The 50 Best K-Pop Music Videos of 2024

A ranking and review of this year’s best releases from Korean artists!

Note: Some of these are excerpts from reviews that were written and published earlier this year, hence the “...”

#50: aespa, “Armageddon”

aespa’s take on an apocalyptic premise has many of their go-tos, including Black Mirror-esque technology that scans them and an inexplicable cameo from a furry creature! Mysterious and dark visuals, numerous camera spins, and objects that pop out towards the camera like parts of a 3D movie all add to the strangeness and suspense. One cannot look away from the spectacle, which also involves lots of glitter, an elaborate and Disney villain-esque costume, and the burning of the Armageddon album logo into the ground! Read more about the corresponding album here!

#49: Stray Kids, “Stray Kids”

While a circle can represent a cycle or the closing of a loop, the full-circle sentiment of the “Stray Kids” song and music video represents the former more than the latter. “Stray Kids” is an ellipsis, not a period. Listening to the corresponding album on loop emphasizes that, since the last song (with the exception of a remix) is “Stray Kids” and the first is “MOUNTAINS.” Stray Kids confidently end one adventure and immediately start looking for the next one - the next “mountain” to climb! The “Stray Kids” video shares the song’s simultaneous roles as an ending and beginning. After a montage of key moments from previous Stray Kids eras, along with new scenes that reintroduce past symbols, the video ends with each member taking a microphone and walking onto a stage. The “Stray Kids” video is more than an emotional clip show. It captures the very essence of Stray Kids, a group whose messages have always included the following: People can honor their past selves and embrace meeting their future selves, “straying” can lead to exciting opportunities for re-introductions, and the time to take on a starring role in one’s own life - the ideal “showtime” - is always. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#48: TXT, “Over The Moon”

As elaborated on here, the “Over The Moon” music video symbolizes TXT’s desire to form long-term bonds, by showing the members enjoying “real life,” even with its unpredictability and shades of gray. It rains on and off, the members sometimes hold umbrellas and sometimes do not, and some umbrellas lie on the ground closed while others stay open. The video ends with the members lying on the ground in the shape of a crooked star, with one “arm” of the star bent to disrupt the equal spacing. Like the periods of both rain and shine, the image is both complete and imperfect. As detailed in a separate previous essay, TXT have developed a post-Neverland mentality of “You can’t have rainbows without rain first.” Peter Pan has tried to convince them to stay with him in a place with only rainbows, metaphorically, but TXT now see through that trap. They would rather live in the “real world,” dealing with rain but also more meaningful rainbows.

It is also significant that the “Over The Moon” music video includes a church setting. TXT create their own ideal “sanctuary” there, one that allows them to appreciate things that Peter Pan will never understand, like the freedom of escaping black-and-white thinking (symbolized by embracing different types of weather), and the thrill of what “Tomorrow” can bring (symbolized by being in a location where weddings and other events take place that are emblematic of starting life anew). Read more about the corresponding album here!

#47: KANGDANIEL, “Electric Shock”

KANGDANIEL’s latest “ACT” is a respectful and grateful send-off to the KANGDANIEL of the past and a wholehearted welcome of the KANGDANIEL of the future… KANGDANIEL plays two characters: an amateur crew member and a movie’s lead actor. The crew member has the antithesis of a Midas Touch, and he keeps causing electrical problems wherever he goes! But even after electrocuting himself and requiring resuscitation, his unearned confidence is unflappable! This firm confidence is something the clumsy crew member and polished main actor have in common, one of the ways KANGDANIEL shows that traits of the old him (like strong ambition and audacity) are still welcome in the new him (someone more mature and in-control).

#46: (G)I-DLE, “Super Lady”

“Super Lady” is a shiny, silver-filled, striking show-stopper! Literally and metaphorically shining in sparkly clothes, the group dazzles both individually, with close-ups showing off fierce expressions, and together, with in-sync choreography and runway-ready strutting. Rather than being worth a watch for just the bold visuals, though, “Super Lady” deserves attention for its curveballs, like mid-video Cruella de Vil cosplay! It is also shoutout-worthy because of the cool contrast from the era’s other focus track’s video, “Wife.” “Wife” opts for aesthetic minimalism, while “Super Lady” shows that (G)I-DLE can pull off the polar opposite just as well, if not better! Read more about the corresponding album here!

