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

From humble beginnings training at Movement Lifestyle and Millennium Dance Complex, Ateez have gone on to headline arenas and stadiums across the city and established themselves as one of the biggest K-pop groups in the world. — Adam Davidson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026

The K-pop septet launched its ARIRANG World Tour — supporting three-week Billboard 200-topping LP ARIRANG — in April, marking its first time touring after years spent apart fulfilling military obligations and working on solo projects. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2026

The rise of Korean culture, from K-pop to K-dramas, has played a big role in boosting K-beauty globally, with more consumers looking to adopt trends inspired by their favorite stars. — Ella Graveney, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2026

Included in the group is Rosalía, who was one of the first people to officially debut the 990v7, along with K-pop star IU, red-hot Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 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