Best K-pop albums of 2025

Happy Lunar New Year! 새해 복 많이 받으세요! I am hitting publish on this to go out on February 17, which means are we are well into 2026 as we're literally starting the Year of the Horse today, but I'm still sonically back in 2025.

In a year defined by dance and rock, and shorter songs, as well as K-pop's identity, especially in relationship to America's music industry, and muted, indie-esque dreampop defined the year's singles. Albums, however, will always be important for way they package a moment of an act's creative journey, and it'd be a disservice to overlook last year's albums.

One trend I noticed while writing this list is that album length increasingly is correlating with career length; hardly any newly-debuted artists, or even one-year-old artists, are getting anything longer than 20 minute or so albums nowadays. Many of my favorite albums were by soloists, but from idol groups, NMIXX really won 2025, but I wonder what 2026 will bring for them.

Unlike the Best of 2025 singles list, I've opted to make this list unranked; don't look for any order here, it's merely just how I added things to an album-listening playlist over the past few months. Due to the need for me to get out a few other newsletters this week, I'm going to be brief with these reviews, but I hope you enjoy listening to each album and have your own thoughts about them. Please enjoy reading, and please share your own favorite albums from 2025 in the comments.

Yerin Baek Flash and Core

I said this list isn't really ranked or ordered, but my most-listened to album of 2026 was by far Flash and Core. An artist grappling with herself, Flash and Core witnesses Yerin Baek ruminating on the foundations of music and her career. It vacillates between more dramatic, moodier moments full of longing and hurt, and brighter, danceable earworms wrapped up in the richness of her voice – ones that are still a little bit haunted. There are frequent homages to many of pop and rocks greats, which continued in her live performances, and she isn't hindered by any one single genre. Instead, Yerin touches upon a little bit of everything as she switches between heartfelt romantic balladry and deadpan lyricism that tackles things as serious as racism and being an artist in the modern social media spotlight.

And I know some people probably will be upset I'm including her here but... We can spend an eternity debating what box Yerin Baek does or doesn't fit into or not, but for the sake of me wanting to write about this album, she's K-pop.

Favorite moment: The wit and awareness of "Lovers of Artists"'s lyrics

NCT Dream Beat It Up

I think there's a larger piece to be written about the interwoven musicalities of the various NCT groups, and how SM Entertainment hasn't always done a good job at differentiating their sonic identities, but NCT Dream in particular has been suffering recently, with NCT Wish's youthful vibes moving into a spot Dream traditionally held, and 127 and WayV handling various styles that it feels like Dream could move into, but can't because the spots are already full. Beat It Up is a short EP, and it doesn't really solve the question of NCT Dream's artistic path forward, but I think it makes the case for how strong NCT Dream is when given great music.

The EP has six songs, and while the title song is meant to be pretty much nothing more than a boisterous, NCT hit, the other five tracks are some of the neatest, most harmonious performances we've seen from them. They beg to be played on repeat, because there is so much vocal and instrumental layering that you really can't grasp it all in one shot. This is a group that's at its best when it has fun while harmonizing over beats and melodies that feel like they're taken out of a memory, and the entire album feels like that, especially "Rush" and "Tempo".

Favorite moment: The final minute of "Cold Coffee", and a really thoughtful reddit thread of Dreamzens discussing why and when NCT Dream's sound works for them, or doesn't

Jisoo Amortage

A bite-sized take on all things romance, Jisoo presents infatuation in "earthquake", devotion in "Your Love", acceptance in "TEARS", and disavowal in "Hugs & Kisses". Each track explores themes and genres that are a bit different, but is cohesive in the way that it feels like each one of them could be part of a set performed by some of our best lovesong makers, like Kylie Minogue or Carly Rae Jepsen. My only real complaint this album is that it is TWELVE minutes long. I take showers longer than that.

Favorite moment: "Your love feels like a Sunday when you got nowhere to go" is such a subtly vivid way of expressing this feeling

Speaking of... it was at this point of the night that I realized if I wanted to be able to finish this before the Sunday-like Monday night of President's Day ended, I would have to be briefer. From here on out, please enjoy generally one or two lines only per blurb. I hope you spend more time listening to them than reading me attempt to explain why they are so good.

