KPop Demon Hunters has become a surprise pop culture phenomenon for several reasons: The Netflix animated musical tells a compelling story of female friendship, centered within the exciting and increasingly omnipresent world of K-pop, weaving in various fantasy elements — and it’s all available to watch over and over on a global streaming behemoth. Yet the key element of that success is the film’s music, full of anthems that help move the film’s story forward, while also standing on their own as replay-worthy K-pop hits.
The songs of KPop Demon Hunters have been able to transcend the film and become crossover hits — the soundtrack currently boasts a whopping seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 — due in part to its pedigree and sonic diversity. A team of songwriting and production experts molded the soundtrack into a well-balanced collection of K-pop hallmarks, from the heartfelt ballad to the high-octane group single to the chest-thumping rap track.
Meanwhile, the two fictional groups at the heart of KPop Demon Hunters, the virtuous girl group HUNTR/X and their villainous boy band counterpart Saja Boys, provide each track with personality and narrative stakes. Throw in a few extra tracks to round out the project — including a pair of songs from real-life K-pop superstars TWICE — and there’s no wonder why the KPop Demon Hunters music has resonated across platforms and demographics.
While the entire soundtrack is soaring commercially and worth perusing, some of the songs from the film have become clear standouts since its release. Here is Billboard’s ranking of all 12 songs on the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack.