Boy bands are no longer relevant in today’s day and age. With girl pop stars like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Billie Eilish taking the spotlight, boy bands are hardly what they used to be.
Boy bands are vocal groups of all males whose music is typically targeted towards the appeal of females. With carefully constructed lyrics and choreography, the goal is to make girls love them while also making fun, trendy music.
At their peak, boy bands were central players in the music industry. However, the reign ended with the hiatus-turned-breakup of One Direction.
In 2010, the English-Irish boy band took the world by storm, rising to fame on the U.K. version of the X-Factor. The group reached success via social media and was regarded as one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before going on indefinite hiatus in 2016. Loved for their undeniable charm, One Direction’s notoriety is comparable to The Beatles.
The Beatles, formed in 1960, were arguably one of the first boy bands, with their infatuated teenage girl fanbase ushering in an era remembered as “Beatlemania.” Other bands, such as The Jackson 5, formed in 1964, provide an early example of a boy band.
It wasn’t until New Edition debuted in 1978, followed by New Kids On The Block in 1984, that the industry recognized the boy band genre. When the 90s hit, the influential bands of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC came into play. Both groups cultivated fiercely loyal fanbases, with millions of loving fans devoting their money and time to concerts and meet-and-greets.
For around three decades, boy bands ruled the music world. However, the craze seemed to diminish when Zayn Malik left One Direction in 2015. This departure seemingly marked the end of the boy band era, with a decline within the genre emerging.
Nevertheless, some fans of the genre may argue that the South Korean band BTS is proof that boy bands are still thriving. The seven-member Korean Pop group debuted in 2013, staying mainly in European and Asian countries, and didn’t break into the Americas until late 2019. However, though BTS is an incredible band, the K-pop genre strays away from the average boy band aesthetic.
Now and then, small bands try to make it, but that style is not what the world is interested in anymore. As amazing as boy bands are, they are unfortunately no longer popular.
Nevertheless, the lack of interest in the subject does not mean the end of the boy band era. For example, New Kids On The Block kicks off their Las Vegas Residency in June 2025, and bands such as Boys II Men and O-Town are still playing shows in cities. There are even talks of a One Direction reunion set to take place at the upcoming 2025 Brit Awards, with four of the members rumored to pay tribute to their late bandmate, Liam Payne, who passed in October 2024.
While it is hard to say if boy bands will ever make a comeback, carrying on the legacy of the beloved groups is crucial for them to remain relevant. Perhaps, grasping on to the material already created will cause a resurgence in the phenomenon known as boy bands.