#45: TWICE, “ONE SPARK”

The “ONE SPARK” music video celebrates both past and current TWICE, with cute (albeit perhaps coincidental) nods to past videos, like an aquarium scene that brings to mind one from “What is Love.” Quick scene changes, extravagant decor, and eye-catching finishing touches (like the way rainbows of light reflect off of a shiny surface, and the replacement of the elevator floor number with the word “TIMELESS”) keep the viewing experience fast-paced and interesting. Plus, TWICE bring their typical fashion A-game, literally shining in silver ensembles that match the setting and separately rocking black outfits with red accents. The perfect finishing touch is a continuation of the dance routine literally into the night, as fireworks go off behind them! Read more about the corresponding album here!

#44: V, “FRI(END)S”

In the first half of this video, V goes through the motions of daily life alone, while everyone else is paired up and showing excessive PDA. After getting hit by a car, the tables turn. V wakes up and goes through his daily routine with a lover by his side, and now everyone else is in a bad mood. V is the one who enjoys PDA now, while all the other couples engage in heated arguments. One of the aspects that makes the video’s ambiguity substantive, rather than just for ambiguity’s sake, is the slow-motion camerawork. As those around V hug and kiss in slow motion, and as they verbally and physically fight with each other in part two, viewers have to sit with their confusion and discomfort. For whom are viewers supposed to root? Why does V’s lovey-dovey status stay at the expense of the others’ and vice versa? A potential lesson is that the grass always looks greener on the other side; maybe it just seems like the world is full of luckier people than V before he learns how fragile and precious his own life is. Just when the moral of the story seems clearer, V gets hit by a car again, leaving viewers deep in thought and the ending up in the air!

#43: TRI.BE, “Diamond”

“Diamond” is all about uplifting others, and the video makes that theme loud and clear through the members’ expressions of platonic affection towards each other and synergistic choreography. Each member of TRI.BE represents a different gemstone, and the choreography physically brings them together to form a whole diamond. Diamonds do not form before pressure is exerted, though, and they visually represent the tough times that come before shining through makeup involving gashes on their faces. As the video progresses, the group seems to gain confidence, going from simply dancing on sand to dancing in a hot pink room in bright outfits. They keep the audience’s attention by changing up the setting once more, dancing in shallow water after another outfit change. “Diamond” has a classic TRI.BE sound and theme but presents them in new, stronger ways. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#42: SF9, “BIBORA”

Through both close-ups and action scenes, “BIBORA” makes the case for seeing the SF9 members as movie stars! The jam-packed scenes play out split-screen-style and eventually spill into each other, with one world’s dark haze seeping into the parallel world. The members’ abilities to influence the mirror world are questionable, and they seem entirely out of their control at times, like when one of them walks away from his reflection while his reflection stays standing there. Amping up the cinema of it all are dramatic close-ups, especially ones of the members’ hair blowing in the wind!

#41: HUI, “Hmm BOP”

Bored and unsatisfied with his life, HUI transforms into a traveling one-man show. He makes a scene on top of a diner table, on a TV show, and at a fancy dinner, always making his presence known in curious and sudden ways! When it comes to spicing up one’s life by not being afraid to be goofy, HUI leads by example. He also makes sure he is indeed a leader, with others following his lead - even when that requires physically pulling someone through the TV screen to become a fellow main character in his show! “Hmm BOP” is about unapologetically making one’s own fun, and HUI does that in humdrum and chaotic settings alike. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#40: QWER, “FAKE IDOL”

“FAKE IDOL” is absurd and absurdly fun! The group deals with the “FAKE IDOL” stereotype when facing a judgmental press, but those same people turn into their biggest fans after they turn the press conference into a concert! The group seems to think, “We’ll show YOU what a fake idol is!,” and they proceed to do one bit of inexplicable tabloid fodder after another. The “haha”s in the chorus remind listeners that they are in on the joke, purposefully wearing “FAKE IDOL” as a badge of honor. Besides overtly playing up the “FAKE” branding with their nonsensical antics, they combat the “Each group member is a carbon copy of the others” stereotype; they each rock red hair and a white dress in their own distinct way, complete with accessories like theatrical masks and makeshift eye patches. “FAKE IDOL” points out how fickle and malleable public perceptions can be, as well as how rewarding it can feel to keep this in mind and, therefore, not let judgements dictate behaviors. The latter point is emphasized by a last-minute JEON SOYEON cameo; the iconic artist gives the group her stamp of approval and delivers a weather report with a wink and proclamation of sunnier days ahead if the group just keeps on being themselves!

