Here we have compiled the best nugu groups that you should definitely check out in 2024.
The term ‘nugu’ actually means “who” in Korean and it refers to any groups or artists that are not very famous and have very few album sales. Some nugu groups do manage to see chart topping success but they still aren’t able to get out of nugudom.
An example of a nugu group that saw phenomenal success was Fifty Fifty but unfortunately it was short-lived.
Like Fifty Fifty, nugu groups often debut from small entertainment agencies in Korea and most of them have limited budgets for marketing but are hidden gems in terms of creativity and musical artistry.
Let’s find out the best nugu groups that Kpop fans should definitely know about in 2024.
Best Nugu Girl Groups:
DreamNote:
DreamNote’s music will remind you of old school Kpop girl groups of 2nd generation combined with a modern touch of groups like Red Velvet and Gfriend. The group sports a cute and fresh concept and their bops include “Hakuna Matata”, “Lemonade”, and “Ghost”. Despite their amazing vocals, the group is criminally underrated with their most popular MV “Hakuna Matata” sitting only at 1.9 million views on YouTube.
LIMELIGHT
LIMELIGHT is a three-member group under 143 Entertainment and is considered the sister group of iKON. They had a loud debut unlike most other nugu groups and their debut album “LOVE & HAPPINESS“ sold 35,961 units within 24 hours. The group is now in nugudom because their later releases witnessed a sharp decline in sales and now sits at par with other nugu groups like Craxy or Makamaka. Their popular songs include “Eye to Eye”, “Starlight” and “Honestly” and their MV concepts are similar to TWICE and IZ*ONE. So if you are a fan of such concepts, you should definitely check out LIMELIGHT!
Read more facts about LIMELIGHT
SATURDAY
SATURDAY is a severely underrated group, given their highly quality MVs, fresh aesthetics and catchy songs. Not to mention the group gives off major GFriend vibes. They debuted as a three-member girl group in 2018 under a small agency SD Entertainment which later shut down and the group was moved to Yoonso Group. Their most popular song is “D.B.D.B.DIB” and it managed to sell only 2,899 albums (their highest so far).
Alice
Alice debuted in 2017 under their former name ELRIS as a five member girl group. They were under a small agency and later got transferred to IOK Company where they got rebranded as Alice (which seems to have benefitted them!). Their debut album only sold 4,344 copies and their most popular song is “Show Down” which sits at 5.5 Million views on Youtube as of 2024. The group and their MV concepts give off (G)-idle vibes so if you are a fan of (G)-idle, you’ll surely love this group.
Read more facts about Alice
CSR
If you love listening to Lovelyz and GFriend songs, then you ought to check out CSR. The group consists of seven members and they debuted under POPMUSIC and RBW Entertainment Japan in 2022. They have a small but dedicated fanbase because of their cute and fresh concepts and the group’s hit tracks include “Shining Bright”, “Pop? Pop!”, “Euratcha” & “Loveticon”. Despite their catchy songs, CSR is deep in nugudom as their most popular MV “Shining Bright” sits at only 3.8 million views on YouTube.
Read more facts about CSR
PIXY
A group similar to PIXY would be Dreamcatcher as the group makes music in the rock genre coupled with dark and horror concepts. The four member girl group debuted in 2021 under ALLART Entertainment and since their debut, they are slowly but steadily on the rise. Their debut album sales were less than 600 but their new album released in 2023 managed to sell over 24,000 albums. If you are going to check out this group, start by checking out their most popular songs “Villain” and “Addicted”.
ICHILLIN’
ICHILLIN’s concept is a mix of Weeekly, and STAYC (maybe throw Woo!ah! in the mix too!). The group debuted in 2021 under KM Entertainment as a seven member group. They managed to sell 9,347 album copies in 2023 despite their amazing vocals, fresh concepts and high quality MVs. Despite that, ICHILLIN’s most popular MV “Gotya” sits at only 1.1 million views on YouTube. If you plan to check out this group, make sure to check out their bops “On My Lips” and “Play Hide & Seek”!
Read more facts about ICHILLIN’
ILY:1
ILY:1’s concept is also similar to GFriend and CSR. Their catchy beats and cute aesthetics are surely worth checking out! The six member girl group is the first group debuting under FC ENM, and is labelmates with former U-Kiss member Kevin. Their debut song “Love in Bloom” is also their most popular and best selling song (selling over 17k album copies!) since their debut in 2022. Also listen to their tracks “Twinkle Twinkle”, “My Color”, and “Que Sera Sera”.
