Momoland was formed in 2016 by MLD Entertainment, through the survival show Finding Momoland. They debuted with an amusement park concept and seven members: Hyebin, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, Nancy, and Yeonwoo, with Taeha and Daisy added in early 2017. They’ve gone through several lineup changes throughout the years, going on an extended hiatus after 2022 before returning under a different company in 2025. The group now consists of Hyebin, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, and Nancy. Got all that? Fantastic. Proud of you.

Here are my credentials: Like most people who were kpop fans in the late 2010s, of course I know Momoland. When I was first getting into kpop, Bboom Bboom was basically inescapable. But I started hearing less and less about them as time went on, and when they eventually disbanded, I found out through PopBase. But then, in 2025, Momoland came back, and I thought now was as good a time as ever to take a little trip down memory lane—or, down to the carnival, as the case may be.

EP #1: Welcome To MOMOLAND

Just when I thought screaming your group’s name in your debut song was a lost art, Jjan! Koong! Kwang! (짠쿵쾅) comes in like a bubblegum pink battering ram. The title is onomatopoeia, something like “click, thump, bang”, mimicking a pumping heartbeat when the person you like comes close. Despite coming out in late 2016, something about it feels very 2nd gen, from the cartoonish special effects to the arm-heavy, cutesy choreography to the vaguely nonsensical lyrics (Tf you mean “hey Mr. Baby come and get me”?). Overall, it’s a pretty fun time as long as you don’t take it too seriously.

From the EP, I enjoyed the carnivalesque intro Welcome To Momoland (though it’s a bit heavy on the aegyo at times), and the fast-paced, drum-beat led Uh-Gi-Yeo-Cha, which melds a traditional Korean expression about hard work with Momoland’s amusement park sound.

Single #1: Wonderful Love

Wonderful Love (어마어마해 // Eomaeomahae) marks Momoland’s first release with all nine members, and I feel like you can tell. It’s only a two-person difference, but something about the song feels fuller. Similarly to Jjan! Koong! Kwang!, it reminded me of a cross between early Gfriend’s schoolgirl concept and 2nd gen bubblegum courtesy of groups like Apink or Girls Day. I especially liked that they kept the amusement park concept while blending it with video-game-esque chiptune; that very kpop blend of strings, bubblegum pop, and brassiness in the background. It doesn’t slow down, that’s for sure, and while I would’ve preferred a little more of a buildup to the chorus, it’s still my favorite song so far.

EP #2: Freeze!

It’s more common than I’d like to admit that I’m reviewing a song for the blog that I’m absolutely certain I’ve never heard before—-and then the chorus hits and I’m activated like a sleeper agent. With Freeze (꼼짝마), all it took was the beat drop, and I suddenly burst out with: Neon nugunyeogu, tell me who you areeeee. I still don’t know exactly when or where I heard it, but here we are.

Onto the actual song, though; the chorus is definitely the best part, marrying the highlights of previous singles together without losing the over-the-top amusement park concept that marks them as unique. This song really doubles down on it, with the marching-band esque squeal, the repeating carnival sounds, and the MV’s focus on fun house aesthetics. To my surprise, none of these things feel out of place, and Freeze is much more grounded than their debut, soothing the over-aegyo tendencies with a solid beat. I don’t think it quite lives up to its potential, but overall it’s quite a good song and one hell of a ride.

From the EP, I enjoyed the dance floor-ready I Like It, as well as the more gentle, romantic What Planet Are You From?.

EP #3: GREAT!

If you were at all into kpop in early 2018, you could not have possibly escaped the popularity of Bboom Bboom. Not only is it sleeker than their past singles, distilling Momoland’s sound down to the basics, but it really stood out from the kpop landscape at the time. It’s neither utter bubblegum like their previous work or girl crush, instead pursuing a very 2nd gen kpop sensibility, and you can see echoes of its style in dozens of later groups. With such a small budget, the whole thing basically run on a 9-pack of striped socks, a yoga mat, and JooE’s now-famous blonde pigtails. And yet it works. Clearly, since it’s still so good eight years later.

(Please excuse me, I just have to go and have a crisis about the fact that 2018 was eight years ago. *cries in old*)

I wasn’t that big a fan of this EP, to be honest. None of the b-sides stuck out to me like the past ones did.

EP #4: Fun To The World

I have to be honest: I mostly remembered BAAM from the controversy surrounding its music video, which I recognize isn’t entirely fair. To explain, the MV is set around the world, showing the group wearing what are probably (I hope?) supposed to be traditional dress. Most of it is fine, with the members dressed in Rococo-esque gowns in France and Hanboks in Korea, and so on and so forth. And then we get to Egypt and they’re dressed like Spirit Halloween Cleopatra with the world’s worst mummy. And Mexico, where they’re dressed like extras from Super Junior’s Mamacita. It’s not as bad as I remember, but it’s very obvious that they really didn’t put in much effort and relied on stereotypes, which makes for a painful watch.