#39: E’LAST, “Gasoline”

After unassuming time spent chilling together, news of an impending apocalypse fills E’LAST’s world. However, rather than fixate on the dystopia of it all, the group spends a surprising amount of time focused on the days after the apocalypse. They ride out the worst of the storm together, and that togetherness offers the encouragement and morale they need to beautify the remnants of the destroyed world. They tend to an ailing butterfly, take care of the new world’s plants, and enjoy a drive together with the windows open. Just like the corresponding album, EVERLASTING, is filled with suspense but bookended by relatively calm chapters, “Gasoline” ends in an “All’s well that ends well” way that makes this take on a dystopian premise different. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#38: from20, “Demon”

Besides being just plain catchy, “Demon” is commendable for the ways it makes clear from20 has increased his performance maturity and charisma. His Michael-Jackson-style moves come across as less of an imitation now, and there is an increased naturalness in his facial expressions and character transformations. Between steamy scenes complete with rapidly-flickering lights are mesmerizing moments when a silhouette of from20 dances by himself, rocking a cowboy getup. Other twists are mythological, as from20 sprouts black angel wings and falls from the sky as a meteor does. In under three minutes, from20 somehow plays three kinds of outlaws! A cowboy, an Icarus-type character, and a modern rockstar each manage to find a place in from20’s world that feels suitable. “Demon” is a testament to how much more sure of himself and of his distinguishable filmmaking style (the video is self-directed) from20 is now.

#37: KISS OF LIFE, “Midas Touch”

“Midas Touch” and its music video deliver the glitzy visuals, group choreography, and catchy sound that early-aughts pop fans will love! The KISS OF LIFE members turn heads by rocking decadent nail art, hairstyles, makeovers, and outfits while posing on and by props that go with the song’s mythical inspiration. Their collective presence shines bolder and brighter than ever, although they still show off their individual sources of sparkle, thanks to different fashion choices, solo settings, and lyrical shout-outs to past solo tracks. The song and the video are displays of confidence that girl group fans of all kinds can appreciate!

#36: SEVENTEEN, “MAESTRO”

Individual scenes in “MAESTRO” show people just making noise, but in the end, under a giant metronome, they make one big, dynamic musical number, each person offering their own unique contributions. “MAESTRO” reiterates SEVENTEEN’s career-long message that everyone can and deserves to go from feeling like they just make noise to feeling like a welcome player on a team, someone who makes music. Besides its themes of inclusion and self-expression, “MAESTRO” deserves praise for the clever ways it repurposes elements of previous SEVENTEEN music videos. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#35: YUQI, “FREAK”

YUQI embraces and redefines what it means to be a villain. Classic movie villains (including Billy from Saw, The Grady Twins from The Shining, and Ghostface from Scream) become her friends and roommates. The kooky, spooky misadventures have comedic twists, from a seance-type ritual involving a stuffed animal to a scene that riffs off of the rom-com Love Actually. The story has four chapters, ends with a house party for which the musical act is YUQI and her fellow villains’ rock band, and includes a “To be continued” message on the screen. “FREAK” mixes the familiar with the unfamiliar to tell a one-of-a-kind tale about confidently shaping one’s own character arc. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#34: Dreamcatcher, “JUSTICE”

As is typical for Dreamcatcher, “JUSTICE” is visually stunning. The scenes that draw attention to specific details (like one member’s nonchalant demeanor as flaming arrows pierce her) are just as cinematic as the action-packed moments (which include using swords and destroying a key power source). Even the transitions between scenes are well-done and suspenseful! One involves gloved hands covering someone’s eyes before pulling back to reveal a Heaven-like new location. Another transition takes the form of ropes breaking, which leads into a scene where the member who was tied up makes a big show of using her now-freed arms in the dance routine. “JUSTICE” is another striking chapter in Dreamcatcher’s intense and ambitious story. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#33: ONF, “Bye My Monster”

