The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday.
To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs must have had a Korean release as a title track, follow-up or promotional video between Dec. 1st, 2024 and Nov. 30th, 2025.
Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!
Honorable Mentions
Songs 50-41
Songs 40-31
30. AM8IC – Buzzin’
I’ll always be a sucker for 80s synth and Ghostbusters-referencing pop music. Rookie group AM8IC unleashed all sorts of nostalgia with this funky pre-release, borrowing liberally from SHINee’s sonic toolkit. (full review)
29. NEXZ – Beat-Boxer
There are a string of songs in my top 50 this year that I lovingly refer to as “stupid.” Beat-Boxer‘s silly English-language lyrics and general ridiculousness made it a huge grower, but the hooks and groove are legitimately solid as well. (full review)
28. STAYC – Bebe
Yeah, this could’ve been top ten with a killer, melodic chorus, but the off-kilter sing-talk also slays when the electro beat pulses with such stylish drive. I played this way more than I expected to. (full review)
27. BLACKPINK – Jump
It’s been awhile since a BLACKPINK track has found its way into my year-end countdown, but to be fair there aren’t many to choose from to begin with! Jump is a festive carnival powered by an exciting atmosphere that celebrates the group’s global dominance. (full review)
26. RIIZE – Fly Up
RIIZE attempting a High School Musical style retro rock romp was not on my 2025 bingo card and somedays I’m still not sure how I feel about it. However, its upbeat energy and bravura performance tempers the musical cheese with plenty of flair. (full review)
25. The Wind – Only One
The Wind have placed at least one song on this countdown since their 2023 debut. They didn’t deliver much music this year, but streamlined their youthful, ultra-melodic sound with this nostalgic highlight. (full review)
24. TWS – Head Shoulders Knees Toes
This is “stupid” song number two, for those of you keeping count, though that really only applies to its nursery rhyme chorus. Everything else is astoundingly addictive, finding room for dynamic power notes, brass-powered bombast and surprisingly sharp hip-hop breakdowns. (full review)
23. H1-KEY – Summer Was You
Every summer needs a big girl group highlight and H1-KEY were happy to answer the call with this bounding rock-flavored sing-along. Its fantastic multi-part chorus felt like a needed antidote to so many of their subdued peers. (full review)
22. NMIXX – Blue Valentine
A deserved mega-hit in Korea, Blue Valentine found a way to fuse NMIXX’s experimental side with an affecting, emotional charge. This results in a pop track that’s just far enough from the center to stand as its own idiosyncratic highlight. (full review)
21. ILLIT – Do The Dance
ILLIT reinvented their sound with a strings-assisted French house beat that brought them closer to Lovelyz territory — and thus closer to the top of my countdown. It’s the song that made this group click for me. I hope it won’t be a red herring in their burgeoning discography. (full review)