Known for their romantic ballads and cheesy love songs, boy bands in music have continued to grace our radio stations and the walls of teenagers across the globe for decades now. Pop music - or rock, R&B, K-Pop, and Latin rock - would not be the genre it is today without the influence of boy bands on the culture, even underrated boy bands. Dating back to the 1960s, groups of talented young men in their late teens to early 20s have had the world in a stranglehold unlike any other group of individuals ever could.

There have been countless boy bands across genres over the years who have had similar impacts on their adoring fans, embarking on world tours and drawing crowds of tens of thousands of listeners of all demographics. Contrary to what some may believe, no two boy bands are quite alike, aside from, obviously, their genders. The greatest boy bands of the last five or so decades are all great because they're unique, and have their own distinct sound.

It's important to note that this specific boy band ranking is based on what we now accept culturally as the quintessential "boy band," hence why legendary groups such as The Beatles aren't included here. These boy bands fit more into that stereotypical mold, one that involves precise choreography, a focus on romantic ballads, and the like. With that being said, here are the 12 greatest boy bands of all time, ranked.

12 Big Time Rush

2009-2014, 2021-Present

Big Time Rush had their moment, and it was undoubtedly a big one. They were representative of the TV show boy band era, having risen to fame both subsequently and largely because of their Nickelodeon show, Big Time Rush. The show follows the band as they deal with record labels, fame, and romance as boys in Los Angeles in the early 2010s. The fictional band's success was very closely linked to the band's success in real life, so unfortunately, when the show ended in 2013, it didn't take long for Big Time Rush to fizzle out as well.

In their prime, however, Carlos PenaVega, Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, and Logan Henderson had a number of hits. Their biggest hit was the theme song for the show, titled, of course, "Big Time Rush," off of their debut album BTR. That album also boasted the hits "Boyfriend," "Famous," "City Is Ours," and "Worldwide," none of which would have been nearly as successful without the help of Nickelodeon.

11 Menudo

1977-2009, 2015-2021, 2023-Present

Formed in Puerto Rico by producer Edgardo Díaz, Menudo became more of a phenomenon than an actual boy band over the years, primarily due to the amount of turnover with regard to the band's . Over the course of Menudo's tenure, the band had upwards of 40 , not the least of which being the legendary Ricky Martin. Each time a member left the band, they were promptly replaced with a new member, more often than not someone in their early teens.

The last original member of the band, Ricky Melendez, left in 1984, and it was then that Ricky Martin ed Menudo at just 12 years old. It was this revolving door of that allowed the band to maintain their signature upbeat, youthful sound. Though most of their music was in Spanish, they certainly had a number of English lyric tracks, too, including "Hold Me," which peaked at number 62 on the US Hot 100 list.

10 New Edition

1978-1991,1996-1997, 2002-Present

Headed by Bobby Brown, New Edition was among the first boy bands to really fit what would come to be the typical mold: young and charming, with upbeat romantic hits that anyone could sing and dance along to. That said, given the musical roots and ensuing careers of its , New Edition had more of a soulful R&B influence than many of the other original boy bands.

New Edition was among the first boy bands to really fit what would come to be the typical mold.

Their earliest, and perhaps biggest, hit was the title track, "Candy Girl," off of their 1983 debut album. The high-pitched vocals on that song, as well as other hits from Candy Girl, "Is This The End" and "Popcorn Love," indicate just how young the of New Edition were when they rose to fame. Bobby Brown left to pursue a solo career in 1985, and New Edition had a few more hits without him, including the hit "Can You Stand The Rain," but it was the Candy Girl era that really solidified their status as a fairly successful boy band.

9 New Kids On The Block

1984-1994, 2008-Present

New Kids On The Block, often referred to as NKOTB, are a textbook boy band as far as their composition and careers go. Made up of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, actor Donnie Wahlberg, and a brief stint at the very beginning from Donnie's brother and fellow actor Mark Wahlberg, NKOTB checks all the boxes of a stereotypical boy band. Keeping in line with stereotypes, the band was formed by music producer Maurice Starr, who discovered New Edition but was subsequently fired for embezzlement.

NKOTB had a number of hits, classic pop songs and ballads alike: "Step by Step," "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)," "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," and "Hangin' Tough." Each of these songs were released in the band's prime, which was massive and took place in the early '90s, but didn't really last even through the decade.

8 The Jackson 5

1964-1989

The band responsible for one of the most influential artists in the history of pop music, The Jackson 5 consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson. The five brothers were managed by their father, Joe Jackson, and were one of the most successful boy bands of their time. At the time of their first album's release in 1969, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, the youngest Jackson brother, Michael, was hardly 11 years old.

