" accumulated over 40 million views within the first six months, currently holding a record for having the most views of any girl group's debut song.

7. EXO (엑소)

Once simply an idea spoken at Stanford University by Lee Soo-man, chairman of SM Entertainment, it was made into reality in 2012 when EXO debuted in both South Korea and China. A twelve-member group, six members were to promote in China under the name EXO-M, recording albums in Mandarin. The other half of the group would promote in South Korea as EXO-K. In 2013, their first studio album XOXO sold over 1 million copies, being the first Korean group to do so in over 12 years.

The second album EXODUS would perform just as well, also selling over 1 million copies. Even though EXO debuted merely four years ago, they are currently one of the top Korean boy groups, having broken records over and over again. Forbes Korea has listed EXO as South Korea's most powerful celebrity, a title they have been awarded in the past.

8. 2NE1 (투애니원)

2NE1, one of the most recognized names in the entire Korean pop industry, debuted officially with "Fire" in 2009, gaining fame for their hip-hop-inspired concept. Their following single "I Don't Care" topped the music charts, being the most downloaded song of the entire month in South Korea. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, the group consistently won highly-esteemed awards including Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Songs such as "내가 제일 잘 나가 (I Am the Best)" and "Ugly" highlighted their unique appeal, the former used in a Surface Pro 3 commercial in 2014. In 2014, their second full album titled Crush was released, selling 5,000 copies during it's first week in North America, making it the highest-charting and best selling K-Pop album. Earning worldwide praise, 2NE1 was the only Asian artist to be on Fuse's list for top 40 albums of 2014. In the United States, leader and rapper CL has made waves with her solo single "Hello Bi+ches", a Korean-English song meant to tease for her upcoming English EP, Lifted.

9. Girls' Generation (소녀시대)

Girls' Generation, SNSD, the Nation's Singers, or any other name gifted to the eight-member girl group is synonymous with K-Pop royalty. Before PSY's megahit was even put into thought, they had begun the Korean Wave with their hit singles such as "Gee", "Oh!", and "Run Devil Run (런데빌런)". From having the number one song of the 2000's to winning Youtube's Video of the Year award with the song "I Got a Boy", it seems that there is nothing these girls can't do. Their success, with album sales in the millions, have made Girls' Generation the face of the genre of Korean pop as a whole. Forbes Korea named them the most powerful celebrities of 2011, 2012, and 2014, the group placing in second in the years 2010, 2013, and 2015. The popularity of the group has to do with their catchy songs and memorable choreography, but also the humility displayed by each of the women. It could be said that the members of Girls' Generation created the mold for the ideal South Korean idol.

10. BIGBANG

Any list of successful Korean artists would be incomplete without the "Kings of K-Pop" who debuted a decade ago in 2006. Beginning with moderate success as a hip-hop-oriented group, it was in 2007 with the single "Lies (거짓말)" where the group began their reign of dominance throughout the entire genre. In 2011, the group won the Best Worldwide Act award at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Three months later, their EP Alive was released, becoming the most successful album released by the group. It was the first South Korean album to chart on the Billboard 200, just in-time for the group's first world tour.

After a two-year hiatus, in 2015, the group released singles from their third album, MADE. Eight singles were released over the course of several months, earning over 425,000 in sales as well as the group's third Artist of the Year award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Boasting record sales of over 100 million, selling an average of 4.5 million downloads per single, it should be surprise to anyone why BIGBANG would be called the kings of Korean pop music. As described by the Hollywood Reporter, they have earned the title of "biggest boy band in the world."