Can the 4.5th generation prevail against the current climate?

Earlier the year, when TWS and Illit broke out, people said the 5th Gen had arrived.

But Illit was crushed by aespa in October, and then aespa was crushed by Roseanne Park, MBE and Bruno Mars.

aespa's resurgence led to the rumored SMNGG to postpone its debut.

2025 will be quite hostile to newer acts like Babymonster, Meovv and SMNGG. (Illit will probably be stuck in Japan and not jump into Korean scene)

BlackPink will return, with Roseanne Park, MBE, choosing to collaborate with who knows, obliterating KPop once more and existing acts will do their best to shut out the newer crops, while aespa has gained enough leverage to prevent SMNGG from going anywhere for quite a while, remembering what happened to SNSD when SM debuted red velvet and RV when aespa debuted.

The 5th Gen has become the 4.5th Gen with a very uncertain future; like the 2.5th gen and 3.5th gen who never really overcoming the 2nd and 3rd generations, the 4.5th gen seems to be destined as also rans unless it can produce a megahit which is bigger than magnetic within next year.

Quote from wsoet

Having debuted in 2016, Blac‍kpink was part of the 3.5th Generation, and they certainly overcame, and o‍ne could say the same for 2N‍E1, wh‍o debuted in 2009 as part of the 2.5th Generation.

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THE 3.5 GEN EXISTS (2017/2018) (+ IT’S BC OF BTS)

I think groups between (LATE 2016?) probably just 2017 and 2018 are 3.5 gen. That includes but isn’t limited to:

- Stray Kids (2018)
- Gidle (2018)
- Dreamcatcher (2017)
- The Boyz (2017)
- Ateez (2018)
- Loona (2018)

Because 4th gen started in 2019 but some earlier groups are considered 4th gen depending on the situation. Why is that? Because no one ever distinguishes 3.5 from 3rd and 4th gen but it’s important to. They’re years behind some 3rd gen but years ahead of some 4th gen.

THE REASON 2017…

euentbug

Jun 3rd 2021

Generally 3.5th gen include the ones debuting from 2017 to late 2020, and BlackPink is considered to be at the tail end of the 3rd gen

2ne1 belongs to the 2nd Gen, debuting 2006-2009

Quote from wsoet

It looks like it's time to bring out the chart again:

Anyone can make their own charts. It is not authoritative but some of acts called 3rd gen in the table are actually 2.5th gen.

the list above stops before aespa's debut. aespa is the first 4th gen act, and virtually all of the acts which are said to belong to 4th gen above are actually 3.5th gen.

Quote from BEG4DAWIN

I am just waiting for the 6th Generation to Debut

5G has not debuted yet. Illit, Meovv, BM, etc belong to the 4.5th gen.

Quote from wsoet

By the same token, what makes your definition of generations "authoritative"? At least we can see th‍at the figure above was created by actual Koreans, wh‍o probably know more than us random commenters on an international K-pop forum.

There was a term called Yeo-re-ma-t-bl, Yeojachingu (GFriend), Red Velvet , Mamamoo, Twice, Blackpink, grouped together (IOI existed for too short time to be included above).

So they, debuting 2014-2016, were all considered to be in the same generation.

Other than whoever made the table, no one counts BP in 3.5th gen.

Quote from blossom9990

I agree with Whyknock. Despite whatever this chart is and whoever made it, Bp is considered part of the 3rd generation because people generally associate them with that era. I think you might not fully understand why terms like 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 generations exist for some people. These classifications are used for groups that many consider to have debuted in the "wrong" generation. So, Bp is not part of this overlap. Because, in the case of the 3.5 gen, those groups are labeled this way because many believe they should belong to the 3rd gen, while the 4th gen was seen as starting too early. Bp is already firmly part of their "supposed" generation. After all, the 3.5 generation wouldn't exist if the 4th generation officially started in 2020 with Aespa's debut or 2021 with Ive's debut, as their debut marked a noticeable shift compared to the earlier 4th-generation groups.

A characteristic of the x.5 generation is that no matter how well they do they cannot overcome the main acts of the generations. No Grand Prizes for acts like Sistar or APink, in 2.5th gen. Gidle's grand prize from Melon, at the end of its first contract, is the first real grand prize given to a 3.5th gen act.

Quote from bbgc

Whyknock is a huge anti-Korean Kpop fan, good luck convincing him that Koreans know better.

But I am with him on Blackpink, it is 3rd gen. Yes, as with most things Kpop, there is no hard definitions, just fuzzy perceptions.

But coming to the main point of his argument, that the newer groups can't dominate. I think what's being missed is that Kpop groups since 3rd gen have achieved much greater longevity, the market has been expanded. So acts from multiple gen can very well coexist with good success, not have any one gen or group dominate but for few weeks at the best

Viral songs will continue to happen, but will not be imply the kind of dominance BTS, Bigbang, SNSD have had in the past.

New Jeans probably was the best case for that, but that's now done.

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Except the market is contracting, and generations are fighting for a smaller slice of pie and smaller acts being forced to go to overseas before they are ready.

APT. did become viral and did dominate. BamYanggang is probably the only song in the recent years by someone who was not a major act to dominate for a while.

(And of course there is someone who is unwilling and unable to play by the rules but that is another story.)