With that out of the way, I actually really like the song. BAAM takes Bboom Bloom’s brassy sound and runs with it. To its credit, it has a very effective build-up and payoff, and the instrumental hook is pretty good, still stuck in my head a couple days later. The last chorus is excellent, especially when the ad-libs kick in. So, I don’t think it’s quite as strong an entire piece as Bboom Bboom, but it has quite a few great moments.

From the EP, I enjoyed the bubblegum rush of Bingo Game—it may be goofy, but no one can deny that it’s fun.

EP #5: Show Me

Confession time: I’m So Hot is far and away my favorite Momoland song, and in my opinion, the most underrated one. Not only does it completely lean into a 20s speakeasy worthy jazz sound, but it does not back down, and takes the spunkiness up to 100. It’s tough to make a song that could be just braggy into a feel-good, encouraging one, but I’m So Hot manages. You listen to it and think, “you know what? I AM So Hot. I am The Hottest actually, hell yeah. That trumpet solo is utterly glorious, and I’m not afraid to say it. I’m so glad I can finally review it.

From the EP, I enjoyed the joyful Light Up.

Single #1: Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up picks up where I’m So Hot left off, greatly increased budget and all. With a music video color blocked in magenta and bright yellow and a mailroom concept that should be ridiculous but somehow works, it’s a jazzy burst of delight. The trim build of the song works very well, most similar to Bboom Bboom, and both the intro verse and the pre-chorus are among my favorites of theirs. I have my small gripes; I wish the chorus was more sprawling and not just content with a simple catchphrase, but the instrumental hook is so catchy that I can’t really be too mad at it.

Single #2: Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not is probably second only to Bboom Bboom in terms of Momoland’s singles popularity (and probably, quotability). I have to admit that throughout the whole thing, I was a little alarmed at how over the top the whitewashing is in this music video. I don’t usually mention it, because unfortunately it’s pretty commonplace in kpop MVs, but this is on a whole other level. Despite having color in it, the MV feels washed out.

As for the song itself, it’s good; a return to their bubblegum sound, albeit with an added maturity that comes with time. But something about it doesn’t work for me. The pre-chorus and chorus don’t quite seem to go together, and I’m not sure why that is. The jazziness of past singles returns in a brassy instrumental hook in the post-chorus, but it doesn’t feel unique enough. It’s alright but it’s not Momoland.

Single #3: Wrap Me In Plastic

Momoland’s last song before their 2023 disbandment / hiatus, Wrap Me In Plastic is a collaboration with CHROMANCE that feels tailor-made to be a TikTok sound. I hate this song. I’m sorry. I find it creepy as hell, nothing close to the cute pop song it’s clearly supposed to be. “Wrap me in plastic, make me shine”. “I can call you master, you can call me mine.” It makes me nauseous, and the nursery rhyme esque tempo and baby-voiced delivery. Even ignoring all of that, it’s just not a good song. It’s autotuned to hell and back, its lyrics are pretty bland, and it doesn’t have any of Momoland’s talents or charm on display. I never want to hear it again.

Single #4: RODEO

Two years after Wrap Me In Plastic, Momoland returned with Rodeo in late 2025. Having no idea what to expect—would they go for girl crush or bubblegum or what—I couldn’t help but smile when the song started with a brassy instrumental hook worthy of a matador and a catchphrase chorus. Is it anything incredible? No. But it has a sense of humor, a fun choreography, and most importantly, it still feels like Momoland. I don’t have too much to say about it as a whole, but I’m hopeful that it’s the start of a second life for the members, on their own terms this time.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! I wasn’t expecting to care so much about Momoland’s journey and the members, but I ended up feeling so proud of them. I watched both content from before their break and their “Behind The Scenes” and “What Do MOMOLAND Members Mean To Each Other?” video, and had a great time with them all. Their music may not have been my style a lot of the time, but I’m rooting for Momoland, and members both past and current. I hope they all get to have the careers they want.

My Top 5 songs were I’m So Hot, Uh-Gi-Yeo-Cha, Bboom Bboom, and Thumbs Up, and Bingo Game, with Freeze! as an honorable mention. Momoland gets an 8 out of 10 from me, mostly because a lot of their songs lack the kind of spark that I think makes music special, unfortunately. When they do manage to find it, like in Bboom Bboom, or I’m So Hot, they’ve blended jazz and bubblegum in a really fun way that stands out from the crowd. But all too often they’ve fallen back on too-simple hooks, or nonsensical lyrics, or into the category of “not quite”. Now that they’re back, though, I’m hopeful that they have more control of their music, and I’m hopeful that what they put out will reflect that.

Next time, we’re onto a female soloist that I’ve been meaning to cover…well, basically since she debuted. See you next time. Tschüss!