Now that I’ve taken a look at my favorite title tracks and singles of the year, it’s time to move on to… everything else. This countdown encompasses any track that didn’t receive a full music video. This becomes more nebulous by the year, with “track videos” and “special videos” and the like. I allow myself some wiggle room when deciding which countdown a song belongs on, but generally this list includes album tracks, one-off digital releases, and Japanese b-sides from Korean acts. Just like the Top 50 Singles list, all songs here were released between December 1st, 2024 and November 30th, 2025.

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NUMBERS 40-21
2025 YEAR-END MASTERPOST

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20. NCT DREAM – I LIKE IT

SM Entertainment knows how to do breezy craft summer dance tracks and NCT Dream are perfect vessels for the sound. This isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it’s a very successful version of a sound I love. (full review)

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19. RIIZE – INSIDE MY LOVE

Inside My Love is stuffed with the kind of turn-of-millennium Swedish pop melodies I adore. It’s the closest RIIZE have come to sounding like peers to Backstreet Boys and Nsync, and I mean that as a big compliment! (full review)

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18. ZEROBASEONE – FIREWORK

Firework is huge! Given its title, you’d expect a flurry of light and color and explosions and the song delivers in musical form. It’s better than any of the group’s Japanese singles and deserves much more attention than it received. (full review)

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17. H1-KEY – GOOD FOR U

Good For U fills the anthemic rock space that Dreamcatcher left behind, adding turbo-charged energy to craft a rollicking summer anthem that utilizes the group’s strong vocals to full effect. (full review)

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16. TEMPEST – NOCTURNAL

Though the songs Tempest promoted this year didn’t do much for me, this sleek, nimble dance track filled a specific K-pop niche we don’t hear much of anymore. It has such a great sense of acceleration. (full review)

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15. CRAVITY – STADIUM

This unit track is performed by Allen, Hyeongjun and Wonjin but sounds much bigger than that. It’s the kind of bounding, personality-filled funk song I’ve always loved in K-pop and a total highlight from their newest album. (full review)

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14. RIIZE – SHOW ME LOVE

This is such a pure shot of pop melody and fresh energy. Its simplicity is its strength, beckoning listeners to sing along with ease. I wouldn’t necessarily expect this sound from RIIZE, but I certainly won’t refuse it. (full review)

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13. FAIRY MAI X KAIOS – LIPSTICK

Sorry, but this is gnarlier than Gnarly. Fairy Mai is intent on finding her f*cking lipstick and the brash, confrontational production echoes that pursuit. It’s so much campy fun.

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12. TWS – OVERTHINKING

TWS go full EDM on this melodic banger. The ascending high notes in the chorus are brilliant, as is that incredibly catchy synth loop at the song’s center. Above all else, this feels like the first step in exploring a new genre. (full review)

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11. TWS – GO BACK

Go Back walked so Overdrive could run, and I hope we get many more iterations of this sound. TWS kill bombastic funk pop and they echo agency-seniors Seventeen with this one. The chorus has such a confident, megawatt melody. (full review)

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10. SUPER JUNIOR – D.N.A.

D.N.A represents an old-school style of SM Entertainment music we rarely hear anymore. It’s DRAMA in all caps, including an impossibly high power note at the song’s climax. I get why idols don’t promote this kind of material anymore, but I wish they would. It’s just so fun to go all-out. (full review)

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9. ZEROBASEONE – DEVIL GAME

This will always be the ZEROBASEONE title track that got away. It runs circles around the similarly funky Iconik with its killer groove and standout bridge. It’s the kind of song you can replay over and over again without tiring of it because every moment is executed so well. (full review)

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8. CLOSE YOUR EYES – HOW TO DANCE

This has some of my favorite singing of the year, which might sound surprising at first because it’s not a vocally-demanding song. However, I adore the various inflections the members give it, adding a sense of unique character that makes it such an addictive listen. It’s probably my biggest grower on this list and a track that’s proven so sturdy over the course of the year.

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7. TWS – RANDOM PLAY

Some vocals simply sound like the artist is smiling all the way through their performance. I can’t describe why that is, but it’s a quality TWS excel at. They come across as genuinely excited to be singing this song and that enthusiasm is infectious. I love how the production here contrasts bright and bubbly with grungy guitar during the chorus. This has been the group’s sleeper hit for me this year. (full review)

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6. NMIXX – REALITY HURTS

For me, this is NMIXX’s peak blend of experimental electro sounds and pure pop melody. The beat hits hard but the hooks are sugar sweet. That gap builds tension and interest until the entire track collapses around you during its distorted post-chorus. This is the kind of dynamic mix K-pop should be striving for. (full review)

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5. RIIZE – ANOTHER LIFE

Few songs this year genuinely surprised me, but I never saw Another Life coming. SM artists have their well-known musical tropes, but every once and awhile something fresh slips through. Another Life‘s instrumental feels intensely alive, from its percussive breakdowns to the searing, psychedelic guitar at its climax. All the while, the members belt out the melodies like they’re laying their lives on the line. (full review)

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4. TWS – N.O.S.A

I haven’t seen anyone discussing this Japanese one-off OST song, but to my ears N.O.S.A is one of 2025’s strangest pop tracks. Not only are its melodies off-kilter in an ear-catching way, but the entire track is arranged with tight vocal layering and ubiquitous harmonies. This gives it such an interesting tone that I found totally captivating. It’s almost like an a cappella performance set to a beat. (full review)

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3. NOUERA – BRING THE CRUNK

This may be the biggest case of false advertising this year. There is absolutely no crunk to be found in Bring The Crunk, but that’s all for the better because I’d much rather have this sleek, exciting electro dance track. The song gives me a classic K-pop feeling — the type of sound that could only emerge from the idol industry. (full review)

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2. NOUERA – MYSELF

This year, I kept switching back and forth between my top two. Myself is the more approachable of the two songs, harnessing simplicity as an asset. Its buoyant summertime house beat is catnip to my ears, recalling classics like RIIZE’s Impossible and ONF’s Complete. The chorus is pure pop bliss, unfolding with such ease that it simply sweeps you off your feet. I listened to it countless times this summer and have no plans to stop anytime soon. (full review)

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1. RIIZE – EMBER TO SOLAR

Ember To Solar easily eclipses RIIZE’s promoted material this year, offering a more ambitous and satisfying sound. Specifically, the track harnesses their agency’s much-loved SMP style, cranking the drama and theatricality up to “11.” Dynamic drum-and-bass verses give way to a mammoth chorus that feels as if it should be delivered by a choir of K-pop warriors. Then, we wind our way to a series of go-for-broke power notes that prove how potent the industry’s output can be when it throws self-consciousness away and indulges in its own excesses. More of this, please! (full review)