17 Boy Band Songs That Stand Among Pop’s Greatest Hits

Don't pretend like you haven't belted at least one or two of these songs out loud in public.

Oct 15, 2025

Scoff at boy bands at your own peril. Billions of streams and hundreds of millions in record sales prove they’re as reliable a formula for success as ever, despite being one that reinvents itself for each new generation in new and exciting ways.

Soaring harmonies, smooth choreography, and choruses destined for decades of passionate sing-alongs. These are just some of the reasons the songs on this list have transcended pop music history, not to mention outlived their critics.

My goal with this post was to chart the recent history of boy band success from the early 1980s to the present. I focused primarily on commercial success and continued influence, though there are a few lesser-known gems thrown in with the hits everyone will almost certainly know the words to already.

Also, I limited artist inclusion to three songs or fewer to give you as global a snapshot as possible.

Before we dive in, a reminder to subscribe, even if you think you detest boy band music and think I’m crazy for writing this. You’ve read this far, haven’t you?

In alphabetical order, let’s begin:

1. “Back for Good” by Take That (1995)

Most people associate the 1990s with peak boy band energy, but it did not come solely from the U.S. The Brits launched their fair share of success stories in this arena, with one of those being Take That. Though their primary market was on the other side of the Atlantic, they managed to cross over with “Back For Good,” a rock-solid ballad that cracked the Top 10 of the Hot 100 in 1995.

With the benefit of hindsight, you can hear its influence on contemporary acts who’ve taken lessons from its masterful ballad writing. The arrangement, with its laid-back acoustic vibe, leaves plenty of room for the vocals to run the show, especially during the call-and-response-style chorus that’s one of the more addictive earworms of its era.

2. “Butter” by BTS (2021)

It wasn’t until I had the good fortune to visit Seoul in 2023 that I fully understood how insanely popular BTS was. Of all the artists on this list, they’re the ones I would consider to have the biggest global reach. Their 2021 hit single, “Butter,” which smashed streaming and chart records worldwide, is a big reason why.

Building on the momentum they’d built up in 2020, “Butter” broke Spotify’s single-day streaming record at the time with 108 million, en route to topping markets like Japan, India, Mexico, Singapore, and the U.S. It spent 10 non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 and helped BTS become the biggest-selling South Korean act of all time.

3. “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC (2000)**

A definitive Y2K pop music moment, “Bye Bye Bye” is a break-up song in more ways than one. On top of the kiss-off at its lyrical center, it’s been reframed in the years since as a parting shot at both their former manager, Lou Pearlman, and label (RCA). It’s widely considered to be *NSYNC’s signature song and enjoyed a resurgence after its inclusion in Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024.

For those who were around for its initial tour on the pop charts (it peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100), you know it was about more than just the song, too. The music video, with its puppet-on-a-string choreography, became an oft-imitated visual hook for years afterward. Combine that with a can’t-miss vocal hook and some frosted tips … what’s not to love?

4. “Candy Girl” by New Edition (1983)

If you want to trace the modern boy band sound back to its origins, most roads point back to those airtight, mid-80s bubblegum pop harmonies. I suppose you could claw your way back to the 1960s or 70s with groups like the Jackson 5, but few groups and songs set such a recognizable template like New Edition’s “Candy Girl.”

Co-produced and co-written by Maurice Starr, who discovered the youngsters at a local talent show, you can hear all the future hallmarks of a hit single. It’s kind of hip-hop, kind of street, but also kind of cute and dorky. It all adds up to an insanely catchy three-and-a-half minutes, even if Bobby Brown’s high school voice always sat a little too close to Michael Jackson’s for my liking.

Starr would later shepherd another act on this list to fame and fortune. Can you guess which one?)

5. “Dynamite” by BTS (2020)

Even if you’re not a fan of K-pop, there’s a good chance you’ve heard at least a snippet of BTS’s first all-English single, “Dynamite.” It was also their first single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, kicking down the Western mainstream exposure doors that Psy unlocked for them with “Gangnam Style” a few years earlier.

With its upbeat, nu-disco aesthetic (a sonic profile that Dua Lipa also used to top the charts), the song also hit at the perfect time, giving millions a cultural and spiritual release valve during the first round of COVID shelter-in-place orders. Would it have helped normalize K-pop on U.S. radio and streaming charts had the pandemic not happened? Hard to say, but its capability to mesmerize is undeniable.

6. “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men (1992)

When it comes to boy band ballads (I’m tempted to trademark the phrase “Triple-B” to refer to this type of song from now on, stand by on those developments), they don’t get any bigger or more heartstring-tuggy than “End of the Road.” It spent a then-record 13 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, cementing Boyz II Men as the premier vocal group of their generation.

