South Korean girl group Girls' Generation made a splash in the late 2000s and early 2010s as one of the world's most popular K-pop outfits, part of a new wave of acts that kicked off a global surge of interest in the genre. After the release of their 2009 breakthrough single "Gee," they made a swift ascent up charts around the world, racking up numerous number one singles in their native Korea and becoming a fixture on the U.S. World singles chart with million-selling dance-pop tracks including "The Boys," "Oh!," "Mr. Taxi," and "I Got a Boy." Korean-language albums such as 2010's Oh!, 2013's I Got a Boy, and 2015's Lion Heart all landed at the top of the charts in Korea and the U.S., while their crossover success in Japan yielded 2011's hit Girls' Generation and 2013's Love & Peace. Even after they began an indefinite hiatus in 2017 following the release of their ninth LP, Holiday Night, their presence and influence could be heard in the music of the next crop of K-pop groups that emerged in their wake. In 2022, the group made a big comeback in celebration of their 15th anniversary, releasing seventh set Forever 1 that August.

Also known as SNSD (So Nyeo Shi Dae), the group was unveiled in the summer of 2007 by SM Entertainment in conjunction with the company's all-boy Super Junior. Originally a nine-piece, Girls' Generation comprised members Hyoyeon, Jessica, Seohyun, Sooyoung, Sunny, Taeyeon, Tiffany, Yoona, and Yuri, who had all been a part of Korean pop media before winning places in Girls' Generation. Their first single, "Into the New World," was released in August and was quickly followed with an album release, Girls' Generation, in November. The group ushered in 2008 with a number of television appearances to promote the album and subsequent singles. With the release of the 2010 follow-up Oh!, Girls' Generation expanded their reach to Japan, and the group set their sights on the American market with 2011's The Boys. In 2012, Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun created the sub-unit Girls Generation TTS (aka TaeTiSeo), and released their debut single, "Twinkle," in April 2012.

In January 2013, Girls' Generation returned with their sixth set, I Got a Boy, which sold over 265,000 copies that month alone and topped Billboard's World Albums Chart. Along with embarking on tours of Japan and Korea, that year the group also issued the 2011 Girls' Generation Tour live album and won the award for Best Music Video at the first-ever YouTube Music Awards. Another studio album, the Japanese-language Love & Peace, appeared that December; it earned Girls' Generation the distinction of being the first Korean girl group to have two albums at number one on the weekly Oricon chart when it tied with their 2011 self-titled Japanese debut.

In February 2014, the group released the mini-album Mr. Mr., which featured production by Underdogs. That same year, Girls' Generation announced that Jessica had left the group due to scheduling conflicts and that they would continue on as an eight-member ensemble. In 2015, they released their fifth full-length album, Lion Heart. Their second consecutive album to top both the Korean and U.S. World charts, the LP included the global hit singles "Party" and "Lion Heart."

After taking a break for much of 2016, Girls' Generation returned in 2017 for their tenth anniversary with album number six, Holiday Night, topping the U.S. World Albums chart for the third time in a row. Months later, SM Entertainment revealed that Girls' Generation would go on indefinite hiatus while its members pursued solo endeavors. Four years would pass before they reunited on Korean television. Months later in 2022, their label announced an official return, which celebrated their 15th anniversary as a group. Their comeback single "Forever 1" was released in early August, with an album of the same name arriving that same week. Their tenth full-length, Forever 1 featured their familiar anthemic pop stylings and was a nostalgic hit for early-2000s K-pop fans. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Chris True