If Big Bang, Exo and Bts were debuted in 5th gen, which one do you think would be the most popular and why?

    • New

    If BB, Exo and Bts were debuted in 5th gen, which one do you think would thrive more, and why? 40

    The result is only visible to the participants.

    Well, let's talk about the boy groups version. Basically, I think they're the equivalent of Snsd, Twice, and Bp for bgs.


    Anyway, just like in the other thread, which group do you think would end up the most popular, and which one would probably be disliked or simply get less hype by Kpop standards today? Whose debut and rookie years will probably be the most successful? And I know people will say Bts came from a small company, but just take it as if they debuted under Hybe today.


    Personally, I can’t really answer this since I don’t even follow 4th gen bgs trends, let alone the 5th.

    • New
    Quote from Seoged

    BTS, obviously. Why would it be any different?

    The only difference from Bts is that they won’t have the underdog story, which played a huge role in shaping how competitive and dedicated Armys are today. But whether that will significantly affect their success… it's also up to debate since 'in this timeline' they have existing company stans 🤷🏻‍♀️

  • AllKill VIP
    • New
    Quote from Flovell

    Tbh, I don’t know if GD will be as cool now as he was back then, especially to international fans...they will treating him like Tarzzan

    All three groups wanted to be exactly like Tarzzan in their formative years, so they’re pretty much even when it comes to that.


    BigHit was just really good at rebranding BTS and cleaning up their image. They had controversial lyrics, Black hairstyles, and all.


    EXO benefitted from a hot and pretty royal prince image.

    • New
    Quote from superyeah

    All three groups wanted to be exactly like Tarzzan in their formative years, so they’re pretty much even when it comes to that.


    BigHit was just really good at rebranding BTS and cleaning up their image. They had controversial lyrics, Black hairstyles, and all.


    EXO benefitted from a hot and pretty royal prince image.

    I agree Exo is Damm hot and princely even in their ahjusshi 30s but their music and dance is A+++. Their debut song Mama with Gregorian chats does not sound dated even till today. Growl was a masterpiece that still defines them till today.

  • AllKill VIP
    • New
    Quote from Exo_bunnie

    I agree Exo is Damm hot and princely even in their ahjusshi 30s but their music and dance is A+++. Their debut song Mama with Gregorian chats does not sound dated even till today. Growl was a masterpiece that still defines them till today.

    Quote from Exo_bunnie

    Exo is not just a pretty face, they have the talent and fighting spirit even if their numbers are 12 or 9 or 6. Each one of them can hold the group and performed at the same quality and standard regardless of the numbers and obstacles.

    No, I absolutely agree. I was just replying to someone who implied GD wouldn't be as popular if he debuted in 5th gen.


    I'm basically saying all three groups had their moments involving cultural appropriation, so none of them would exactly be safe from those allegations if they debuted today. They'd all be equal in that regard.


    People just tend to forget BTS and EXO both had cultural appropriation moments because:

    1. BigHit invested a lot into rebranding BTS and cleaning up their image.

    2. EXO became known for being hot and pretty K-pop royalty.


    I think EXO is aging gracefully as a group when it comes to their looks, music, and stage presence. They put on one of my favorite performances at the 2025 Melon Music Awards!

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • AllKill VIP
    • New

    BTS

    For reasons such as :


    1. They reinvent themselves


    2. They take risks


    3. Lyrically strong. They provide more substance or range of topics.


    Some songs were conceptually brilliant like whalien 52 (using the story of the 52 Hertz whale to talk about their own feelings of alienation)


    And they sometimes wrote in an unorthodox way. I wish I could explain it further but I'm afraid of making my post too long. So people would still gravitate to their lyrics and want to unravel the meaning behind them.


    4. Relatability. They would still be the more relatable group not only because they don't pretend to be untouchable or perfect but alsooo because they wrote about themselves. Examples are songs like "second grade" about their second year of kpop or "move" about them moving from their old dorm .


    EXO's downfall was that they weren't relatable. Big Bang on the other hand were these cool guys every man thought untouchable and wanted to emulate. BTS were a bunch of dorks fooling around and working as hard as they can to become better performers, artists, humans. Like you could tell their bad boy image was just not them. So, a lot people gravitated towards that because they could relate to them.


    5. Anger as a driving force and the driving force of the fandom. They'd prob still get hate and cancelled from their debut.

