No one would argue that music videos are just as important and integral to the K-pop landscape as the music itself. After all, it’s what sells an idol group’s performance, choreography, concept, and artistic direction through storytelling and innovative visual effects and techniques. While the making of K-pop music videos has changed over the years, many have stood the test of time and influenced an entire generation of idols and other creatives who strive to push the envelope of what visual storytelling can accomplish. Here are some of the most influential K-pop MVs and how they’ve changed the way the industry works and is perceived.

While most people would be quick to point to BTS and BLACKPINK videos as the most influential – and for good reason – we have to go back even further to K-pop’s early beginnings, specifically its second generation. The year is 2009, and nine-member group Girls’ Generation just released their latest single, “Gee,” under SM Entertainment. With a catchy, addictive hook and energized chorus, the bubblegum/electro-pop song would go on to become a hit and one of the most iconic and critically acclaimed songs in K-pop history. 

However, its accompanying music video has become a worldwide staple, popularizing the colorful, “tight-framing” box-set studio choreography that would become the standard practice for K-pop videos during that time and well into the third generation. Additionally, “Gee” helped popularise the bubblegum-pop aesthetic and playful visual style that became closely associated with the cute concept in K-pop girl groups. Not to mention, it also features a fun SM crossover, with labelmate and SHINee’s Minho playing the store clerk and SNSD’s crush. Currently, the video has amassed 363 million views, ranking it #84 of the top 100 most-viewed K-pop music videos on YouTube. The impact of Girls’ Generation, in general, remains a prominent force 17 years later, with “Gee” touted as one of the most covered K-pop songs for young idols.

Next is 2011, with K-pop legends 2NE1 and their most popular song, “I AM THE BEST.” Debuting from YG Entertainment in 2009, the four-member girl group (CL, Minzy, Dara, and Bom) was already the antithesis of the traditional idol girl group. While others presented lush hyperfemininity that focused on innocence or racier imagery that centered on seduction, 2NE1 colored outside the lines with fierce styles that displayed female empowerment in a new light for K-pop. This is known as the “girl crush” concept, and nothing represents the themes of female ferocity and strength more than 2NE1’s most popular song, “I AM THE BEST.”

With an edgy, alternative, and futuristic wardrobe paired with the group’s boastful, confident attitude, the music video is a loud, rebellious statement that challenges the societal ideals of what women are allowed to be. It’s wild, daring, and unapologetically rough around the edges, subsequently making both the video and 2NE1 pioneers of the girl crush concept for generations to come. It’s also credited as one of the most important K-pop songs to attract the global attention of the West’s music and fashion media. With 438 million views on YouTube, “I AM THE BEST” ranks #65 of the top 100 most-viewed K-pop videos, leaving behind an irrefutable legacy for women in the Korean music industry.

However, while the Hallyu Wave technically started in the ‘90s, it wasn’t until 2012 that K-pop saw an enormous spike in Western interest. The first can be attributed to BIGBANG, who initially debuted under YG in 2006. Dropping what would become a signature song of their career, “FANTASTIC BABY” debuted in February 2012, with overwhelming success and an equally acclaimed music video. Similar to 2NE1 and every YG group after, BIGBANG’s “Fantastic Baby” was about rebelling against the system and refusing to conform to traditionalist ideals. Visually, the video represents the epitome of nonconformity, with revolutionary imagery, steampunk-influenced outfits, set pieces, and wildly eccentric hairstyles and makeup that many boy groups hadn’t ventured into as deeply as BIGBANG.

“Fantastic Baby” also helped BIGBANG reach a wider international audience, contributing to growing Western awareness of K-pop and the group itself, particularly G-Dragon. The group’s subsequent collaborations with American artists, including Missy Elliott and Diplo, reflected its expanding international profile. The music video has since surpassed 676 million views, placing it at number 36 on the list of the most-viewed K-pop videos, and remains a landmark release in the genre’s global expansion.

