Like, is there an era your favourite group had that you would say defined or changed your life at that time?
For me it's Loonas predebut era and NewJeans Debut era. Even though I wasn't around when Loona released their solos, when I learned about them, me and my friend would listen and watch everything is chronological order, making theories about subunits, read fanfictions about the Loonaverse, fantheories... all sorts of things. She had to move away last year, and it broke my heart, really. I miss her so much, and every time I watch or listen to Loona predebut music, I remember our times together. My biggest wish is that she can visit me next year or even better, I could visit her. I love her so much, she's my soulmate, and we bonded over K-Pop back then so much 
Then, of course, Summer 2022. I don't think the nostalgia of that year can be topped. This summer was really nice tho so we will see in 2 years if it's that nostalgic as well. NewJeans defined the era I grew into a "real" teen. I had my first crush that summer. It all hit so different. I would listen to NewJeans music all the time on the school trip where my crush and I grew really close, and the whole summer and fall, really. NewJeans debut era was about having your first crush, or experiences with love as a teen girl, so that really related so much too me, and made me a whole different person. Especially Hyeins storyline is exactly how it went for me back then. When I just think of those times while listening to Hype Boy, or Hurt, I feel so emotional. This group really did something with me. Already now, How Sweet and Bubble Gum feel nostalgic to me.
Listening to music while feeling strong emotions will create a nostalgia which can be felt for years after. The reason I love Min Hee Jins creativity, even though I despise her character, is because she is the one that created this unmatchable concept for NewJeans. I would love to hear more about her inspirations and ideas, and I can't wait to see what else they will put out with her help. Whether you like her or not, please support the idea of her being their CEO again. It's true, no MHJ no NJ.
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if you have time and feel like there is something you want to share, go spread some positive energy about NewJeans 
Which era of a K-Pop group defined a part of your life?
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NCT 2020/Resonance era - it was why I became a NCTzen and during that time I was working from home full time isolated from family, friends etc and having a really rough time working crazy hours but the thing that made me slightly happier was getting to listen to NCT. I'll never forget the joy it was to listen to 90's Love for the first time and looping it all day. That era will always be the most special for me.
Red Velvet Rookie era - I had just moved out to study abroad when this came out so it always reminds me of those good times.
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2nd gen overall
It remind me when i was younger
Listening to kpop the night in my chamber cuz i was afraid that someone might see me listening to koreans song
But in the same time feeling so much joy of digging into this worldw, seeing all these colorful MV, their music who were just made to make people dance and nothing more
Watching idols having fun in variety show without caring about anything else
It just feels so nostalgic
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2010-2013 was when K-pop truly peaked for me. My sisters may have introduced me to the genre, but it was my friends who made me fall deeply in love with it. We would discuss and referenced K-pop nonstop thru recess and lunch, especially anything BIGBANG related, at a time when most kids were caught up in pokemon and Harry Potter. One of my fondest memories was performing 'Gee' at our school talent show and completely butchering it 😅 shoutout to Jessy and Justin for saving the day XD.
However, once primary school ended, everything changed. We went to different schools, made new friends, and got swept up in different things. The magic of K-pop, which had once been more than just a genre but a shared passion among friends, never quite felt the same again😪
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2016
I was the most dedicated as a kpop fan then and most of my favourite groups were active and release bops. It was also in 2016 that I got to know Winner, which years later became my favourite group.
BTS got their first daesang and released one of my favourite albums (Young Forever),which was the 1st kpop album that I bought.
Produce 101 and IOI debut
Twice's most iconic songs
Gfriend's peak
Blackpink's iconic debut
2pm's last comeback before hiatus
Sistar "I like that"
AOA "Good luck"
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Fifty Fifty’s Love Tund era
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I guess the KTL era since I first got into kpop around 2019 right when KTL dropped when YT recommended me D4 lol
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I guess 2020 was my favorite era during HYLT comeback and The Album release. And Twice's Cant stop me comeback was also iconic. I was already pretty "old" (21 lol) when I got into kpop so it never had a profound effect on my youth, but it made me much more appreciative and cognizant of music in general.