    • New

    There are a lot of things I want to say but I don't want to say cause it's 2026 and I don't want to start a fanwar again. But I cannot let the word downfall go. Exo is still fighting and staying strong for their fans. They are no quitters and losers. So don't ever use the word downfall to label them.

    • New

    Definitely Big Bang. EDM infused hip-hop is trending in Korea right now in k-hiphop, and they would slot right in (In fact the current generation are all inspired by Big Bang, especially NOWIMYOUNG)


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • AllKill VIP
    • New
    Quote from Exo_bunnie

    There are a lot of things I want to say but I don't want to say cause it's 2026 and I don't want to start a fanwar again. But I cannot let the word downfall go. Exo is still fighting and staying strong for their fans. They are no quitters and losers. So don't ever use the word downfall to label them.

    EXO went through a lot. People underestimate their hardships just because they come from SM, but that doesn't mean they didn't have to work hard. There were many challenges along the way, and I'm sure they're still going through some of it today.


    They give it their all every time, whether it's a group comeback, a subunit release, or a solo project. They work hard even if they've already made a name for themselves. They really respect their fans, and it shows!

    • New
    Quote from ISaidISaid

    If it’s full OT9 they will be successful esp considering how unsuccessful current BG’s are. Probably not as successful as BTS or bigbang but more successful than the whole rest of 4th/5th gen. That much I am confident lol.


    The bar really is in HELL for BG’s.

    Exo will be successful by their sheer determination and tenacity and love for their fans. Just like how Chanyeol and Suho carried the name Exo in their performance of Get It Up in Smtown. They promise to dance and sing even if there is only one Exol left watching their performance.


    Every member is Exo. Doesn't matter how many, as long as they carry the name Exo, they will always be Exo. As Suho say, they came back because they are Exo and there are Exol waiting. Let's trust each other.

    • New

    I don't think there is any need of ifs and buts because the answer would always remain the same when we are talking about popularity and legacy of kpop.

    BTS would be the most popular group in kpop history in any generation. There's a reason why nobody that debuted before or after them had or has gotten the same popularity or legacy. Other groups have been replaced or surpassed by many other groups that debuted after them even in their own companies. So the question can change but answer will always be the same if you include outlier like BTS into the conversation.

    • New
    Quote from Exo_bunnie

    Exo will be successful by their sheer determination and tenacity and love for their fans. Just like how Chanyeol and Suho carried the name Exo in their performance of Get It Up in Smtown. They promise to dance and sing even if there is only one Exol left watching their performance.


    Every member is Exo. Doesn't matter how many, as long as they carry the name Exo, they will always be Exo. As Suho say, they came back because they are Exo and there are Exol waiting. Let's trust each other.

    No. Only OT8/9 would have been successful. I’m not delusional lol.

    • New
    Quote from ISaidISaid

    Yeah even G Dragon single handedly sold that much and BTS will sell like 4 million or whatever


    So I don’t think that means what you think it does lol.


    They flopped pretty much universally and it’s ok to admit and accept it.

    They have never sold more than that even with Cbx.


    They are doing well considering they are 13 years old and with half a fandom boycotting.


    Can't say much for those in the same situation.

    • New
    Quote from ISaidISaid

    You can support them and still know that they flopped. These are not mutually exclusive things.

    Lol! What is the measurement of flopping.? To be a Bts, big bang. I don't want them to be Bts or Big Bang. I want them to be Exo. I think to Exo, they have not flopped. They still had a successful fanmeeting, they still sold a million and sold out Seoul concert and they are going on tour. If they can be with fans and reach 20 years and more like Suju I will be happy. They didn't even expect the music show wins. To them it doesn't matter anymore. They just want to sing and perform and meet fans. If they can do that for the rest of their lives then it is worth flopping.


    Yes, Suju has loyal fans. Don't underestimate them


    CBX are big boys. They can dish it out, they can take it or fix it. Just don't put the 6 boys down because they worked their ass off for this. For us.

    • New
    Quote from ISaidISaid

    You can support them and still know that they flopped. These are not mutually exclusive things.

    One last thing I want to say. Exo is not defined by Cbx. Cbx are not the whole of Exo. Exo also has other members who are equally talented but not given the opportunity. Exo can survive without Cbx and I think this comeback has proven it. There are no member who is more talented or above the rest. Don't look down on the remaining 6 boys.

