aespa

Years Active: 2020-present

Genre/s: K-pop, hip-hop, dance-pop, hyperpop

Label/s: SM, Warner, Capitol

Members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, Ningning

Member of: SM Town

Aespa is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. The group is known for popularizing the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop. Aespa debuted on November 17, 2020, with the single "Black Mamba", which achieved the highest number of views in 24 hours for a K-pop group's debut video. Their third single, "Next Level", was released in May 2021 to widespread commercial and critical success, peaking at number two on the Circle Digital Chart and earning the daesang for Song of the Year at the 19th Korean Music Awards. In October of the same year, Aespa released their first extended play (EP) Savage, which became the highest-charting debut album by a K-pop girl group on the US Billboard 200 chart at number 20, while its title track peaked at number two in South Korea.

In July 2022, Aespa released their second EP Girls, which broke the record for the best-selling album by a K-pop girl group in history and became the first to sell one million copies in the first week of release. It also debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, marking their first top-ten album in the US. Their third EP, My World, was released in May 2023, achieving over two million sales and becoming their second top-ten album on the Billboard 200. The group released their first studio album, Armageddon, in May 2024. It was preceded by the commercially successful lead single "Supernova", which topped the Circle Digital Chart for eleven weeks and won Song of the Year at the 2024 MAMA Awards and 2024 Melon Music Awards. In October 2024, the title track of Aespa's fifth EP Whiplash became their first top-ten hit on the Billboard Global 200 at number eight, while their 2025 single "Dirty Work" entered the top five of the chart.

The group's name, Aespa, combines the English initials for "avatar" and "experience" (Avatar X Experience) with the English word "aspect", meaning "two sides", to symbolize the idea of "meeting another self and experiencing the new world".