I haven’t done this before, but now that 2026 is halfway over I thought it would be interesting to see how my “top ten” rookies of last year are doing. Any best-of countdown is tied heavily to the time it was written, but the rookie countdown is particularly malleable because these acts can easily explode or implode in their second year.
So… here’s how it’s going to work. First, I’ll offer updated thoughts on each of my top ten rookies from last year and then I’ll re-rank them according to their standing at this very moment. I’ll take my honorable mentions into account as well. And if I had written about Cortis last year, I’d have to eat just a bit of crow today as their REDRED is a deserved mega-hit (even if everything else remains various shades of bad).
Last year’s honorable mentions:
AM8IC – Seemingly inactive. Hard to make any sort of judgment.
AxMxP – A serious dip in quality after a solid debut.
idntt – A real mixed bag. I’ve enjoyed a number of their tracks but nothing has bowled me over yet.
Kiii Kiii – A big success. I still worry they’re too “style over substance” when it comes to the actual songs, but they’re certainly at the forefront of the game.
KIIRAS – I don’t even remember their May comeback, to be honest.
NEWBEAT – Seemingly inactive. Hard to make any sort of judgment.
RE:WIND – Seemingly inactive. Hard to make any sort of judgment.
XLOV – The material’s getting better, but their music has yet to match their potential.
LAST YEAR’S RANKING
10. 1VERSE
Sadly, I think it might over before it even began for this group. As someone on twitter said recently, they’ve got more controversies and cancellations than songs at this moment. Personally, my excitement around them has completely fizzled.
9. BABY DONT CRY
It feels like they’re on the upswing. I’ve enjoyed Yihyun’s stint as Inkigayo host and their two March singles were pretty solid. They need to consistently release new music, though. Competition is fierce.
8. IFEYE
Ifeye seem like a big question mark. A switch in creative teams resulted in a very bland comeback and their concerts seem to keep getting cancelled or postponed. I fear their hopes of gaining a foothold in the market are quickly dimming. I hope I’m wrong.
7. ALLDAY PROJECT
After a very successful 2025, ALLDAY PROJECT have been pretty quiet this year. Weren’t they supposed to release something this month or am I just misremembering? It’s hard to tell whether their breakout success will be a flash in the pan or a sustaining career. K-pop history suggests the former, but I think they still have some juice left in them if they find the right material.
6. IDID
I’ve been really enjoying IDID’s material and find the members incredibly charming, but they’re just not releasing enough music. Their discography is still very small for a boy group in their second year and promotion has been overly hesitant. They’re quite high on my personal list, but I’m a bit worried about their future — especially with new groups coming down the line.
5. HEARTS2HEARTS
They’ve had a really strong 2026 so far. I came around to RUDE! in a big way and it did such a great job on the charts. Lemon Tang was more polarizing, but its mini album remains one of my favorites from this (admittedly underwhelming) summer. With SM’s backing, they seem to have a very bright path ahead of them.
4. KICKFLIP
KickFlip have been consistently releasing great music every few months or so and I’ve really fallen for their sound. What makes it all the more exciting is that the members have a large amount of creative input, suggesting their music will remain strong in the coming years. They feel like a very stable rookie group whose music I can trust to be quality, and that’s saying something in K-pop’s ultra-trendy landscape.
3. CLOSE YOUR EYES
Similar to my thoughts on IDID, I’ve been enjoying Close Your Eyes’s music very much but they haven’t released much of it so far this year. I really expected another mini album (or even a full) by this time. On the plus side, Pose is my second favorite title track of theirs after All My Poetry. They’ve shown an ability to adapt to different sounds while keeping the quality high, which is very promising.
2. NOUERA
NouerA have been my biggest disappointment on this list. They had such a strong discography last year but have switched producers and concepts to their detriment in 2026. I found nothing worth saving on March’s Pop It Like mini. Their upcoming album sounds much better, but still not near the excitement of their debut era. I really wish they would have kept working with producer e.one for a least a few more comebacks. As it stands, it feels like their discography will be very hit or miss going forward.
1. AHOF
AHOF are still chugging along very well, though I’m not quite as enamored as I was last year. Their work with EL CAPITXN remains their best material but they really stumbled when switching concepts for last month’s Sugar High. They’re still one of K-pop’s bright spots in 2026, but I’m a little less sure of where they’ll head in the future and that gives me pause.
UPDATED 2026 RANKING
10. Baby DONT Cry
9. idntt
8. ALLDAY PROJECT
7. Kiii Kiii
6. NouerA
5. IDID
4. Hearts2Hearts
3. Close Your Eyes
2. AHOF
1. KickFlip
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