3YE
If you like girlcrush and badass concepts, you absolutely need to check out 3YE! The group has a mature and womanly concept unlike the usual badass girls concept (like ITZY). The three member girl group debuted in 2019 under GH Entertainment and they never ceases to push out cinematic high quality MVs and songs. Their popular releases include “OOMM(Out Of My Mind)”, “Queen”, and “YESSIR”.
Craxy
If you are a BLACKPINK or TRI.BE fan, you shouldn’t be sleeping on CRAXY. The group debuted in 2020 under SAI Entertainment and is one of the most underrated groups of the 4th generation. The group also did a badass move by releasing a track titled “Nugudom” to diss people who make fun of small groups. Their popular songs include “Trigger”, GAIA”, and “Aria”.
Lapillus
Lapillus is another severely underrated nugu group that deserves to get out of nugudom. The six member girl group debuted in 2022 under MLD Entertainment and are labelmates and seniors of the boy group HORI7ON. The group gives off Everglow vibes with a mix of girly concepts. Despite releasing bangers like “HIT YA!”, “Gratata”, and “Who’s Next”, the group only manages to sell around 2000 albums copies each year.
Read more facts about Lapillus
Pink Fantasy
Pink Fantasy is totally worth checking out if you want to listen to rock/metal mixed with Kpop. Their concept is similar to Dreamcatcher and they did an amazing job of combining Kpop with dark/rock and horror concepts. The group debuted in 2018 but unfortunately got disbanded in 2024. Despite their disbandment, their songs are definitely worth a check if you like dark concepts.
H1-Key
H1-Key can now be considered an upper nugu group but their popularity only shot up in 2023, after their participation in Queendom Puzzle and after their song “Rose Blossom” went viral. The group debuted in 2022 under a small agency Grandline Group and the quartet only managed to sell less than 300 copies in their debut year. H1-KEY deserves way more recognition so they don’t get back in the nugudom.
GWSN
GWSN was a masterpiece group that debuted under a horrible company The Wave Music in 2018. Despite being from a small company, the group released classy songs like “BAZOOKA” and “Red Sun” that gained more than 20 million views on YouTube, which is a lot for a nugu group that only remained active for 3 years (until 2021). The group has similar vibes to Cignature and LOONA and unfortunately like LOONA, the seven members also faced negligence and financial abuse and the group ultimately filed and won the lawsuit against their company, resulting in their disbandment in 2023.
Best Nugu Boy Groups:
E’Last
E’Last is a criminally underrated group that deserves more recognition. Their style is similar to boy groups like ATEEZ, SEVENTEEN and CIX. The eight member boy group debuted in 2020 under E Entertainment and is their agency’s first group. E’Last does an amazing job of reviving 2nd generation Kpop music (like BAP and VIXX) with a touch of fresh style that can be listened to on repeat. You can start by listening to their songs like “Gasoline”, “Dark Dream”, “Thrill”, and “Kiss baby”.
Read more facts about E’Last
NTX
Another group that is absolutely a banger is NTX which is similar to the boy group NCT127. Their hip hop dance moves, groovy beats and cool aesthetics makes you wonder just how they exist in nugudom. The nine member group debuted in 2021 under Victory Company and they only managed to sell over 1000 album copies in their debut year. Their most popular MV “Holy Grail” sits at only half a million views on YouTube (which is nuts!). The group’s must watch songs other than “Holy Grail” are “Old School” and “Kiss the World”.
TAN
TAN’s music is a mix of iKON, GOT7 and SEVENTEEN (maybe a bit of VIXX and Monsta X too!). The seven member group debuted in 2022 under Think Entertainment and was formed through a survival show. They have a music style of their own and their songs are definitely worth a listen, especially “Walking on the Moon”, “LOUDER”, “HEARTBEAT”, and “DU DU DU.”
DKZ
Formerly known as DONGKIZ, DKZ debuted in 2019 under Dongyo Entertainment and has been releasing bangers since then. Their music and concepts can be described as a mix of ATEEZ and Stray Kids, so if you stan either of these groups, then DKZ needs your attention. Their popular songs include “Uh-Heung”, “Cupid”, and “Lupin”.