Funny story: I used to throw this song on at the end of my wedding DJ sets, more as a way to signal to the handful of happy drunks still on the dancefloor that it was time to leave. It would always elicit a final emotional reaction, usually involving someone stumbling over to hug the bride and groom, saying something to the effect of, “This isn’t goodbye,” or whatever. “Stairway to Heaven” never coaxed that out of them.

Point being, more than 30 years after its release, this track still hits folks right in the feels.

7. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by Backstreet Boys (1997)

Okay, it’s time. Let’s start the BSB conversation.

They’re the biggest-selling boy band in history, with over 100 million records sold to date, and also touted as the top-earning group in this category when it comes to revenue. This list could’ve easily been chiefly devoted to their oeuvre, but, for the sake of inclusivity, I’ve narrowed it down to two Backstreet Boys songs, starting with “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

The first single of the quintet’s highly anticipated second studio LP proved that these Boys were no fluke. Everything about this track was engineered for maximum market saturation, from the pitched-down synth groove to the singalong-ready chorus to the campy music video that plays like the greatest Halloween party ever captured on film. It only peaked at No. 4, but its pop culture impact has had a much, much longer lifecycle than that might lead you to believe.

8. “Flying Without Wings” by Westlife (1999)

I’m not sure how many North Americans are familiar with Westlife these days, but any Europeans reading and/or subscribing know how massive the group was in their heyday.

Though it didn’t eclipse another Westlife song I’ll discuss later in this article, “Flying Without Wings” is a classic showcase for the full-on sentimental ballads that would become a Simon Cowell trademark. The stacked harmonies and soaring key changes are simultaneously of their moment (you could imagine Celine Dion crushing this song) and timeless enough that it still tugs firmly at your heartstrings.

In the years since, “Flying” has become the group’s emotional standard-bearer, finding new generations of fans via wedding slow dance playlists, talent show auditions, and karaoke nights across Ireland and the rest of the U.K. I also appreciate how the arrangement allows every voice to take a turn in front of the mix, giving the lyrics a much more communal feel.

9. “Glad You Came” by The Wanted (2011)

The Wanted may not have had the longest stint in the spotlight, but they make this list for one key reason: They helped push the boy band template into more club-ready, EDM territory with “Glad You Came.”

A No. 1 hit in the U.K. and Top 5 single in the U.S., it starts in an unassuming way, with Max George’s soft vocals lilting over warm piano chords. Then, like you’re walking through the opening doors of a trendy nightspot, the synths kick in and the beat drops shortly thereafter. It’s a more Euro-centric version of the electro that dominated the pop charts in the early 2010s, but that hook would’ve hit regardless of the production underpinning it.

It’s no surprise that it traveled well across multiple international markets, proving that, when the formula flexes as hard as the groove, you’ve got something special on your hands.

10. “Hold Me” by Menudo (1985)

Menudo’s “Hold Me” wasn’t a chart monster in America. It only reached No. 62 on the Hot 100 and failed to make a significant crossover dent elsewhere in the country. But, when it comes to representing more diverse voices in a subgenre that’s primarily made stars out of young white males, its lasting impact can’t be overstated, either.

“Hold Me” symbolized the outfit’s first big English-language push, sparkling with bright, earnest instrumentation and charm. It opened the door for many other Latin boy bands, including one coming up very soon on this list. Menudo also foreshadowed the practice of rotating in new members when vocal changes became permanent starting at age 17 (though some alums have left voluntarily at different ages).

Several former Menudo stars have gone on to successful solo music and entertainment careers, most notably Ricky Martin.

11. “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men (1994)

Another chart mainstay for Boyz II Men, “I’ll Make Love to You” broke their previous record of dominance by spending 14 straight weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Maybe it’s because it flips the “End of the Road” vibes to a more positive romantic place, using their muscular vocals to give shape to this transcendent bedroom anthem. The 90s don’t get more hopelessly romantic than this.

Listening to this song again for the first time in ages, I was struck by how much space the arrangement gives Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman for those signature vocal runs. They dart in and around each other without ever careening off into sonic chaos. Even the more spoken-word ad libs, reminiscent of Michael McCary’s interlude on “End of the Road,” avoid scorching your ears with too much melted cheese.

It’s an unmatched portrait of polished intimacy.

12. “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys (1999)

If I had to pick a single track to stand on its own as the archetypal boy band anthem, it would be “I Want It That Way.”

