K-pop Goes West
15 seconds per question.
Hall of fame
XOXO came out in June 2013 and won Album of the Year at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
Learn before you play: General K-pop triviaAbout this quiz
Test your General K-pop knowledge with this medium 10-question quiz by kpopquizz. Its questions run from 2012 to 2022. 12 players have tried it so far.
Pass rate 25%
In this quiz
BTS became the first Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 with which song?
BLACKPINK was the first K-pop girl group to perform at which major US music festival?
Which BTS album was the first primarily Korean-language album to top the Billboard 200?
7 more questions.
Show the 10 questions in this quiz
A preview of every question in this General K-pop quiz. Try it first. Answers and explanations are at the bottom of the page (spoilers). General K-pop · Medium · 10 questions. 10 multiple-choice questions.
1. BTS became the first Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 with which song?
- Boy With Luv
- DNA
- Dynamite
- Butter
Fun fact: Dynamite debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 22, 2020, making BTS the first all-South Korean act to reach the top of the US singles chart.
2. BLACKPINK was the first K-pop girl group to perform at which major US music festival?
- Lollapalooza
- SXSW
- Coachella
- Bonnaroo
Fun fact: BLACKPINK performed at Coachella 2019 on April 12 and 19, becoming the first K-pop group of any kind to perform at the iconic festival.
3. Which BTS album was the first primarily Korean-language album to top the Billboard 200?
- Wings
- Love Yourself: Her
- Love Yourself: Tear
- Map of the Soul: Persona
Fun fact: Love Yourself: Tear debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in May 2018, becoming the first primarily non-English album to top the chart since 2006.
4. In which year did K-pop first appear on Billboard's mainstream US charts in a significant way, with multiple acts charting?
- 2012
- 2015
- 2017
- 2020
Fun fact: 2017 is considered a breakthrough year for K-pop on US charts, with BTS appearing on the Billboard 200, BTS and EXO winning Billboard Music Awards, and global K-pop fandom growing explosively.
5. TWICE's album Formula of Love debuted on the Billboard 200 in which year, the first by a K-pop girl group to debut in the top 5?
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
Fun fact: TWICE's Formula of Love: O+T=<3 debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 in November 2021, their highest chart position in the US at that time.
6. aespa performed at which major US music festival in 2022, becoming the first 4th gen K-pop act to do so?
- Coachella
- Lollapalooza
- SXSW
- Ultra Music Festival
Fun fact: aespa performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 31, 2022, becoming the first 4th generation K-pop act to perform at the iconic US festival.
7. Which K-pop act was the first to perform on Saturday Night Live (SNL)?
- BLACKPINK
- TWICE
- BTS
- EXO
Fun fact: BTS performed on Saturday Night Live on April 13, 2019, performing Boy With Luv and Mic Drop. It was a historic first for a K-pop act on the iconic US late-night show.
8. The first Korean-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture was which film?
- Oldboy
- Train to Busan
- Parasite
- The Host
Fun fact: Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-ho won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars, becoming the first non-English language film to win the top prize in Oscar history.
9. The Korean cultural movement -- including K-pop, K-drama, K-food, and K-beauty -- spreading globally is known by what term?
- K-Wave
- Hallyu
- K-Rise
- Seoul Wave
Fun fact: Hallyu (한류), literally meaning 'Korean Wave,' is the term for the global spread of South Korean popular culture since the 1990s, encompassing K-pop, K-dramas, Korean food, fashion, and beauty.
10. Stray Kids became the first K-pop group to achieve what with their consecutive Billboard 200 chart entries?
- First to have all entries debut in the top 3
- First to have eight consecutive entries debut at #1
- First K-pop group to chart on Billboard for 10 years
- First group to sell out all US shows within one hour
Fun fact: Every one of Stray Kids' first eight Billboard 200 chart entries debuted at #1, setting a historic record. No other act in history had achieved this feat on their first eight chart entries.
More K-pop history quizzes
All 19Answers & explanations
Spoilers: the right answer to each question of this General K-pop quiz, with its explanation and source when we have one.
1. BTS became the first Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 with which song?
Answer: Dynamite
Fun fact: Dynamite debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 22, 2020, making BTS the first all-South Korean act to reach the top of the US singles chart.
2. BLACKPINK was the first K-pop girl group to perform at which major US music festival?
Answer: Coachella
Fun fact: BLACKPINK performed at Coachella 2019 on April 12 and 19, becoming the first K-pop group of any kind to perform at the iconic festival.
3. Which BTS album was the first primarily Korean-language album to top the Billboard 200?
Answer: Love Yourself: Tear
Fun fact: Love Yourself: Tear debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in May 2018, becoming the first primarily non-English album to top the chart since 2006.
4. In which year did K-pop first appear on Billboard's mainstream US charts in a significant way, with multiple acts charting?
Answer: 2017
Fun fact: 2017 is considered a breakthrough year for K-pop on US charts, with BTS appearing on the Billboard 200, BTS and EXO winning Billboard Music Awards, and global K-pop fandom growing explosively.
5. TWICE's album Formula of Love debuted on the Billboard 200 in which year, the first by a K-pop girl group to debut in the top 5?
Answer: 2021
Fun fact: TWICE's Formula of Love: O+T=<3 debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 in November 2021, their highest chart position in the US at that time.
6. aespa performed at which major US music festival in 2022, becoming the first 4th gen K-pop act to do so?
Answer: Lollapalooza
Fun fact: aespa performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 31, 2022, becoming the first 4th generation K-pop act to perform at the iconic US festival.
7. Which K-pop act was the first to perform on Saturday Night Live (SNL)?
Answer: BTS
Fun fact: BTS performed on Saturday Night Live on April 13, 2019, performing Boy With Luv and Mic Drop. It was a historic first for a K-pop act on the iconic US late-night show.
8. The first Korean-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture was which film?
Answer: Parasite
Fun fact: Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-ho won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars, becoming the first non-English language film to win the top prize in Oscar history.
9. The Korean cultural movement -- including K-pop, K-drama, K-food, and K-beauty -- spreading globally is known by what term?
Answer: Hallyu
Fun fact: Hallyu (한류), literally meaning 'Korean Wave,' is the term for the global spread of South Korean popular culture since the 1990s, encompassing K-pop, K-dramas, Korean food, fashion, and beauty.
10. Stray Kids became the first K-pop group to achieve what with their consecutive Billboard 200 chart entries?
Answer: First to have eight consecutive entries debut at #1
Fun fact: Every one of Stray Kids' first eight Billboard 200 chart entries debuted at #1, setting a historic record. No other act in history had achieved this feat on their first eight chart entries.