The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday.
To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs must have had a Korean release as a title track, follow-up or promotional video between Dec. 1st, 2024 and Nov. 30th, 2025.
Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!
50. LE SSERAFIM – Spaghetti (ft. J-Hope)
There’s a special type of “quirky” that classic K-pop does so well, and Spaghetti recaptures much of that madcap energy. From its vomiting sound effects to the herky jerky hook, the song certainly stands out. (full review)
49. ATEEZ – In Your Fantasy
ATEEZ try their hand at a mid-00s robotic Timbaland groove. It’s a sound that felt newly refreshed in 2025 and fits their dynamic performance style surprisingly well. (full review)
48. ALLDAY PROJECT – Famous
One of the year’s biggest breakouts debuted with a serpentine, almost chorus-less track that initially left me cold. However, ubiquity has a way of pulling out a song’s charms. (full review)
47. Close Your Eyes – Snowy Summer
I’m not usually a fan of mixing seasons, but Snowy Summer has such good, uplifting vibes that it manages to work as a singalong carol for every time of year. (full review)
46. 8TURN – Like A Friend
The oldest track on my list, released all the way back in December 2024. This is the big summer hit that got away, capturing a youthful zest with an addictive new jack swing beat. (full review)
45. IDID – Step It Up
Mixing old-school sounds with modern hip-hop percussion, Step It Up served as a standout pre-debut and became one of my biggest growers of the year. I love those jazzy breakdowns. (full review)
44. &TEAM – Lunatic
Lunatic might be a bit threadbare as an actual song, but its two or three repeated segments are so addictive that I don’t mind the lack of structural diversity. Sometimes, simply riding a fantastic groove for two and a half minutes actually works. (full review)
43. RE:WIND – RE:SET
Though the song’s “music video” looks like a Canva collage, I felt the need to include this song in my singles countdown because it’s one of the year’s most underrated pop melodies. (full review)
42. (ALL)HOURS – Gimme Gimme
In a year that often felt subdued and safe, hearing something as balls-to-the-wall bonkers as Gimme Gimme was actually a relief. This updates the hyper-repetitive late-00s/early-10s Super Junior sound for our modern era. (full review)
41. IDID – Push Back
Isn’t it fantastic when a groove’s so indelible that it makes you move involuntarily? This is how you execute posturing NCT-esque boy group hip-hop with flair. (full review)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Interesting take but it’s the complete opposite for me. Spaghetti gets more annoying each time I hear it.
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lol i’m so curious to see where tws’ hskt lands in your ranking,, i already LOVE the songs in your top 50-41, but that song has grown on me immensely ever since the album dropped
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50-47 are my favorites here. excited to see the rest!
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Ah I got a bingo for GIMME GIMME but Spaghetti would probably be on my worst of list D: Famous grew on me a bit too.
50 – WISHes – Dear Moon
49 – KickFlip – Mama Said (massive grower, massive grower group)
48 – fromis_9 – LIKE YOU BETTER
47 – ALL(H)OURS – GIMME GIMME
46 – TEMPEST – Unfreeze (another big grower)
45 – AtHeart – Plot Twist
44 – 3WAY – Mm-hmm
43 – XIUMIN – WHEE!
42 – NMIXX – SPINNIN′ ON IT
41 – NEXZ – I’m Him
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Idid in front of Ateez T_T
Here’s my list so far.
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I saw Yves getting a lot of love this year so I checked her out again. The music was really appealing but I just don’t care for the apathetic vocal style.
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These are my 41 to 50 btw.
And I get what you mean, but there’s something about her vocals that just appeal to me. Can’t quite put my finger on it.
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it’s that time again. wow.
nick, i’ve been lurking in your blog for over a year by now, but I only really started commenting a few months ago. I just wanna say, thank you so much for providing such quality reviews!!! I managed to find a lot of outstanding (and terrible) songs from this website!
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hoping at least one girl group makes it in the top 10 (probably like you better from fromis_9 or style from h2h)
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Most of these were either songs I instantly forgot after playing them the first time or songs I disliked – no hate at all! We clearly just have different tastes (God knows some of my faves have been dissed to hell and back on here before).
