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

Thanks to some bad advice from Anton, Marsh’s Carly decides to ditch dental school and focus on her real passion — becoming a K-pop star. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026

In 2026, the company also added K-pop artist and former Girls’ Generation member Tiffany Young to its roster. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

The award will recognize artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop recordings that feature meaningful use of one or more Asian languages. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

In the old days, record companies sometimes packaged albums with little or no input from the artists themselves, and K-pop fans still argue over how much creative control their favorite idols really have. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 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