K-pop

noun

ˈkā-ˌpäp 

: popular music originating in South Korea and encompassing a variety of styles

The opening ceremony, which took place Friday in Pyeongchang, South Korea, featured several songs from notable K-pop artists as teams circled the stadium.

—Kimberly Yam

Examples of K-pop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like many of us, LISA had a fallback in case her K-pop career didn’t pan out. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 17 Sep. 2026

Here’s your first-look footage of K-pop star Shuhua in her movie debut, Happily Ever After, which is debuting this week at the Toronto Film Festival. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

The singer’s documentary, Always Lalisa, premiered in Toronto over the weekend, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look as the singer broke out of the K-pop system. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026

The life of a K-pop star is anything but easy — and Lisa is living proof. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for Korean pop

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for K-pop

• bop
• chop
• cop
• crop
• drop
• flop
• fop
• hop
• knop
• lop
• mop
• op