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

K-pop group Aespa is brash by nature, releasing songs with punchy lyrics and heavy on the bass. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026

The blockbuster earned the fictional K-pop girl group Huntr/x, as well as Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, their first champions on the ranking. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

The festival will bring more than 170 artists onstage across four days and across multiple genres including pop, rock, hip-hop, EDM, country, K-pop and indie. — Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Yu is perhaps best known for the K-pop thriller Perfect Girl, an adaptation of her 2023 Black List script Unnie, which filmed in Thailand late last year and is expected to release in 2027. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 July 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