Over the course of just one year, the Jackson 5 released four singles: "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There," all of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 list. In the year 1970, The Jackson 5 released three albums: ABC, Third Album, and Jackson 5 Christmas Album, all selling over three million copies. The first boy band made up of brothers, The Jackson 5 paved the way for many of the boy bands who came after them.

7 BTS

2013-Present

BTS were among the first K-Pop groups to really bust through into the mainstream media and make some major waves in the American pop music scene, and are easily the most successful K-Pop group in the US. In fact, in the year 2020, BTS actually sold more albums than Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and the most successful pop artist of this generation, Taylor Swift (Vogue India).

The seven-member boy band has released nine studio albums in both Japanese and Korean, as well as some bits of English sprinkled throughout their discography. Best known for their biggest English-language hits, "Dynamite" and "Butter," BTS has mastered what it means to be a global phenomenon. All seven of the original of the band have remained throughout BTS's tenure, and they were all in their late teens and early 20s when the band was formed. With their punchy beats and youthful choreography, BTS exemplifies both the globalization and variety of the term boy band.

6 98 Degrees

1996-2002, 2012-Present

A pop group at their core, no doubt, Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, and brothers Nick and Drew Lachey comprised a band which drew more inspiration from Boyz II Men than their visually similar counterparts such as *NSYNC or Backstreet Boys. With a more soulful sound coupled with a visually appealing look of fauxhawks and skin-tight white tees, 98 Degrees was a boy band that certainly stood out in a crowd of other '90s heartthrobs.

Given their unique sound, it shouldn't come as a surprise that 98 Degrees first signed with legendary record label, Motown Records, where they succeeded in making a distinct name for themselves. The four-piece recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder for the Disney movie Mulan, then released their album, 98 Degrees and Rising, which went quadruple platinum in 1998. The band put out multiple hits, including "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)" from their album Revelation, which also went multi-platinum.

5 The Jonas Brothers

2005-2013, 2019-Present

Another boy band of brothers, Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas were the golden boys of Disney, their faces plastering the walls of teenage bedrooms across America from the moment they arrived on the scene. Not only were they famous for their music, the Jonas Brothers also starred in a handful of Disney feature shows and films, one such franchise being the massively successful - both for Disney and The Jonas Brothers - Camp Rock.

I when their first single, "Mandy," was released in 2005, hearing it played on Radio Disney and having no idea just how huge they would become in the next few years. From there, the Jonas Brothers released their self-titled album, followed by A Little Bit Longer in 2008, both of which were riddled with hits: "S.O.S.," "That's Just The Way We Roll," "Burnin' Up," the list goes on. The Jonas Brothers were the first of the new wave of boy bands, and given their success, it's no wonder so many more popped up in the years following.

4 Boyz II Men

1985-Present

Boyz II Men were the absolute masters of the soulful, lustful, and romantic boy band ballad. No boy band - or really any band who specializes in love songs for that matter - has ever quite been able to replicate the smooth, velvety vocals of songs like "I'll Make Love To You." Boyz II Men provided listeners with some of the greatest vocal harmonies in music history. The band was formed when the boys were in high school, and they enjoyed continued success well beyond graduation, truly living up to their name.

No boy band has ever quite been able to replicate the smooth, velvety vocals of songs like "I'll Make Love To You."

Setting the standard for any and all boy bands who came after them, Boyz II Men had four number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts from 1992 to 1995, all of which remained at number one for upwards of six weeks (Billboard). Having signed with Motown Records for each of their first four albums, Boyz II Men not only had a major influence on the pop music genre, but R&B as well.

3 *NSYNC

1995-2004

One of the greatest multi-faceted solo careers came from *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, who was the epitome of a late '90s heartthrob alongside bandmates Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick. These five were responsible for some massive pop hits that can still draw a sizable crowd to the dance floor: "Bye Bye Bye," "It's Gonna Be Me," and "Tearin' up My Heart" are chief among them.

These five were responsible for some massive pop hits that can still draw a sizable crowd to the dance floor.

Leaving the 20th century on a high, *NSYNC enjoyed sky-high levels of success into the 2000s, selling a record-breaking 2.4 million copies of their album, No Strings Attached, in its first week (Billboard). The album came in hot with singles "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me" leading the charge. *NSYNC continued on to perform at the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and the World Series; there wasn't a soul who didn't know the signature "Bye Bye Bye" dance craze or couldn't replicate the sound of Timberlake's "It's Gonna Be Me" in their mind.