Luminous
Luminous gives off a little bit of NCT vibe but more in 2nd generation. The group officially debuted in 2021 as a four member group. The group possesses powerful vocals and rapping skills and amazing choreography. Despite their high views on Youtube for a nugu group, their album sales are relatively very low. Check out Luminous by listening to their tracks “Enginem”, “All eyes down”, “Run” and “Home Alone”.
82Major
82MAJOR debuted in 2023 under Great M Entertainment and also brings back 2nd generation Kpop vibes. Their dressing style and badass concepts look similar to ATEEZ, and NCT127. While at times they also give off ENHYPEN vibes. The group makes catchy and addicting beats and their songs “Choke” (major hit), “First Class”, and “Sure Thing” definitely deserves a listen. The group sold over 20k albums in their debut year so hopefully it’s only a matter of time before they get out of nugudom.
Read more facts about 82Major
Ciipher
Ciipher was produced by Rain and the seven member group debuted in 2021 under RAIN Company. Ciipher has released amazing songs like “Fame”, “Blind”, and “I like You”. Despite their great potential, the multi talented group was horribly managed, much like MBLAQ and four out of the seven members left the group. But that shouldn’t stop you from listening to their bomb tracks.
Newkidd
Newkidd debuted in 2019 under J-FLO Entertainment and their concept is similar to ATEEZ but kind of softer. The group is also deep in nugudom as their album sales haven’t crossed over 5k. Their popular songs include “COME”, “Victory” and “Left hand”.
The KingDom
If you love listening to boy groups like NCT and BTS, then The KingDom definitely needs to be on your list. Previously known as “Kingdom”, the group debuted in 2021 under GF Entertainment. They can be considered an upper nugu group but still are relatively unknown to many Kpop fans as their most popular MV “Love Live The King” sits only at 10 million views while their other popular songs like “Coup D’etat” and “승천” have less than 3 million views at most.
Nine-i
Listening to Nine-i will remind you of 2nd generation Kpop and their music is similar to the boy group ASTRO. The group debuted in 2022 under FirstOne Entertainment and sold over 12,000 album copies in their debut year. They however saw a sharp increase in their sales in 2023, selling over 35,000 copies. Their popular releases include “Parallel Universe”, “Young Boy”, and “Turn It Off”. Nine.i is one of those groups that you mustn’t be sleeping on!
BXB
BXB spoils the viewers with cute aesthetics and a good MV storyline and gives off BOYNEXTDOOR vibes. The five member group debuted in 2023 under Wolfburn and the group only managed to sell over 6k album copies in their debut year. Their must listen releases include “Fly Away”, “Airplane”, and “planet”.
Read more facts about BXB
Blitzers
BLITZERS debuted under WUZO Entertainment in 2021 and they give off major PENTAGON vibes! Their killer tracks include “Hit the Bass”, “Macarena” and “Superpower”. Their cool beats and powerful dance moves and crisp MVs definitely wouldn’t let you know that it’s a group from a small agency. The group sold over 10,000 albums in their debut year but thankfully their later releases have seen a significant increase. Hopefully, it’s only a matter of time before they completely get out of nugudom.
Read more facts about Blitzers
KNK
Debuting around the same time as ASTRO in 2016, KNK and ASTRO share a brotherhood bond and arohas definitely have a soft spot for KNK. Unfortunately the group didn’t manage to get as much fame as ASTRO, despite releasing amazing tracks back to back. Their popular songs include “KNOCK”, “BACK AGAIN”, “Ride” and “Lonely Night.” The group is deep in nugudom as despite being active since 2020, the group’s most viewed MV only has 6.3 million views as of 2024 and their last release in 2020 sold over 17k album copies.
GreatGuys
GreatGuys is one of the oldest surviving nugu groups on this list. The band debuted in 2017 under DNA Entertainment and if you don’t look at their views, it might seem like they rank in millions of viewers each day because of their amazing vocals, choreo and MVs. But their most popular MV “BE ON YOU” has less than half a million views and the band has not sold more than 2k album copies every year. If you are into band music, start by listening to their songs “ Be On You”, “GANDA” and “Illusion”.
Here are some disbanded nugu groups to consider: Noir, NATURE, NIK, BVNIDT, Must.B, D-Crunch, Trcng, Xeed, in2it, bugAboo and Snuper.
This sums up the best nugu groups you need to check out in 2024!
Which is your favourite nugu group from this list? Let us know in the comments down below and share more such groups with us if you know!
