A List of Underrated Boy Groups w/ Background and Commentary

Hello, people. ZoyieTTAngel here. This is just a list of boy groups that I feel are a bit underrated or have been a top-charter before and became an underrated group. This is simply my opinion and I do not know all boy groups, so I may miss many. The order of the groups are not ranked on any scale. They are listed by first thought. If you have other thoughts, then don't bash me for it, please. I'm not trying to hurt anybody's feelings. I don't think this will get many views, so if you come across it then please share. I'd appreciate it.

 

1. 100%

100% debuted in 2012 as a 7-member boy group under TOP Media, a record label founded by Andy of SHINHWA. Unfortunately, Sanghoon (member hanging onto stair rail while being tugged) is on a personal hiatus. His profile is no longer visible on 100%'s official website. This group had a good prime in their debut year and in 2013 as well, but seemed to have decrease in popularity overtime. They are an extremely talented group.

 


 

2. ALPHABAT

ALPHABAT debuted in 2013 as a 9-member boy group under Simtong Entertainment. E:psilon, one of the vocalists, is the older brother of Ricky of Teen Top (which is another group under TOP Media). ALPHABAT is a hip hop group, and they are very talented. Tantara is my favorite song by them.

 


 

3. HIGH4

HIGH4 debuted in 2014 as a 4-membered boy group under N.A.P. Entertainment with their popular song Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms which featured IU, a very well-known solo artist. Due to debuting with IU as a feature, HIGH4 had a very successful start to their career (excellent marketing stragety, btw). Their popularity began to decrease in late 2015, but they are still a well-known group.

 


 

4. 1PUNCH

1PUNCH debuted in 2015 as a male hip hop duo under Brave Entertainment, home of The notorious Brave Brothers (which is one person). This duo did not last very long due to One, the older male, joining YG Entertainment to better persue his rap career. Punch, the younger male, was to debut with Seventeen, a boy group under Pledis Entertainment, but couldn't because of personal issues. During 1PUNCH's short time period of fame, they released a track with Silento, the trendsetting rapper of the song "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" which released in 2015. 

 


 

5. LC9

LC9 debuted in 2013 as a 6-membered boy group under Nega Network. Their debut song featured Gain of Brown Eyed Girls, a popular girl group. Despite debuting with a feature of a popular artist, LC9 did not become very popular. Their debut concept was very original, and they are an extremely talented group, though. 

 


 

6. TEEN TOP

Before I even begin, I'll let you know that I know more about Teen Top than all of the other groups I have mentioned. 

 

Teen Top debuted in 2010 as a 6-membered boy group under TOP Media with their song "Clap". Their unofficial fanbase name was Andromeda, but the official name was deemed "Angel" later, when Teen Top gained popularity. They recorded a show called "Teen Top and 100% Rising Brothers" with 100%, the group I mentioned first, that aired in 2012 under SBS. 2012 and 2013 were Teen Top's break out years due to the new wave of Kpop fans that came shortly after Psy's "Gangnam Style" became a world-wide trend. In 2014, Teen Top was beginning to become outshined by rookie groups, and by several scandals and drama that happened that labeled 2014 as the "Worst Year of Kpop Ever". 2014 was labeled as Teen Top's resting year, despite the fact that they had gone on their HIGH KICK World Tour, aired Teen Top Never Stop in Guam, and came back with "Missing" (title track of Exito) and "I'm Sorry" (another song of Exito), which showed a different side of Teen Top. 

2015 proved to be a better year for Teen Top. Niel, the lead singer, released oNIELy, his first solo album after almost 5 years after Teen Top's debut. Teen Top made appearances on TV shows, came back in the summer with "Ah-Ah" (title track of Natural Born Teen Top) and earned their title back as the Kings of Footwork.

2016 is the year I am a bit disappointed in. Yeah, Teen Top came back with "Warning Sign" on their album RED POINT, and they went on their RED POINT U.S. Tour, and they did a magnificent photoshoot under Ceci, but I am a bit sad because Teen Top doesn't seem to be increasing in popularity. It's like their at a standstill right now. BUT, 2016 isn't over with yet, so I'm ready for whatever Teen Top is going to toss their Angels. They are the most popular and oldest group out of this list, by the way. 

 


 

It's a small list, and sure, there are plenty other underrated groups out there, but I named the ones I thought of first.

 

Credit to photo owners, google, and wikipedia. 

Comments

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Rei_24
#1
I just love all the groups that you mentioned here. I am also doing something like this. But I am writing a blog post about the group that I pick for each week. But I do have to say you did get a few things wrong for Teen Top.
1) They debuted with "Clap" not "Clap Encore". "Clap Encore" was released in 2013 for their 3 year anniversary. Hence the name "Clap Encore"
2) When they debuted "Andromeda" was their unofficial fanclub name. They picked "Angel" over "Andromeda" because "Andromeda" was hard for their Korean fans to pronounce.
But other that that you did a good job about spreading the love about these group. Why don't you head over to my blogs to check out the groups that I will talk about each week
Smiggletastic
#2
i agree with all the groups here, but i thought 1Punch broke up? (Not sure! it's what I've heard! ;;)
misshandwrist
#3
:'(
teentop, alphabat, lc9, and etc... They all need love.