In 2012, PSY’s “Gangnam Style” became K-pop’s most globally successful hit to date, marking the genre’s first major viral breakthrough. Released in July under YG Entertainment, the song quickly gained traction overseas, reaching audiences far beyond K-pop’s established fanbase. The music video follows the singer-songwriter and producer as he satirises the lifestyle associated with Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district, poking fun at its reputation for trendiness, status and social prestige. “People who are actually from Gangnam never proclaim that they are,” he told CNN. “It's only the posers and wannabes that put on these airs and say that they are 'Gangnam Style’–so this song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying very hard to be something that they're not.”

What was initially meant as a fun commentary on a specific type of Korean culture for Korean audiences quickly became a global phenomenon, with the music video gaining traction and attracting audiences of all ages, nationalities, and ethnicities. Particularly, it was “Gangnam Style’s” wacky choreography that took the world by storm. Audiences began posting their own videos, attempting to recreate the now-famous “horse trot” and “side-gallop” dances. In K-pop, these are examples of point choreography – simple, repetitive moves or gestures tied to a song’s main hook and designed to be easily replicated by audiences.

The video would go on to make K-pop and YouTube history, surpassing Western viral videos such as Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” and fellow Korean artists SNSD’s “Gee.” By December 2012, “Gangnam Style” became the first K-pop music video to reach one billion views, and 14 years later, it still holds the record as the most-viewed K-pop video with over 6 billion views and the fifth most-watched music video of any genre.

Although few K-pop music videos have matched the global reach of “Gangnam Style”, other releases have left their own mark on the genre. In 2013, EXO were still establishing themselves as one of K-pop’s leading groups, and “Growl” became a defining moment in that rise. The song was a breakthrough hit in South Korea, cementing the group’s growing popularity, while its music video helped establish a distinct visual identity.

Set in an empty, dimly lit warehouse, the video makes little attempt to impress through elaborate sets or visual effects. Instead, it uses the space to keep EXO’s choreography and group dynamic firmly in focus. Drawing on the track’s dance-pop, R&B and funk influences, the performance highlights the members’ fluid movements and on-screen charisma. The video’s defining feature is its continuous-camera approach, commonly described as a “one-shot” style, which follows the choreography without conventional cuts. At a time when K-pop videos frequently alternated between performance footage, close-ups and narrative sequences, “Growl” offered a different way to showcase a group’s performance. It became a prominent example of the continuous-shot format, although it was not the first K-pop video to use the technique.

With all 12 members dressed in variations of a school uniform, the group isn’t just dancing in front of a camera – they’re interacting with it as if it were its own person. Through creative transitions, like Suho and Sehun pretending to swat the camera around to the other half of their team, the video tracks every movement of its main stars, capturing key moments, such as their ballcaps being playfully passed between members as they’re dancing. However, because it’s a “one-take,” that means the members needed to be on point at all times – one mistake and the whole group might have to start over from the top. However, there was one small slip-up that made it into the final cut of “Growl” and became a fan-favorite moment and easter egg – Kai dropping his hat during the bridge and smoothly picking it back up without missing a single beat. With 351 million views, “Growl” remains one of EXO’s best and most highly-regarded entries to date.

Since then, numerous K-pop music videos have challenged conventions and left their mark on the industry. BTS’ 2016 release “Blood Sweat & Tears”, for example, is widely praised for its artistic direction, incorporating fine art references and layered narrative symbolism into the group’s visual storytelling. BLACKPINK’s 2018 video for “DDU-DU DDU-DU” further demonstrated the group’s visual ambition through elaborate sets, striking fashion and high-budget production, helping establish them as a major force in global pop. 

More recently, BLACKPINK member Rosé’s 2024 collaboration with Bruno Mars, “APT.”, became the fifth-fastest music video in YouTube history to reach one billion views, achieving the milestone in January 2025. Its rapid success made it a defining global pop moment and a notable example of a K-pop artist collaborating with a Western musician to create a crossover hit.

As labels and groups become more audacious in their MV creations, the more room there is to play in the sandbox until something sticks and lasts as long as the ones that came before them.