K-pop fans often have favorite tracks from their favorite groups, but every now and then, a release can divide even the most loyal fandoms. When a song is widely disliked by the general public or even a group’s own fans, it can raise concerns about its impact on the group’s momentum and future success.
Rookie girl group KATSEYE, known for their chart-topping debut hits “Debut” and “Touch,” returned on April 30th with their much-anticipated comeback track, “Gnarly.” Given the group’s previous viral success especially for their choreography and polished stage presence, the expectations were high.
However, reactions to “Gnarly” were unexpectedly mixed. Many K-pop listeners criticized the song’s composition, calling it “random” and “difficult to listen to.” Some fans even questioned whether this song could affect the group’s future releases.
Gnarly is genuinely one of the worst songs ive ever heard and i love katseye but that actually sounded like a joke pic.twitter.com/kDNRXtXoDI
— Highf5ve (@HiighF5ve) April 30, 2025
The disappointment sparked debate with the question: “Will KATSEYE’s future releases be impacted by this song?”
But just when it seemed like “Gnarly” might become a blemish on their growing discography, the group turned the disappointment into love. Once fancams and live performance clips were posted online, public opinion started to shift.
KATSEYE’s full performance of ‘Gnarly’ today on MCountdown.#KATSEYE @NewsKatseye
— KATSEYE News (@NewsKatseye) May 1, 2025
sometimes you just gotta shake your ass to hottie hottie like a bag of takis not every song has to be super meaningful #KATSEYE_Gnarly pic.twitter.com/WxcAWVgMUN
— nia (@altasuciedsd) April 30, 2025
“I wonder how everyone switched up on gnarly”
katseye doing they spells in la:pic.twitter.com/3pSCVPny8j
— yoizz💤 (@criminalchae) May 6, 2025
Fans and casual viewers alike were captivated by KATSEYE’s charisma and undeniable stage presence.
- Those writers are lucky that KATSEYE members are actually good performers
- I survived “Zimzalabim”, “Sticker”, “Sneakers”, and now THIS. “Gnarly” aint even that bad to be honest
- If KATSEYE released another song and it became a huge hit, “Gnarly” haters don’t deserve to enjoy it
- It’s not a good song but it was a freaking perfect performance and I’m so conflicted if I will save the song. No… will I watch every gnarly video? Yeah, very likely.
- No. I still hate the fact that that kind of song has a cool music video. Thank goodness, it was given to KATSEYE so it was given a chance and now has a good performance.
- This song is so lucky it ended up with KATSEYE because I don’t know if any other group could have saved it.
- “Gnarly” is bad, the only good thing about it was Katseye because they make everything good
- Katseye just proved how they can make a song with bad lyrics sound iconic.
- IT’S A PERFORMANCE SONG AND I’M SAT
- The girls that get it, get it. ✨
- The song didn’t become a trend because of its lyrics, beat, or melody but the choreography. That’s what really caught people’s attention. They are good performers. Label should hire better writers
- At best it’s a song to perform not a song to listen to
- The choreo is flippin’ satisfying
- Like the beat hits so bad, it’s just the lyric
