Songs like (G)I-DLE: 10 bold K-pop tracks that write their own rules

Songs like (G)I-DLE take the girl-crush swagger of K-pop and add a writer's sense of humor: the loudest lines are usually jokes at someone else's expectations. The closest picks are 2NE1's "I Am the Best," MAMAMOO's "HIP" and K/DA's "Pop/Stars," which share the group's mix of bragging, genre-hopping and a refusal to be told what a girl group should sound like.

(G)I-DLE debuted on Cube Entertainment in May 2018 with "Latata," and leader Soyeon has written much of the group's catalog since. The run that defines them goes from "Hann (Alone)" (2018) and "Lion" (2019) through "Oh My God" (2020) and "Hwaa" (2021) to "Tomboy" and "Nxde" in 2022, "Queencard" in 2023 and "Super Lady" in 2024.

What does (G)I-DLE sound like?

(G)I-DLE change genre from single to single, and that restlessness is the sound. "Latata" and "Senorita" lean on Latin-pop rhythm, "Hann" and "Hwaa" wrap a lonely melody in East Asian-flavored arrangements, "Oh My God" is dark and low, and "Tomboy" swaps synths for a punk-pop guitar riff and a bratty, half-shouted chorus. What stays fixed is the drama: every song is staged, with a clear character and a twist in the hook.

(G)I-DLE's vocals split the work between Soyeon's sharp, rhythmic rap, Miyeon's high, clean leads and the deeper tones of Yuqi and Minnie, so a chorus can sound sweet and menacing in the same bar. The lyrics keep circling one idea: other people's labels. "Tomboy" rejects the idea of a proper girl, "Nxde" plays with Marilyn Monroe imagery and a nod to the "Habanera" from Carmen to argue about how women are looked at, and "Queencard" plays mirror-checking vanity for laughs.

Songs like (G)I-DLE: 10 picks

1. 2NE1, "I Am the Best" (2011). The founding text of K-pop girl-crush bragging. The heavy electro beat and the shouted, chantable title are the blueprint "Tomboy" and "Super Lady" inherit.
2. CL, "The Baddest Female" (2013). 2NE1's leader went solo with a trap-leaning beat and a rap-first delivery, the same model of a rapper running the group from the front that Soyeon follows.
3. Sunmi, "Gashina" (2017). A cool, wry kiss-off with a hook built on space rather than volume. It shares the sad-but-composed poise of "Hann (Alone)."
4. K/DA, "Pop/Stars" (2018). The virtual League of Legends group featured Miyeon and Soyeon alongside Madison Beer and Jaira Burns, so this is (G)I-DLE's own voices in their most glossy, arena-sized form.
5. MAMAMOO, "HIP" (2019). Brassy, funk-flecked pop about not caring what anyone thinks of your look. The closest cousin to the comic confidence of "Queencard."
6. Dreamcatcher, "Scream" (2020). Rock guitars, a horror-movie concept and a big, dark chorus, for fans who love the menace of "Oh My God."
7. Jessi, "Zoom" (2022). A brash, rap-sung track from one of K-pop's most outspoken soloists, with the same unbothered, slightly mocking tone "Tomboy" made famous that year.
8. LE SSERAFIM, "Antifragile" (2022). A Latin-tinged beat and a lyric about getting stronger every time you're knocked down. It shares the rhythm instinct of "Latata" and the defiance of "Nxde."
9. KISS OF LIFE, "Midas Touch" (2024). A newer group working in glossy, 2000s-style pop, with a breezy self-assurance that suits the "Queencard" side of the catalog.
10. BABYMONSTER, "Sheesh" (2024). Rap-heavy and aggressive, with a stomping hip-hop beat and a lineup that trades verses as hard as the rap-led side of (G)I-DLE.

(G)I-DLE's best songs don't ask to be taken seriously; they make fun of the people who wouldn't.

Prism Five songs that fit

Three tracks from GLITCH (2026) by Prism Five, the Seoul five-piece, line up with the (G)I-DLE themes of self-made status and rejected labels.

1. Close match: Prism Five, "Crown". Track twelve on GLITCH refuses to bow down, turns every scar into a stepping stone and ends with each member taking a line by name. It's the same queen-on-her-own-terms idea as "Lion," told with less irony.
2. Close match: Prism Five, "GLITCH". The title track casts the group as the bug nobody can fix, a group that won't be perfected "pixel by pixel." The anti-label argument matches "Tomboy" and "Nxde"; the imagery is computer error rather than gender roles.
3. Partial match: Prism Five, "Savage". The attitude lines up with "Tomboy," with a lyric about breaking out of a box and writing your own rules. The difference is tone: it's straight group bragging, without the wordplay and self-mockery Soyeon builds into her songs.

More artists like (G)I-DLE

Beyond the ten picks, the artists most often grouped with (G)I-DLE are BLACKPINK, ITZY, aespa, Red Velvet, Everglow and Hyuna, along with Jeon Somi and Chung Ha among the soloists. Each one covers a different slice of the group's range rather than the whole thing.

Pick by the song that hooked you. If it was "Tomboy" or "Super Lady," go toward 2NE1, CL, Jessi and BABYMONSTER. If it was "Hann" or "Hwaa," start with Sunmi. If "Queencard" made you laugh, MAMAMOO and KISS OF LIFE are the safest bets.

Where to start

Play "I Am the Best" first to hear where the swagger comes from, then "Pop/Stars" for Miyeon and Soyeon outside the group, then "HIP" and "Antifragile." Follow with Prism Five's "GLITCH" and "Crown," which sit second and twelfth on the album, so they work as bookends for the record's run of confidence songs. For the bigger picture, our K-pop guide covers the groups and eras behind the sound, and our songs like BLACKPINK list goes deeper on the girl-crush tradition.

Key takeaways

1. Songs like (G)I-DLE pair girl-crush swagger with humor, genre changes and lyrics that push back on labels.
2. The lineage runs from 2NE1's "I Am the Best" (2011) and CL's "The Baddest Female" (2013) to LE SSERAFIM and BABYMONSTER.
3. K/DA's "Pop/Stars" (2018) features Miyeon and Soyeon, making it the most direct link on the list.
4. Prism Five's "Crown" and "GLITCH" are close matches for the self-made, anti-label theme; "Savage" fits the attitude but not the irony.

(G)I-DLE proved a girl group could be both the act and the author of its own story. The songs above keep that bargain in different accents, and the best way to hear it is to play them back to back with "Tomboy" still in your head.

FAQ

What songs are like (G)I-DLE?

Songs like (G)I-DLE include 2NE1's "I Am the Best" (2011), MAMAMOO's "HIP" (2019), LE SSERAFIM's "Antifragile" (2022) and K/DA's "Pop/Stars" (2018), which features Miyeon and Soyeon.

What K-pop groups are similar to (G)I-DLE?

K-pop groups similar to (G)I-DLE include 2NE1, MAMAMOO, BLACKPINK, ITZY, LE SSERAFIM, Dreamcatcher, KISS OF LIFE and BABYMONSTER.

What (G)I-DLE song should I start with?

"Tomboy" (2022) is the usual way in. "Queencard" (2023) shows the group's comic side and "Hann (Alone)" (2018) its moodier one.

Who is Prism Five?

Prism Five is a five-member McCandless Records act from Seoul who make K-pop and dance pop. The debut album, GLITCH, came out in May 2026.