Jennie from BLACKPINK topped year-end lists with her debut album Ruby, named the most acclaimed K-pop release of 2025.
An analysis of more than 50 lists from outlets including the New York Times, Vogue, Rolling Stone and Billboard found Ruby on 10 critics’ rankings. It was the only K-pop album on general lists from:
- Vogue
- Business Insider
- ELLE
- Clash
“Golden” by HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami) from KPop Demon Hunters was the top song. Billboard and the New York Times called it 2025’s best overall track.
Top categories:
- Group album: NMIXX, Blue Valentine
- Group song: BLACKPINK, “JUMP”
- Soloist song: Jennie, “Like JENNIE”
- Male album: Stray Kids, KARMA
- Male song: J-Hope, “Killin’ It Girl” (feat. GloRilla)
- Rookie album: Hearts2Hearts, FOCUS
- Rookie song: CORTIS, “FaSHioN”
NMIXX and CLOSE YOUR EYES appeared most often.
Other notable albums:
- Chaeyoung, Lil Fantasy, Vol.1
- MARK, The Firstfruit
- ARTMS, Club Icarus
Standout songs:
- NMIXX, “Blue Valentine”
- aespa, “Rich Man”
- LE SSERAFIM, “HOT”
