Top 50 Musical genres in South Korea
This curated ranking covers the 50 largest musical genres in South Korea, ordered by estimated audience size from Rascasse's anonymized search-behavior signals. Out of 668 musical genres tracked in South Korea, the 50 ranked here account for the largest measured audience reach. K-pop, Popular music and Pop music lead the list with a combined estimated audience of 12,430,648 people. Across all 50 entries the average audience size is 1,471,050, and the largest, K-pop, reaches around 5,278,916 people in South Korea. Audience size is the estimated number of unique people in South Korea who actively engage with each musical genre, derived from search demand signals. Rankings reflect search-behavior signals collected across South Korea and are refreshed weekly.
Ranking
| Rank | Name | Audience size | Country share | Subtype | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  K-pop |
5,278,916 | 2.9% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 2 |  Popular music |
3,693,255 | 1.0% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 3 |  Pop music |
3,458,477 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 4 |  Hip hop music |
3,350,764 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 5 |  J-pop |
3,225,259 | 3.7% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 6 |  Korean hip hop |
3,206,297 | 3.0% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 7 |  Classical music |
3,120,510 | 1.1% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 8 |  Rock music |
2,848,207 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 9 |  Dance music |
2,843,014 | 1.5% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 10 |  Rhythm and blues music |
2,710,757 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 11 |  Jazz music |
2,664,765 | 0.9% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 12 |  Blues music |
2,347,087 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 13 |  Soul music |
2,028,370 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 14 |  Country music |
1,635,561 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 15 |  Modern dance |
1,505,296 | 2.9% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 16 |  Electro (music) |
1,410,230 | 1.0% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 17 |  Rock and roll |
1,292,146 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 18 |  East Coast hip hop |
1,253,319 | 1.0% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 19 |  Bounce music |
1,235,344 | 1.1% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 20 |  Karaoke |
1,140,673 | 2.1% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 21 |  Kenyan hip hop |
1,095,061 | 1.3% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 22 |  African-American music |
1,073,472 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 23 |  Music school |
1,062,215 | 1.7% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 24 |  Singer-songwriter |
1,028,317 | 0.5% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 25 |  Funk |
1,023,462 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 26 |  Contemporary R&B |
1,018,417 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 27 |  Alternative rock |
996,564 | 0.4% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 28 |  Christian hip hop |
913,973 | 0.9% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 29 |  Gospel music |
907,585 | 0.5% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 30 |  Alternative hip hop |
895,357 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 31 |  West Coast hip hop |
873,965 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 32 |  Vocal music |
778,342 | 1.1% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 33 |  Punk rock |
776,287 | 0.5% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 34 |  Ragtime |
735,516 | 2.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 35 |  Japanese hip hop |
733,616 | 0.9% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 36 |  Indie rock |
721,632 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 37 |  Baroque pop |
702,406 | 0.9% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 38 |  Electronic dance music |
697,845 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 39 |  Southern hip hop |
695,383 | 0.7% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 40 |  French hip hop |
678,479 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 41 |  Midwest hip hop |
634,129 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 42 |  British hip hop |
622,567 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 43 |  Chicano rap |
615,182 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 44 |  Sentimental ballad |
611,636 | 11.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 45 |  Country rap |
602,169 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 46 |  Electroacoustic music |
588,536 | 1.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 47 |  Ambient music |
583,889 | 1.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 48 |  World music |
556,451 | 0.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 49 |  japanese music |
546,748 | 3.6% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
| 50 |  Cover version |
535,075 | 0.8% | Musical genre | Music & Radio |
Frequently asked questions
How is this Top 50 list compiled?
Rascasse aggregates anonymized search-behavior signals across South Korea and ranks each musical genre by its estimated audience size. Only entries with at least 5 measured entities are listed.
How often is the list updated?
The ranking is refreshed weekly from the latest search-behavior data and re-published as a static page.
What is the largest musical genre in South Korea?
K-pop currently leads with an estimated audience of 5,278,916 people in South Korea.
Methodology
Audience sizes are estimated from anonymized search-behavior signals across South Korea. Lists below 5 entries are not published. See methodology for full details.