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Billboard's year-end pop culture roundup highlights 'KPop Demon Hunters,' BTS

Published: 23 Dec. 2025, 11:50 Updated: 23 Dec. 2025, 17:46

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Boy band BTS [BIGHIT MUSIC]

As 2025 draws to a close, Billboard’s year-end pop culture roundup highlighted K-pop’s global reach, with Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” and BTS’s long-awaited reunion among the chart's defining pop culture moments this year.

In its list of "Top 10 wildest music moments that defined pop culture," Billboard singled out the animated hit "KPop Demon Hunters" for "absolutely [taking] over" with its music.

Original songs sung by groups HUNTR/X and Saja Boys in the film ruled Billboard's charts this year. "Golden" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks following the film's release in June and sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 for 18 weeks.

The song also earned a historic Grammy nomination for song of the year, while the film — which became Netflix's most-streamed film of all time — has surfaced as a likely contender for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

The movie, directed by Korean Canadian filmmaker Maggie Kang, was listed alongside largely U.S.-centric pop culture moments, including Beyoncé’s shocked reaction to her Grammy win, Sabrina Carpenter's "dramatic" album cover and Taylor Swift's engagement to Travis Kelce.

A scene from the animation film ″KPop Demon Hunters″ [NETFLIX]

Billboard also gave a shout-out to all seven members of BTS reuniting in a Weverse livestream in July in their honorable mentions. The members finished their mandatory military services, with the last member, Suga, being discharged on June 21.

BTS is set to release new music spring next year and will reportedly embark on a world tour including stops in North America, according to Bloomberg.

BTS last performed together in October 2022.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]