Although the term “boy band” didn’t come into common usage until the late 1980s, all-male vocal groups have been around for far longer. The roots of the modern boy band are sometimes traced back to the a cappella barbershop quartets of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – though the singers were usually adults, not “boys.”
Another antecedent often mentioned is the jazz-oriented group the Ink Spots, again all-male, but with only two of its five members (barely) under 21 when it was formed in 1934. Whatever their ages, they did, however, influence the doo-wop bands of the 1950s and ‘60s, which were typically made up of teenagers.
The original boy band in the modern sense might well have been The Beatles (aged 17 to 20 when they got together). Their success inspired the emergence of the first “manufactured” boy band, the Monkees, who were created for a TV sitcom, though they went on to have hit records of their own. Many of the boy bands that followed were created and packaged by a manager or music business executive. (Though they’ve rarely enjoyed the same level of success, all-female groups have long been part of the musical landscape, too. These are the most popular girl bands of all time.)
The Monkees had been preceded by a few years by the Jackson 5 – out of which came one of the 20th century’s biggest music stars, Michael Jackson – and were soon followed by The Osmonds (which had begun as a family barbershop quartet). Both were undeniably boy bands, though nobody called them that in that era. (These are the most popular rock stars of all time.)
To determine the most popular boy bands of all time, 24/7 Tempo began by defining ‘boy band” as a group consisting of three or more male members who were teenaged when the band formed and are or were primarily vocalists, and whose creation and development was largely guided by a manager or music business executive.
Next, we developed an index based on lifetime Billboard chart performance and certified record sales. A custom score representing a band’s total time on the Billboard Hot 100 and 200 charts was calculated through January 15, 2022, wherein a week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point, . Certified U.S. album sales come from the Recording Industry Association of America. Both measures were equally weighted. (Data on each group’s biggest song comes from Billboard.)
The top three places on our list, not surprisingly, are held by what are probably the three most famous boy bands – Backstreet Boys (at No. 1), ‘N Sync (No. 2), and New Kids on the Block (No. 3). It was the success of the last of these in the late 1980s that encouraged the creation of a new wave of ‘90s boy bands. With the rise of One Direction and of the K-pop genre in the 2010s, the boy band phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down.
25. The Wanted
> Certified U.S. album sales: N/A
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 4 songs (55 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Glad You Came” (No. 3 for 4 weeks)
24. Five
> Certified U.S. album sales: 1 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 3 songs (38 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “When The Lights Go Out” (No. 10 for 7 weeks)
23. No Mercy
> Certified U.S. album sales: 1 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 4 songs (80 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Where Do You Go” (No. 5 for 3 weeks)
22. O-Town
> Certified U.S. album sales: 1 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 3 songs (37 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “All Or Nothing” (No. 3 for 1 week)
21. Big Time Rush
> Certified U.S. album sales: 1 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 4 songs (14 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Boyfriend” (No. 72 for 1 week)
20. Immature
> Certified U.S. album sales: 1 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 8 songs (116 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Never Lie” (No. 5 for 1 week)
19. Hi-Five
> Certified U.S. album sales: 1 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 7 songs (113 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)” (No. 1 for 1 week)
18. 5 Seconds Of Summer
> Certified U.S. album sales: 1 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 14 songs (140 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Youngblood” (No. 7 for 3 weeks)
17. B2K
> Certified U.S. album sales: 2 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 7 songs (90 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Bump, Bump, Bump (feat. P. Diddy)” (No. 1 for 1 week)
16. Bay City Rollers
> Certified U.S. album sales: 3 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 8 songs (105 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Saturday Night” (No. 1 for 1 week)
15. The Osmonds
> Certified U.S. album sales: 2 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 12 songs (133 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “One Bad Apple” (No. 1 for 5 weeks)
14. Next
> Certified U.S. album sales: 3 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 5 songs (137 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Too Close” (No. 1 for 5 weeks)
13. Il Divo
> Certified U.S. album sales: 4 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 0 songs
> Biggest song: N/A
12. Color Me Badd
> Certified U.S. album sales: 4 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 10 songs (200 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “All 4 Love” (No. 1 for 1 week)
11. BTS
> Certified U.S. album sales: 3 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 22 songs (121 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Dynamite” (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
10. Jonas Brothers
> Certified U.S. album sales: 3 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 24 songs (259 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Sucker” (No. 1 for 1 week)
9. Hanson
> Certified U.S. album sales: 7 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 3 songs (49 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “MMMBop” (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
8. 112
> Certified U.S. album sales: 6 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 15 songs (307 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Peaches & Cream” (No. 4 for 2 weeks)
7. The Jacksons
> Certified U.S. album sales: 5 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 13 songs (150 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” (No. 7 for 3 weeks)
6. 98 Degrees
> Certified U.S. album sales: 8 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 8 songs (155 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Invisible Man” (No. 12 for 2 weeks)
5. New Edition
> Certified U.S. album sales: 8 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 16 songs (225 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “I’m Still In Love With You” (No. 7 for 1 week)
4. One Direction
> Certified U.S. album sales: 12 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 29 songs (279 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “What Makes You Beautiful” (No. 4 for 2 weeks)
3. New Kids On The Block
> Certified U.S. album sales: 17 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 11 songs (193 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” (No. 3 for 1 week)
2. ‘N Sync
> Certified U.S. album sales: 28 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 12 songs (232 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “This I Promise You” (No. 5 for 1 week)
1. Backstreet Boys
> Certified U.S. album sales: 37 million
> Billboard Hot 100 performance: 18 songs (318 weeks total)
> Biggest song: “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” (No. 2 for 2 weeks)