    • New

    Right now at this very moment? Judging from the groups' music I think something like EXO's Lucky One or Artificial Love wouls be huge and trending on tiktoks etc. I think EXO's overall music is a bit closer to what is being consumed the most nowadays.


    You could make a case for Big Bang's more nostalgic early 2010s stuff. And I personally think most of the MADE album is kinda timeless. Also GD's Untitled would be just as big as it was in 2017 etc.


    Not sure if this is answering the question.

    • New

    I think it would be between bts and bigbang, exo would be popular in S.Korea but fail to dominate the western market, don't see why would it be different this time around since they would be still under SM with the same concept.


    Since performance focused groups are the trend nowadays with increasingly more elaborate dances I think bts coupled with their "lovable dork" and approachable image would be still popular. Sure they not the group with the prettiest visuals (well neither is Bigbang) so in S.Korea they might not be an instant hit but their international popularity would affect that just like it did in the past.


    On top of that concepts/topics like self love, mental health, the hardships of youth and school life are still more popular than just love songs with weird concept like being aliens or robots (not like those are not fun Vixx and Red Velvet did dominate in that aspect). Same goes for Bigbang their music (other than their party anthems) would connect with more people especially since they self produce it which does make it more authentic (even if it's a kpop group). Their strenght would be that they have the least manufectured image and have great stage presence (plus the bangers). So Bigbang similarly to bts would be quite popular in the west too the only thing that could bring them down is their scandals :sweat:

    • New

    I think all 3 groups are super talented and each have their own strengths and weakness. It is annoying to see them being put against each other again instead of celebrating each of their incredible talents and discography.


    Like why we have to think of them as 5th gen group when all 3 are still active in some ways and why would they need to be a 5th gen lol they are already established etc.

    • New
    Quote from Yinye

    I think all 3 groups are super talented and each have their own strengths and weakness. It is annoying to see them being put against each other again instead of celebrating each of their incredible talents and discography.


    Like why we have to think of them as 5th gen group when all 3 are still active in some ways and why would they need to be a 5th gen lol they are already established etc.

    You're talking like a grandma, just chill… calling it ‘putting them against each other’ is way too dramatic when there’s, what, like 15 active users here? The topic isn’t even controversial or spicy enough to start anything beyond personal opinions unless a Yama, Patrick, David, Tatty and to some extent Karen and Daisy are seriously involved.


    And what’s even the point of a forum if no one posting ridiculous shit like this anymore? Heck, Akp should even pay me for drives a bit engagement on this almost-dead site, but my humble self does it for free.


    All hail me!

    :meme-elmo-fire:

    • New
    Quote from Exo_bunnie

    Lol! What is the measurement of flopping.? To be a Bts, big bang. I don't want them to be Bts or Big Bang. I want them to be Exo. I think to Exo, they have not flopped. They still had a successful fanmeeting, they still sold a million and sold out Seoul concert and they are going on tour. If they can be with fans and reach 20 years and more like Suju I will be happy. They didn't even expect the music show wins. To them it doesn't matter anymore. They just want to sing and perform and meet fans. If they can do that for the rest of their lives then it is worth flopping.


    Yes, Suju has loyal fans. Don't underestimate them


    CBX are big boys. They can dish it out, they can take it or fix it. Just don't put the 6 boys down because they worked their ass off for this. For us.

    I don’t know or follow CBX. I’m saying EXO flopped because they flopped for me. Musically and that’s displayed on the charts as well. Album sales means nothing these days. You can see their streams and know that their album isn’t really received as well as it can be. And I’m not comparing them against Bigbang and BTS just their previous streams.


    I will put down both CBX and EXO6 down because they ruined everything for me I don’t discriminate.

    • New
    Quote from Exo_bunnie

    One last thing I want to say. Exo is not defined by Cbx. Cbx are not the whole of Exo. Exo also has other members who are equally talented but not given the opportunity. Exo can survive without Cbx and I think this comeback has proven it. There are no member who is more talented or above the rest. Don't look down on the remaining 6 boys.

    This has nothing to do with CBX not sure why you keep bringing them up like anyone is talking about them here. And especially me. I literally have never listened to a CBX album not even when they were still in exo.

  • This thread contains 23 more posts that have been hidden for guests, please register yourself or login to continue reading.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

Register Yourself Login