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i got into kpop in january 2018. i was obsessed with bts and i absolutely loved blood sweat and tears. id listen to kpop all day. i loved momoland and red velvet and twice so muchh. 3rd gen reminds me of being in middle school which was one of my happiest times in my life.
then 4th gen reminds me of high school. when i was in 11th grade ive debuted with eleven and i remember being absolutely so excited and knowing ive was my favorite group. i also have distinct memories of lesserafim debut and driving around on a rainy sunny spring day with my boyfriend listening to it.
kpop gives me a way to remember all of the beautiful memories in my life and i really appreciate it for that
i really enjoyed reading everyones memories here!
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Well, the thing that changed my life a bit was to become a fan of kpop. So I would say the years of 2011-2012 was the years with the biggest impact on me, but that included the music from the earlier years of 2009-2010. So more or less the "golden years" for 2nd generation girlgroups (2009-2012) with T-aras Roly Poly period and 2NE1s first three years (2009-2011) as the high points.
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This is a great thread.
I would have to say all of 2018, but with multiple groups. It seemed like K-pop was going through the prime of 3rd gen while also starting 4th gen back then.
It was a blissful time for me because I was just starting to get back into K-pop as well. Even though I started earlier, this was when I really made the effort to get to know more 3rd gen groups.
The year started off with Red Velvet releasing “Bad Boy.” I don’t think I have to explain how phenomenal that song was.
BTS was riding off the wave of “DNA” while coming back with “Fake Love.” They were going through a turning point globally.
BLACKPINK came out with their Square Up EP, which featured “DDU-DU DDU-DU.” That also changed the trajectory of their careers.
LOONA was in their predebut days as you said. The buildup to their official debut was special. I wasn’t a fan just yet, but I was around to know about it. Yves had “new,” which I thought was an amazing song.
Sunmi and Chungha were releasing bop after bop. They were THE soloists back then.
Hyolyn released “Dally,” which is her most iconic song as a soloist.
(G)I-DLE debuted. We know how that went. “LATATA” was an amazing song.
Stray Kids debuted.
The hype about IZ*ONE was just starting. They debuted that year.
Jennie released her iconic “SOLO.” Still her best solo song in my opinion.
You might not know much about them, but WINNER was also doing great. Following their success of “REALLY REALLY,” they came back with their next title track called “EVERYDAY.” I thought it was a bop.
And iKON! They released “LOVE SCENARIO,” which was a huge hit that year.
PENTAGON released “Shine,” another hit.
NCT had their NCT 2018 EMPATHY album, featuring bops like “BOSS” and “Baby Don’t Stop.”
EXO had “Tempo” and “Love Shot.”
MOMOLAND released “BBoom BBoom” and “BAAM” all in the same year.
CLC released “BLACK DRESS.”
Just a whole lot of good things happened that year. I don’t think people give 2018 enough credit for all that it did. Maybe they just got into K-pop later or so, but man… They missed out if that’s the case. It was the best year for modern K-pop as a whole. I’ll give an honorable mention to 2019, too.
I’m always going to tell people how great of a year 2018 was.
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One of the eras was definitely TXT's debut in 2019. Just seeing the predebut teaser's for the TXT member's was so profound for me because up until this point BTS were the only group in their company and TXT debut meant that was going to change. I was so excited to see what their music and concepts would be like. When Crown was released I loved the song and was impressed with their choreo, they work so well as a group.
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For me it's 2016, especially summer. I remember the EXO-community I was a part of fondly from this time, and EXO released great songs. Especially when Monster released it was like a cultural reset for us. Also Taeyeon had started her solo-career which I had been waiting for, and I was very happy with her music.
It was a good time for kpop in general, Red Velvet's Russian Roulette is one of the best GG songs ever, BP debuted, BTS' Blood, Sweat and Tears, Twice's TT, Winner's Sentimental.. I got into my first serious relationship at this time, so some songs from summer-fall bring back memories from that too. Good time.