Onew Percent

As each member of SHINee has gone his own way stylistically over the years, Onew has decided to lean into sleek, contemporary pop and soulful R&B. Percent elevates his discography with a general sense of funk and whimsy, creating one of the most holistic 30-minute listening experiences that 2025 provided.

Favorite moment: The opening bars of album opener "Silky" sets it all up perfectly, but the glorious balladry of "Epilogue" is also up there even if it is a different sensibility than the majority of the album

Jennie Ruby

After her work with YG Entertainment, I honestly didn't have high hopes for Jennie's first solo album. I was terrified it'd be half a dozen "Solo"-style anthems featuring repetitive riffing on dramatic beats. Instead, I was blown away. With over a dozen tracks, each of which represents a different facet of Jennie, Ruby is a blend of thoughtful, self-reflection and well-deserved self-aggrandizing. I was honestly disappointed when it didn't get a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, as it felt like it really hinted to a new era for Jennie.

Favorite moment: “Don’t bore us, take us to the chorus" in "like Jennie" fascinates me

NMIXX Fe3O4: FORWARD - EP

As proven "High Horse" trash™️, Fe3o4: Forward's inclusion isn't probably a surprise to anyone, but the album's six songs are each pretty much perfection when it comes to production and vocal delivery. There's a sense of being chic and energetic constantly conflicting with restraint and intimacy across the 17-minutes, and it really feels like these tracks combine to move NMIXX forward into an exalted space only a handful of K-pop girl groups have ever reached. It's not quite on the same level of f(x)'s much lauded Pink Tape, considered one of the best K-pop productions of all time, – and follow up Blue Valentine felt almost like it was there but not quite–, but I am curious to see if NMIXX achieves that in 2026.

Favorite moment: The opening thirty seconds of "Papillon"

KiiKii UNCUT GEM

I love a narrative-driven album, and KiiKii's debut album literally celebrating their debut ("Debut Song") and laying out "Groundwork" before celebrating how "There They Go"? This is my kind of thoughtful approach to giving a flavor of a new act and making it memorable by intersplicing a variety of quirky, almost offensively auto-tuned, one-liners and lingering on playful, early '00 melodies.

Favorite moment: The synths of "ONE OFF" harmonizing with the members' voices

Kai Wait On Me

I've been thinking a lot lately that K-pop has done enough swaggery anthems and we need to go back to singing about love and sex more. Thankfully, Kai always delivers in the most alluring of way, and Wait On Me doesn't pull any shots: this is an album of pure, rhythmic lust, confident – and sometimes playful – in its desires, whether they're attainable or not.

Favorite moment: The pre-chorus of "Off and Away"

Yves Soft Error: X

Since leaving the Loonaverse, Yves has rapidly captured hearts (including mine!) through her experimental productions, and Soft Error, and the follow up X, continue that trend, coming up with music that looks at bedroom glitchpop and and screams "yes please" in a silent prayer while grooving along to a beat only she can hear. With a variety of samplings, least of all a featuring nod of approval from PinkPantheress and the absolutely glorious hyperpop chaos of "Study", this album may be deceptively soft at times, but it's not an error.

Favorite moment: The sensory tingles of "Do you feel it like i touch"

RIIZE Odyssey

After a tumultuous 2024 saw Seunghan (now Xnghan) leave the act, RIIZE in 2025 leaned into the journey of it all, and Odyssey spends its 10-tracks proving that SM Entertainment hasn't lost its special sauce: The opening switch from the choral pop opener "Odyssey" into the absolutely brash and boyish energy "Bag Bad Back" sets the tone, hinting to the wild ride this album will undertake in pursuit of perfect boy bandery with no punches pulled.

Favorite moment: The pre-finale prock progressions of "Another Life"

K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack

There is absolutely nothing better than seeing your favorite thing from teen and adulthood (K-pop) blend with what got you through your elementary school years (showtunes). Thank goodness for K-Pop Demon Hunters, and every songwriter and singer who partook in the soundtrack. I still think there's an argument to be had about K-Pop Demon Hunters not being a K-pop production, but the music is aligned with K-pop, so I'm not not going to include it on this list. I've already written about it, though, so please enjoy my longer take. The soundtrack is just so full of love for K-pop, and for the people who make and love it, and it was a peace of joy that got me through some rough times last year.