ONF dance amid destruction while wearing black outfits and then wear all-white outfits while performing in front of a multicolored, calm sky. The peaceful setting includes a lopsided, giant bird cage with nothing in it, representing both freedom and the precariousness that comes with it. The cage’s tilted angle is just one of many details complicating the seemingly binary contrast between dark and light experiences. Feeling off-balance comes with good times, and grappling with the good and the bad simultaneously is also represented through the sunny scenes being interrupted by moments of darkness. The reverse happens too, with signs of hope interrupting ominous scenes (for example, one member nervously writes a letter in the dark, but later on, the pen’s ink turns into purple flower petals). Signs of hope and reasons for fear interact with one another at unpredictable times throughout “Bye My Monster,” a great summation of what the “Beautiful Shadows” era is all about. Read more about the corresponding album here!

#32: IRENE, “Like A Flower”

“Like A Flower” is the kind of story that seems confusing until all of the pieces fall into place, and when they do, the audience realizes the answer to “Who is IRENE looking for?” has been there all along!

IRENE starts and ends the video in her RV, which is filled with video and cassette tapes. These tapes influence her present moments, like one titled “SEE THE SUN” that causes lights to dim after she holds it. IRENE makes “MISSING” posters for someone named Damon and is implied to have made a television PSA, too; she appears in a TV set for a moment. That TV is adorned with butterfly decals, and butterflies lead the transition from a literally dark scene to a sunny one, where IRENE dances. The sunny dance takes place by a billboard that says “NOMAD” on it, and she goes to the Nomad Hotel looking for Damon.

Everything suddenly makes sense upon realizing that “Damon” is “Nomad” backwards! IRENE, the RV traveler who clearly does not take memorable experiences for granted, consciously preserving and making more of them, has been searching for herself! She is the “nomad” who has had to “see the sun” to find what she has been looking for, which she can then cherish the same way she cherishes as many memories as possible.

“Like A Flower” takes a clever approach to a message about personally “blossoming” that appears obvious in hindsight!

#31: UNIS, “Curious”

Who knew that a plot that, at the end of the day, is just about back-and-forth social media messages could be made so eventful?! The “Curious” music video has a clever beginning and end that bring refreshing originality to the “merging the digital and physical worlds” premise. It starts with someone in school surreptitiously scrolling through UNIS’s social media posts. A peer “likes” one of UNIS’s pictures before he can be stopped, sending a digital notification to UNIS that turns into a meteor-like, physical force! This digital-turned-physical heart crashes in UNIS’s environment and leaves a heart-shaped opening in a wall, which the UNIS members walk through to engage in many inexplicable adventures! The video ends with UNIS gathering around a rocket and launching a message back to the fan, which turns from a physical message into a digital phone notification! Read more about the corresponding album here!

#30: BamBam, “LAST PARADE”

“LAST PARADE” tells an overarching story about power and control while also telling three separate stories. The video’s inspirations range from steampunk to Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, and ample attention is given to each aspect of the aesthetics because of slow-motion camerawork. Just as notable as the aesthetic choices themselves are their differences, and there is a contrast between the color palettes and surroundings in parts one and two. BamBam plays a different character in each, first ruling the Underworld, then playing a different kind of rebel, then observing his personas fight each other in part three. The fact that the video ends before the fight does, as well as the repetition of “black and red” in both the lyrics and visuals, imply that the battle may never end; the tension between people and places remains. Regardless of what the characters think they are fighting for, it might just be a proxy battle. What they really seek and will spend their lifetimes fighting for is attention. The battle for attention is a rare commonality among the characters, whose ways of getting it range from planting a personalized flag to waacking!

