The following K-Pop albums are the ten most popular albums from third-generation K-Pop idols or idols who debuted in the early 2010s. The rankings are based on album sales. Did your favorite album make the list?
10. "You Never Walk Alone" - BTS
BTS's second reissued album was released on February 13, 2017, and has recorded 1.04 million in album sales. The song's title track, Spring Day", was a massive success and is one of the Korean netizen's favorite songs from that year. It had another single release called "Not Today." "You Never Walk Alone" is a continuation of "Wings" and has songs that mostly talked about hope.
9. "Wings" - BTS
"Wings" is BTS's second full-studio album and was released on October 10, 2016. The album has a recorded 1.14 million in sales. "Wings" was the best-selling album of 2016, according to Gaon Chart. The album took inspiration from the novel "Demian," talking about temptation and growth.
8. "The War" - EXO
"The War" is EXO's fourth studio album and was released on July 19, 2017. The album has a recorded 1.17 million in sales.At the time, the album broke the record for the highest pre-orders for a K-Pop album with over 800,000 orders.In a matter of 24 days, it was EXO's fourth studio album to have sold over a million copies.
7. "Heng:garae" - SEVENTEEN
"Heng:garae" is SEVENTEEN's seventh mini album and was released on June 22, 2020, making it the most recent release on the list. The mini-album has a recorded 1.21 million in sales. It is currently the group's best selling album to date, having sold a million copies in under a week.
6. "Don't Mess Up My Tempo" - EXO
"Don't Mess Up My Tempo" is EXO's fifth studio album and was released on November 2, 2018. The album has a recorded 1.46 million in sales. Upon the album's debut, it charted on number one on the Gaon Album Chart. It is their fifth album to have sold over a million copies. Additionally, it debuted at number 23 in the US Billboard 200, EXO's highest-charting album in the United States. Member Lay can be heard in the Chinese version of "Tempo," marking his first appearance in an EXO song since 2016.
5. "Love Yourself: Her" - BTS
"Love Yourself: Her" is BTS's fifth mini album and was released on September 18, 2017. The mini-album has a recorded 2.24 million in sales. The album was highly anticipated, with over a million pre-orders from August 25 to 31. It debuted at the top of the Gaon Album Chart and debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200. It remained in the Billboard charts for twenty-seven weeks, the longest time for a Korean album to do so. Seventeen Magazine named it as one of "The Eight Best Albums of 2017 So Far".
4. "Love Yourself: Tear" - BTS
"Love Yourself: Tear" is BTS's third full studio album and was released on May 18, 2018. The album has a recorded 2.25 million in sales. On May 27, it debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200, making it BTS's highest-charting album in the Western market at the time. Additionally, it was the first album by a Korean act to top the US albums chart, and at the time was the highest-charting album by an Asian artist. It had a lot of hype even before the drop, with over 1.5 million copies set for pre-order.
3. "Love Yourself: Answer" - BTS
"Love Yourself: Answer" is BTS's third compilation album and was released on August 24, 2018. The compilation album has a recorded 2.61 million in sales. The album has twenty-five tracks, seven of them new songs. Upon its debut, the album topped the charts in South Korea, Canada, Japan, and the United States. The album is the first Korean album to be gold-certified in the United States and the first Asian album to be certified silver in the United Kingdom. The album has, to this day, remained in the Billboard charts for 52 non-consecutive weeks, making it the first and only K-pop album to stay on the Billboard main chart for one whole year.
2. "Map of the Soul: Persona" - BTS
"Map of the Soul: Persona" is BTS's sixth mini album and was released on April 12, 2019. The mini-album has a recorded 3.82 million in sales. Upon debut, the album topped the charts of the US Billboard 200, making BTS the first group to have three number-one albums in the charts in less than a year since The Beatles. It also topped the charts in the UK, Scotland, New Zealand, and Australian Charts. At the time, it broke the record of the best-selling album in South Korean history.
1. "Map of the Soul: 7" - BTS
"Map of the Soul: 7" is BTS's fourth studio album and was released on February 21, 2020. The album has a recorded 4.27 million in sales. Upon its release, the album topped the US Billboard 200, making it BTS's fourth consecutive chart-topper in the United States. Additionally, it topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Japan, France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The album broke BTS's last record as the best-selling album in South Korean history.
