
The all-Japanese woman group Cosmosy manufacturers itself as a part of the sixth era of Okay-pop. Courtesy of NTT Docomo Studio & Stay
All 4 members of the Japanese woman group Cosmosy declared themselves a part of Okay-pop’s “sixth era” upon their debut on Dec. 31. As a Japanese agency-produced group adopting the Okay-pop model and concentrating on the Korean market, their declare has reignited discussions on the classification of Okay-pop generations.
Even earlier than the idea of the fifth era has been firmly established, the business now faces the arrival of the so-called sixth era.
The emergence of Okay-pop is commonly traced again to the debut of SM Leisure’s boy group H.O.T in 1996. The business developed by its 2nd era, marked by teams like TVXQ, BIGBANG, and Ladies’ Technology, and entered its third era after Psy’s 2012 international success with „Gangnam Type,“ producing worldwide stars like EXO, BTS, and BLACKPINK.
Trade consultants largely agree that the 4th era started with the most important shift introduced on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams reminiscent of aespa, who debuted in November 2020, alongside Le Sserafim and NewJeans, led what’s now thought-about a “woman group renaissance.”
Some argue that the 4th era really started round 2018, as generational transitions are usually not all the time clearly outlined by a single second.
The time period “fifth era” first emerged when CJ ENM’s subsidiary WakeOne debuted the boy group Zerobaseone in 2023, shaped by the audition program “Boys Planet.”
On the time, the company distinguished the group by highlighting its direct interplay with followers, in distinction to the restrictions imposed through the pandemic.
This shift challenged the standard understanding that every Okay-pop era lasts about seven to eight years, introducing a brand new era in simply three years.
Since then, teams reminiscent of BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS, and RIIZE, together with woman teams ILLIT, Babymonster, and Kiss of Life, have usually been labeled as fifth era.

ZeroBaseOne, which debuted in 2023 branding itself as a fifth-generation boy group. Courtesy of WakeOne
Multicultural identification
With 4th and fifth era boundaries nonetheless unclear, Cosmosy has now proclaimed the arrival of the sixth era only a 12 months and a half later.
Their company, NTT Docomo Studio & Stay, stated, “Technically, they’re a 2025 debut group, and we used the time period ‘sixth era’ to emphasise their distinct identification from fifth era teams.”
They pointed to Cosmosy’s hybrid worldview, mixing late Nineteen Nineties aesthetics with Gen Z and Alpha Gen sensibilities, in addition to the broader development of multinational teams embracing various cultural influences.
As generational shifts have accelerated for the reason that third era, some argue that the very idea of generational distinctions is shedding significance.
The emergence of the time period “3.5 era” for teams debuting between the third and 4th generations, and the classification of some 4th era acts as “4.5 era,” additional illustrates the blurred traces.
Some even declare that as a result of fifth era teams share many traits with 4th era ones, distinguishing between them could also be pointless.
Music critic Kim Do-heon stated, “Submit-pandemic teams are characterised extra by particular person producers’ inventive course than by their companies. They have a tendency to favor on a regular basis, relatable messages over elaborate world-building, which is why many consider the 4th era continues to be ongoing.”
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Occasions, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Occasions.