i guess for me it thought it was a little weird that 2018 was arbitrarily marked as "the start of 4th gen" specifically bc of gidle, stray kids, and the boyz (who debuted in 2017 even). i often made the case for 2019 bc of itzy and txt's debuts, both of whom were slated to be the 4th gen leaders at the time. while i think it would probably be silly to call 2022 "the start of 4th gen" or even 5th gen, i just think THIS is the movement in the "group hierarchy" that is expected of the new era. old groups are nearing the end of their contracts and dropping one by one. gidle, aespa, stayc, and ive have quickly changed the girl group scape and have harkened in the new era. lesserafim and hybes other 2022 ggs will soon continue the shake up.
unfortunately bgs have been left in the dust but i think a few of the existing groups will do better with the public sooner or later.
