Generations: The Best Gen 4 Boy Groups

Stray Kids are the defining boy group of the fourth generation. They came out of their own 2017 survival show on Mnet and built their whole identity on self-production: the in-house team known as 3RACHA writes and produces the bulk of their catalog, which gave them a loud, maximalist sound that no one else owned. That ownership turned into scale. They became one of the biggest touring acts of their era, sent a run of albums to the top of the US chart, and were the first K-pop group invited to the Met Gala. Their score leads on sales, streaming, and video, the profile of a group that scaled without giving up control.

TXT were the first group HYBE launched after BTS, and they grew well beyond the shadow of that label. Their coming-of-age concept, all dreamlike worldbuilding and the anxieties of growing up, gave them one of the most coherent narratives of the generation, and they backed it with consistent chart and sales strength at home and in the United States. Their score is led by sales, video, and streaming. They are the clearest proof that the HYBE system could build a second global act from scratch.

ENHYPEN were assembled on I-LAND, the 2020 survival show, and debuted under BELIFT LAB into a vampire-tinged coming-of-age concept. They turned into a sales powerhouse almost immediately, with especially deep support in Japan, and earned a reputation for some of the strongest b-sides of their generation. Their score draws on sales, video, and music shows. Few groups converted a survival-show start into commercial weight this quickly.

ATEEZ built their standing the hard way, on performance and the road. From a smaller label than the groups above them, they leaned into a cinematic pirate-and-rebellion concept and a touring schedule that put them in arenas and on the Coachella stage, where their stage craft became the whole argument. Their score is anchored by video, music shows, and recognition. They are one of the best live acts the fourth generation produced, and the proof that scale did not require a major label.

TREASURE were formed through YG Treasure Box and arrived as one of the label's biggest bets of the era. They found their footing fastest in Japan, where melodic, hook-forward singles and a large, easygoing lineup made them a genuine commercial force. Their score leans on sales and video. After an early lineup change, the group settled into a steady upper-tier presence rather than a flash peak.

THE BOYZ are a performance group first. They sharpened that reputation by winning Road to Kingdom, the competition show that pitted established groups against each other purely on stage, and they have traded on dance-driven, concept-heavy comebacks ever since. Their score is built on video and music shows. They are the kind of group whose live execution consistently outruns their streaming footprint.

CRAVITY debuted into the crowded class of 2020 and grew the unglamorous way, one solid comeback at a time. Starship gave them a clean, polished pop-performance lane rather than a single defining gimmick, and the result is a group that built a real catalog and a loyal base without a breakout viral moment. Their score is steadiest in video and music shows.

WayV are the China-based unit of SM's sprawling NCT project, and they extend that system across a language and a market. Built around a multilingual lineup and a sleek, R&B-leaning sound, they carved out a following that the rest of NCT could not fully reach. Their score draws on video and streaming. Like NCT's other units, they show how one company ran several distinct groups under a single umbrella.