One of the reasons is the global reach of this song during its initial release. It topped the singles charts in more than 25 countries, including the U.K., Australia, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, to name just a few. Although it famously did not reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 (it peaked at No. 6), it managed to elbow its way to the top of the AC chart in the U.S.

Why is this one still so popular? It starts with that melody, which does most of the heavy lifting, helping the verses to glide effortlessly into those all-world harmonies. You could make a convincing argument that it’s the most popular boy band song at karaoke nights, with this immortal sitcom moment providing ample supporting evidence.

Snobs can write this pop song off as lowest-common-denominator schlock, but every person I’ve spoken to who nerds out over pop music history like I do can’t deny its appeal. In another 50 years, I imagine “I Want It That Way” will still be at the forefront as a treasured cultural artifact.

**13. “It’s Gonna Be Me” by NSYNC (2000)*

Believe it or not, “It’s Gonna Be Me” was *NSYNC’s lone Hot 100 No. 1 single. The track snaps and crackles with millennial pop precision: staccato phrasing, rubbery synths, and a chorus that sticks. The choreography from their live shows (see the embed) and the corresponding music video also inspired a ton of copycats for the next few years after, though I’ve always found the latter to be more than a little off-putting in that “uncanny valley” sort of way.

Also, it’s worth mentioning the “May” meme this song inspired, which Justin Timberlake confirmed stemmed from a production note he got during recording. “What’s funny, specifically to Max Martin, is the parts of their English that were broken actually made them catchier songwriters,” he said. “They would put words in a way that almost didn’t make sense, but when you sang them, they were more memorable.”

Goodbye expectations, hello internet immortality.

14. “Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)” by CNCO (2016)

It’s not hyperbole to say that “Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)” turned CNCO into a Latin pop juggernaut. Formed in Miami, Florida, the group was the first-ever winners of La Banda, the Spanish-language equivalent of American Idol, which aired on Univision for two seasons. By placing first in the competition, they won a five-year deal with Sony Music Latin, which paved the way for this massive hit single.

Capitalizing on that slow-burn rhythm that was taking over global charts at that time, CNCO tapped into an emerging trend to great effect. The song has accumulated an insane amount of streams, including, as of this writing, 1.8 billion on YouTube alone. A remix with Little Mix gave them some extra crossover juice, validating the “Latin One Direction” moniker the show earned them.

15. “Step by Step” by New Kids on the Block (1990)

One of the late-80s pop cuts that brought clean-cut R&B sensibilities into the 1990s, “Step by Step” was the last New Kids on the Block song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. Building on the momentum “Hangin’ Tough” had generated just a few months earlier, the song was actually a cover, another Maurice Starr joint that he’d given to another Motown act in 1987. But, in the hands of the New Kids, it took on much greater significance.

Perhaps more than any other song on this list, “Step by Step” is proof that simplicity and energy are the most critical ingredients for a boy band hit. The structure, writing, and payoff in the build to the chorus are all pleasant enough, but so uncluttered that you never take your ears off the hooks that come fast and furious throughout.

Also, Jordan Knight, who’s on lead vocals here, is among the more underrated singers of his generation.

16. “Swear It Again” by Westlife (1999)

Written by Steve Mac and Wayne Hector, “Swear It Again” was the track that launched Westlife into the U.K. pop stratosphere. It kicked off a run of 14 (!) No. 1 hit singles in Britain and resulted in the group’s lone entry into the Hot 100 stateside, where it peaked at No. 20. It set a template that they would reuse to this day: clean, flawless vocals, high-gloss romance, and smooth-as-butter harmonies.

It’s also taking a second to highlight Mac as a key figure in pop music history. He has penned hits for other artists, including Calvin Harris, Demi Lovato, Leona Lewis, and Ed Sheeran, with worldwide sales of his songwriting exceeding 200 million. In all, he’s contributed to 30 U.K. singles chart-toppers, making him one of the most prolific voices in that country’s pop radio canon.

17. “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction (2011)

Let’s cap off this list with one of the most instantly recognizable songs on this list. “What Makes You Beautiful” is the purest distillation of the pop-timism that fueled much of the hits post-2008 housing crash. With a bright, nimble arrangement that features just the right amount of organic instrumentation, its appeal is undeniable.

Another reality competition show concoction, One Direction would eventually accumulate 6 Top 10 hits in the U.S., paving the way for bigger and more global successes for members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and the late Liam Payne. Your mileage may vary on how well their respective solo material has fared (for me, Styles has made out the best on his own), but it’s fun to revisit the literal spark that lit the fuse.

Which of these hits still brings the good vibes for you? Who did I miss? Drop your picks in the comments.