After losing a bit of interest in kpop, it had a bit of a resurgence in late 2021 when I fell in love with Thunderous. And since SKZ already had a sizeable discography, I remember how exciting it was going through their albums and finding a lot of new music. Their songs became a huge motivator for my studying at the time, it gave me a lot of energy in a way.
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This is a great thread.
I would have to say all of 2018, but with multiple groups. It seemed like K-pop was going through the prime of 3rd gen while also starting 4th gen back then.
It was a blissful time for me because I was just starting to get back into K-pop as well. Even though I started earlier, this was when I really made the effort to get to know more 3rd gen groups.
The year started off with Red Velvet releasing “Bad Boy.” I don’t think I have to explain how phenomenal that song was.
BTS was riding off the wave of “DNA” while coming back with “Fake Love.” They were going through a turning point globally.
BLACKPINK came out with their Square Up EP, which featured “DDU-DU DDU-DU.” That also changed the trajectory of their careers.
LOONA was in their predebut days as you said. The buildup to their official debut was special. I wasn’t a fan just yet, but I was around to know about it. Yves had “new,” which I thought was an amazing song.
Sunmi and Chungha were releasing bop after bop. They were THE soloists back then.
Hyolyn released “Dally,” which is her most iconic song as a soloist.
(G)I-DLE debuted. We know how that went. “LATATA” was an amazing song.
Stray Kids debuted.
The hype about IZ*ONE was just starting. They debuted that year.
Jennie released her iconic “SOLO.” Still her best solo song in my opinion.
You might not know much about them, but WINNER was also doing great. Following their success of “REALLY REALLY,” they came back with their next title track called “EVERYDAY.” I thought it was a bop.
And iKON! They released “LOVE SCENARIO,” which was a huge hit that year.
PENTAGON released “Shine,” another hit.
NCT had their NCT 2018 EMPATHY album, featuring bops like “BOSS” and “Baby Don’t Stop.”
EXO had “Tempo” and “Love Shot.”
MOMOLAND released “BBoom BBoom” and “BAAM” all in the same year.
CLC released “BLACK DRESS.”
Just a whole lot of good things happened that year. I don’t think people give 2018 enough credit for all that it did. Maybe they just got into K-pop later or so, but man… They missed out if that’s the case. It was the best year for modern K-pop as a whole. I’ll give an honorable mention to 2019, too.
I’m always going to tell people how great of a year 2018 was.
You’re right 2018 K-pop was stir crazy, and even though I wasn't invested, most of my friends were completely obsessed. I remember they would constantly introduce me to third gen groups, and I couldn’t keep up with all the names especially Twice hehe. I still remember how everyone, including the boys who’d never be caught dead listening to K-pop before, were counting down the seconds for blackpink’s du du du premiere. It was gnarly seeing how the hyped everyone was
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You’re right 2018 K-pop was stir crazy, and even though I wasn't invested, most of my friends were completely obsessed. I remember they would constantly introduce me to third gen groups, and I couldn’t keep up with all the names especially Twice hehe. I still remember how everyone, including the boys who’d never be caught dead listening to K-pop before, were counting down the seconds for blackpink’s du du du premiere. It was gnarly seeing how the hyped everyone was
Interestingly, even though I liked some songs from girl groups at the time, I was more intrigued with iKON, WINNER, Pentagon, BTS, EXO, and NCT. They were all on the rise in some way or another. This was a booming time period for those groups.
However, I think BLACKPINK’s “DDU-DU DDU-DU” started a revolution for GGs. People underestimate the cultural impact that song had. I don’t care about numbers or charts, but I surely know the level of cultural impact a song makes.
I was in Seoul when it dropped, so it felt special to experience the ambience of the streets as the local shops played the song. It was everywhere.
2018 was also before Burning Sun, so it was blissful being a VIP back then. Overall just a great time to be a K-pop fan before certain things got ruined.
There was so much going on at the time, but in the best way possible.
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