2022 onwards, one of the worst eras for kpop (and the world)

In 2021, there was an air of hope (maybe false hope) and optimism, after a tough 2020. We were slowly emerging from the pandemic, and had high hopes and optimism for the rest of the 2020s decade.

However, 2022 onwards has a darker atmosphere, with all the wars, political and economic problems, high prices, aftermath of pandemic, brainrot, AI, Tiktokification of music, lack of etiquette at concerts, widened gap between Big 3/4/5 and non-Big 3/4/5 etc....

Quote from s1aori

i started listening in 2021, stopped for two years and came back. personally, it’s boring. the idols are much more westernized and have more of an influencer/tiktoker vibe than they do “Idol”

the music sounds much like the stuff i hear when i change to the pop radio in America, just in Korean (if that)

all the good groups have disbanded or are inactive/changed in dynamic. but im sure all of this is what other generations said about 3rd gen when it was new and fresh.

yes ... pre-pandemic kpop was something else ..... kpop was so bright, colorful, energetic ... you had harmonies, melodies etc .... the fun music show and awards stages/peformances/collabs .... in the current post-pandemic era, very few songs are like that now e.g. Demon Hunters songs, The Boyz VVV (although their latest song Stylish is a walking stereotype of post-pandemic kpop)

Quote from LilacGirl

Disagree. NJ had a really good run in 2022-2023, IVE was doing awesome- going head to head with NJ, LSF had fun hits/performances too. It really felt like the GGs were taking everything up to the next level this generation. But then 2024 happened soz.

2024-2025 as a blink has been great, for others it could be anywhere from disaster to meh.

you're right .... 2022/2023 wasn't that bad .... but 2024 and 2025 ....