My 50-41:
50: GIMME GIMME, ALL(H)OURS
49: ExtraL, JENNIE ft. Doechii
48: Gnarly, KATSEYE
47: PYTHON, GOT7
46: Light Please, Fairy Mai
45: Girls Will Be Girls, ITZY
44: Hello Stranger, Kwon EunBi
43: Love Virus, HEIZE
42: Bad Guy, U_Chae
41: EVERYTHING, TREASURE
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I will say, none of my 50-41 would have cracked top 50 in 2022, hell even 2023 or 2024. 2025 has been VERY weak for kpop imo.
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My top 30 wouldn’t break top 50 any other year
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tbh same for me lmao, here’s to hoping for a better 2026
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I am only going to start my list at 11-20.
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My number 1 this year is Sign by Izna. Such a beautiful and classy song with rich harmonies and melodies. I hope it makes it to the list!
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That song really ramps up towards the end.
I miss songs like that.
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Great song but I prefer BEEP
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I sat down and tried to make THE LIST.
This year, I know my top 10 for sure. The rest are all good songs that I enjoyed when they came out and I still enjoy a lot.
For the 40-50 range I’ll include bands and solo artists in no particular order because I really cannot make up my mind😅:
50 DragonPony – Not Out
49 Kave – Stone
48 2Z – Great Force
47 CatchTheYoung – In Your Arms
46 XdinaryHeroes – Beautiful Life
45 Key – Hunter
44 Beomgyu (TxT)- Take My Half
43 Woodz – Ill never love again
42 Seungyoon (Winner)- Me
41JongWoo (OnePact) – Passout
PS: Ateez’ In Your Fantasy will be in my top 10 and AllHours’ GimmeGimme is too much fun to be so low🙃
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Spaghetti grew on me this year, but if there’s another “annoying” song that grew on me even more, that’ll be Katseye’s Gnarly.
I only started liking it after hearing the demo ver by Alice Longyu Gao (whose songs I enjoy), like the song def suits her more and wished she released the song instead. But hey, I’m fine with this corporate toned down version.
And the choreo!! Probably one of the bests this year.
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i absolutely hated gnarly on release…now i’m mixed about it. on one hand, i still hate it but at the same time it’s so addicting..
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I’m pretty ambivalent about Gnarly at this point, but I don’t consider it K-pop so it wouldn’t be on my countdown even if I loved it.
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Already year end list season wow! Hoping Countdown and Overdrive (and maybe even Lucky to be Loved?) reach Top 15 🤞 though I’m assuming all 4 of TWS’ promoted tracks this year will make the list, just like how all 7 (!) of TWS’ songs made the list last year! Has there ever been another group with such consistency in your year-end lists?
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Golcha landed nearly all their promoted tracks on the year-end lists, though they weren’t as prolific so there were years they had only one or two songs eligible.
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Ah how could I forget! That makes sense yes
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I’m sure I will have missed songs that would be in the top50, and included some that were actually from other years, but here we go anyway. Also, my list is both B-Sides and A-sides so you are going to see a lot of specific artists. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
50. Lips Hips Kiss – Kiss of Life: I’m taking a page from Nick’s book and just focusing on the music. This one was sultry, catchy, and everything KoF does well.
49. Closer – Jeon Somi: This song was a great return to form for her and has a great otherworldly feel and club propulsiveness.
48. My First Love Song – Kickflip: The first of quite a few songs by them on this list. They’ve hit their sound with a pop-punk positive upbeat direction this song captures well.
47. Spaghetti – Le Sserafim: Love the “kitsch” and silliness of this song. J-Hope just elevates it so much too, keeping the whole experience fresh from beginning to end.
46. Freeze – Kickflip: I like the Freeze part, it gets me so excited for the fast pace energy of the chorus and keeps the song dynamic.
45. Billyeoon Goyangi (Do the Dance) – Illit: The synths really bothered me at first as they sounded like a record skipping, but I was able to move past it mostly, and the rest of the song is just such a bop.
44. White Cat – Yves: I love the electro vibe on this one. Her whole album was great, but this stood out as the high water mark for her this year.
43. Hot – Le Sserafim: I love the verse hooks and the chorus hook so much, and the outro synths are great.
42. Umm Great – Kickflip: While not the sound they are now showing more of, this reminded me of GOT7’s “Just Right” and is just the right amount of quirk with an oddly catchy ring to it.
41. Before the Sun Explodes – Kickflip: Love the spacey keyboard instrumental, and the anthemic rock is a great fit for them.
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