ROSÉ's "APT." Breaks K-Pop Barrier on Billboard 2025 Year-End Hot 100 Chart
BLACKPINK's ROSÉ rewrote K-pop history on December 9 when Billboard revealed its 2025 year-end charts, with her Bruno Mars collaboration "APT." becoming the first K-pop song to crack the prestigious Hot 100 year-end top 10.
First K-Pop Track in Year-End Hot 100 Top 10
"APT." secured the No. 9 position on Billboard's 2025 year-end Hot 100, surpassing BTS's "Butter" (No. 11 in 2021) as the highest-charting K-pop song in year-end history. The achievement marks K-pop's breakthrough from viral moments into sustained mainstream dominance.
The track also topped both the year-end Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, demonstrating worldwide appeal beyond the U.S. market.
Netflix's "K-Pop Demon Hunters" Dominates Charts
The animated film's soundtrack achieved unprecedented chart penetration with seven songs on the year-end Hot 100:
HUNTR/X (fictional girl group):
- "Golden" - No. 25
- "How It's Done" - No. 68
- "What It Sounds Like" - No. 83
- "Takedown" - No. 93
Saja Boys (fictional boy group):
- "Your Idol" - No. 54
- "Soda Pop" - No. 61
Rumi & Jinu:
- "Free" - No. 92
The soundtrack album reached No. 13 on the year-end Billboard 200, while fictional group HUNTR/X placed No. 24 on the Top Artists chart-the highest year-end ranking for a virtual K-pop group.
BTS's Jimin Shows Chart Longevity
Jimin's "Who" landed at No. 57 on the year-end Hot 100 despite being released in July 2024. The track became the longest-charting song by a K-pop act on the weekly Hot 100 with 33 consecutive weeks.
Album Chart Success
Year-end Billboard 200 K-pop entries:
- "K-Pop Demon Hunters" soundtrack - No. 13
- ROSÉ's "rosie" - No. 112
- Stray Kids' "KARMA" - No. 128
- Stray Kids' "HOP" - No. 157
- KATSEYE's "BEAUTIFUL CHAOS" - No. 182
Stray Kids dominated the World Albums year-end chart with No. 1 ("HOP") and No. 2 ("KARMA") positions, maintaining their three-year streak leading the category.
Top Artists Recognition
Year-end Top Artists chart K-pop entries:
- HUNTR/X - No. 24
- ROSÉ - No. 44
- Saja Boys - No. 57
- Stray Kids - No. 69
- Jimin - No. 81
Industry Impact
ROSÉ's top 10 year-end placement demonstrates K-pop's evolution from momentary viral success to sustained chart performance. The achievement validates the genre's permanent position in Western pop music markets rather than as a niche international phenomenon.
The "K-Pop Demon Hunters" phenomenon illustrated how animation and K-pop music combine to create legitimate mainstream impact, with seven year-end Hot 100 entries representing the most simultaneous appearances by songs from a single Korean project.