#29: BAEKHYUN, “Pineapple Slice”

Hello, World is a moodier-than-anticipated release, especially considering the album title and main track title, “Pineapple Slice”! But most surprising of all is the abnormal vampire character BAEKHYUN plays in the “Pineapple Slice” music video! Like the album’s theme of struggling to differentiate among dreams, nightmares, and reality, his character leaves his origin story and motives unclear. His vampire self can see his reflection and can stand in the sunlight, but the mirror breaks when he smiles into it, and he still cannot inhabit humans’ normal daytime world inconspicuously, because of his preference for hanging upside-down on the subway (not to mention the flock of bats that follows him)! “Does this vampire want to assimilate or not?” remains unclear, as is how much it is considered his nightmare or his dream come true when his love interest becomes immortal like him and as possessed as the other partygoers in the process. Hello, World asks the audience to suspend disbelief and decide for themselves how much BAEKHYUN is playing an antagonist or a protagonist. The line between imagined and real circumstances appears as slippery as BAEKHYUN’s moods, giving surprising emotional heft to a release that at first was shaping up to be a breezy pop era! Read more about the corresponding album here!

#28: Heize, “FALLIN’”

FALLIN’ deconstructs memories to assess them in pieces, seeking to understand how and why they form. In the title track’s music video, this is shown through many images: the reminders of people from Heize’s past, the inclusion of fresh and dry greenery in the same terrarium, and Heize’s passive narrator role while witnessing others make their own memories. A young man sprinting towards an emergency vehicle, schoolgirls celebrating a birthday together… Life’s highs and lows are shown as snapshots in time, ones that Heize may witness but ones in which she does not participate. Heize’s scenes involve her wandering alone; staring at a table covered in tea cups, as if hoping to force those objects to develop special meaning for her; and inspecting parts of plants in a science lab, each part representing a different memory or memory fragment. She appears lonely and lost in thought until the end… There is much left unsaid, which begs the question: Are the most worthy memories those which have meanings that words cannot express? Must some aspects of memories always stay a mystery? Do sufficient words even exist to articulate a memory in full? FALLIN’ represents the alluring enigma that is the nature of memory, in ways that show the concept is always about more than the sum of its parts.

#27: D.O., aka Doh Kyung Soo, “Mars”

D.O.’s feelings stay contagious throughout his mission to communicate with a loved one on another planet. The audience roots for and swoons over him as he leaves his house in the morning, bicycle stocked with colorful flowers. His desperation is palpable as he spends hour after hour trying to send a “petal message” to outer space, and his sorrow when ripping up flowers and arranging the pieces to say “I MISS YOU” is equally felt. The earnestness of his emotions keeps audiences invested until the end, when they feel his relief and joy at finally getting a response. Although it starts to rain on D.O., and his lover remains unseen and distant, just that single response that reminds him his loved one is out there thinking of him is enough to buoy his spirits! Read more about the corresponding album here!

#26: TAEYEON, “Letter To Myself”

While the “Letter To Myself” music video is ambiguous, a strong case can be made that the moral of its story is that people are their own worst critics.

TAEYEON gives a presentation at the front of a bus, complete with chalkboard and school uniform, as if it is just another day in class. The passengers either ignore or throw wads of paper at her. When the bus breaks down, TAEYEON hopelessly tries to fix it, and the passengers move to the back window to watch her struggle and laugh at her. Suddenly, her teddy bear grows life-size and shoots lasers at them, causing them to flee! It seems like TAEYEON and the bear have the bus to themselves now, although the bear is actually not driving. The passengers push the bus from behind, and whether or not TAEYEON is aware that the bullies have actually started to help her remains unclear.

After much more mayhem ensues, everyone enters TAEYEON’s house and takes a group photo, the bear among them! This is particularly notable considering TAEYEON’s placement in the photo. In earlier scenes, those who she interacts with have pictures of themselves appear near them, as if they get to choose which side of themselves they get to present to the world that day: the polished one or the more authentic one. TAEYEON does not have that option; she can only be her truest self. This leaves her feeling vulnerable, but the “Letter To Myself” video shows her perspective shift from fear of not having a mask to feeling unburdened by the lack of one. Liberated, she rocks out in the presentation space that has transformed into a party bus!

If all TAEYEON can be is herself, she decides that she might as well embrace her imperfections, and her magical furry friend helps her do so! Read more about the corresponding album here!

Stay tuned for part two, out later this week!