Favorite moment: "So we were cowards/ So we were liars / So we're not heroes/ We're still survivors" from "What It Sounds Like" gives me chills everytime I hear it, when you contextualize it in the fact that survivors and heroes are often not synonymous but maybe they should be.

Lee Chanhyuk EROS

Awash in synthwave and religious imagery – which is very intriguing if you remember the AKMU Lee children grew up in Mongolia where their parents were missionaries – EROS feels like a chill reimagining of what the '80s were like sonically through a hazy, nostalgic, never-lived-in-that-era perspective full of ruminations on love and relationships. It ends up being relaxed, inspiring, and cozy disco experience, via the lense of gospel.

Favorite moment: Using the distortion of a vocoder to end the album on "Shining Ground"

Chaeyoung Lil Fantasy vol. 1

After a decade of being TWICE's rapper, Chaeyoung rips off the girl group veneer and delves into being a full blown indie experimental pop girl in an EP that feels a lot like a fantasy. It's a really intriguing album, because it's not so much cohesive and stuck to one genre as it is a multitude of different styles, like Chaeyoung's trying to grab at fleeting ideas of what sort of singer she'll be beyond the group.

Favorite moment: "Ribbons", a trip-hop track that sort of seems like a thesis about public femininity, features SUMIN and Jibin, aka solid gold

YUTA PERSONA

When I surmised that rock is having a moment in K-pop, I didn't really take into account that SM Entertainment's first Japanese idol is currently making the rounds among legendary J-rockers and attempting to take up the mantle, performing along the likes of Miyavi and Hyde. But Yuta's creative approach to rock on Persona feels like picking up a mantle and recreating it, with classic hard rock angst and power balladry.

Favorite moment: "Knock Knock" is a party song, and especially fun live

izna Not Just Pretty

Although I really hate talking about albums that are just barely over 10 minutes (and there are a few on this list, sadly...), Not Just Pretty is too good to ignore, especially mid-album track "Racecar". izna are an interesting group because they're essentially answering the question of "what if YG and TheBlackLabel producers produced non-YG acts?" and the answer is some of the slinkiest dance tracks any girl groups made in 2025.

Favorite moment: They shift at 7 seconds into album opener "Supercrush", as if izna was shifting from a previous sound into this album's.

Le Sserafim HOT

Another enragingly short EP, at least this one is fittingly hot under the collar. These five brief tracks feels like the haziest moments of a summer night when the sun just set a few hours ago, you're still out doing what you love, and there's a hint of something boiling over, the passion surging forward in subtle ways between each track's disparate tempos. "Ash" and "So Cynical (Badum)" feel like oppositional forces, one chillingly tempting blue fire and one a warm candle, temptingly cozy in the deepest of nights. Le Sserafim always have great dance songs, and this EP doesn't disappoint.

Favorite moment: Realizing that Ejae, aka the voice of Rumi, wrote "So Cynical (Badum)"

Chung Ha Alivio

Everyone wants to be Chung Ha, but nobody can be Chung Ha, except maybe Sunmi, who she collaborated with on the taunting "Salty". Chung Ha is a queen of her craft, knowing exactly how to create breathy, pulsating house tracks that make you feel like you are simultaneously the center of everything and fading into nothingness. This album particularly feels like a rumination on the visceral feeling of being alive, putting the experiences of memories, stress, and relationships into the pristine movement of each track.

Favorite moment: The ad libs around 2 minutes into "Loyal" turning into deep house ambiance

Just B Snow Angel

Somehow I missed this release when it came out in November, but don't worry I have been listening to it on repeat since a friend pointed it out to me in January. Just give Just B and their A&R team all the awards, between this and "Chest" being my SOTY. We're going full retro electropop meets the trendiest of hyperpop sounds, and it's pretty much a perfect EP.

Favorite moment: The parenthetical, whispered "Fuck it" of "BHYT" is such a mood and an inspiration