K-pop and FOMO.

ohcaptainmycaptain6 Okt 2026

Do you guys ever feel like you joined K-pop way too late? I started listening to K-pop in late 2024, and properly got into my ult group (ATEEZ) in mid-2025. I feel like I missed everything. And also, they’re going to enlist soon, so I don’t even have enough time to spend with them or have a chance to see them. I wish I could have seen them debut, go all the way to the top, experience their rise to fame, etc. This is such a sad and frustrating feeling.

🗣️ Discussion

Komen (23)

dolcezza

Omg this is so real I got into kpop this yr and while I'd never go back on that decision I 100% regret not getting into it sooner 😭 Skz and Ateez are enlisting very soon, along with Yeonjun, and like that kinda sucks bc ik I'm not gonna have very many comebacks with these groups with all the members, not for a while at least I also made the mistake of getting into a lot of 4th gen groups so it feels like the ones that aren't enlisting are possibly disbanding soon so like 😭😭 Thankfully I do stan a lot of newer gen groups or groups with younger idols too, but I just wish I was here sooner for my other favs 😔

mallorylane08

Yes omg so many people were pre debut coers but I only discovered them a couple months ago 💔

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

I don’t think it’s this bad, Cortis is still a pretty fresh group with so much things ahead!

andwoozy

ive always delt with really bad fomo throughout my life, and as grateful as i am for finding ateez (which also started my whole kpop journey) in feb of this year, the fomo for them and skz specifically is unreal. it sucks that they're enlisting soon n your point is so right with not having a lot of time with them. i think the hardest part of the fomo tho is that people online feel the need to shame people for being late stans or something like its a competition; that or me unconsciously comparing myself to randos online.

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

Heeey fellow Atiny ☺️🏴‍☠️ I guess I’m afraid that when Ateez return from the army, they won’t be the same. Not that they will disband, but maybe their perspective on the group will be different. And the fans… yeah. It feels like they’re somehow closer to Ateez if they’ve been with them since debut, gone to multiple concerts, etc, even if they won’t say it.

p0laroidi0ve

i feel this way so often but i truly feel like most groups ESPECIALLY ateez will always find you when you need them most. i totally get feeling the fomo and how upsetting it is but regardless of when you show up they love and appreciate you !

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

It’s fate being an atiny haha

gnabnahc5321

yessss i joined late 2023 and while that was a peak time for kpop i wish i joined around 2021-2022

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

From what I read, everyone is feeling like they’re late to the party 😞

gnabnahc5321

yesss i’m so glad im not alone

qutiezsz

OMG YES SAME, I feel like I joined WAYYY too late and now it's just constant fanwars / everyone is arguing for no reason while in like 2020-2022 everyone was having a fun Jolly time😔

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

Yesss, it feels like you really need to curate the content. It’s so easy to get lost in toxicity and unnecessary drama. Like, K-pop becoming global is a blessing and a curse at the same time.

viego

me personally, no, i've been listening to kpop for well over 15 years at this point. but my friends who got into it way later mostly seem to have a blast catching up on all the content they find for the groups they like, so i would say there's some positives in there too. endless material to get lost in, a whole archive of music to enjoy without having to wait for new releases. i get the concert thing but as long as you don't limit yourself to just one group or so, there is always new talents to discover and follow along on their journey in the kpop industry.

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

I like this kind of approach ❤️

chaerryblossomonce

Yeah, I’m pretty disappointed I wasn’t around for Itzy’s 2024 tour, and I feel like I might’ve missed my chance to see Red Velvet live since it’s already so late in their career.

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

Maybe it’s just tiktok, but people are suddenly feeling so nostalgic. Itzy’s That’s a No No became so viral. So maybe then RV and other older groups will do more performances!

sweetestzy

i wish i was a pre debut itzy stan so bad 😭😭😭😭

redwhitegreen

I started in 2019 and I still think it was late because I lost all the 2nd gen eras. Just watching the videos and linstening to the songs doesnt feel enough

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

Yesss! As for me, I sometimes can’t listen to older releases at all because I’m way too sad that I missed it and also that I’ll never hear it at a concert.

odetourii

i don’t really regret getting into kpop at the time that i did because i can’t change it, but it would have been cool to experience earlier eras of my ult groups ! i got into red velvet and loona in early 2022 (and kpop in general late 2020). especially for loona it would have been cool to experience more ot12 comebacks and their pre debut era. i am at least happy i was able to experience queendom 2, the flip that comeback and a loona concert before they left their company ♥︎♥︎

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

Ohhh, that’s nice! I don’t know much about older generations, but it definitely was fun back then. And you’ll never know when your favourite group may disband or if someone will suddenly leave, it really is so unpredictable.

neverletmejo

only started really stanning like 3 months ago, before it was just listening to the music without even knowing who they are. honestly i live that theres so much content for me to discover even tho it can be a bit overwhelming. i think for me it’s mostly other stans and fans that have known them since the start or many years that make me feel like it’s a bad thing that theres so much i dont know.

ohcaptainmycaptainOP

This too! Like, there’s an established community already, so many inside jokes that you can’t just google. Stans love to say “you HAD to be there” like I haven’t already been feeling down 😃