The Netflix film has become a pop culture phenomenon. Here are the songs from its smash-hit soundtrack that stand out above the rest.
KPop Demon Hunters
ยฉ2025 Netflix
KPop Demon Hunters has become a surprise pop culture phenomenon for several reasons: The Netflix animated musical tells a compelling story of female friendship, centered within the exciting and increasingly omnipresent world of K-pop, weaving in various fantasy elements โ and itโs all available to watch over and over on a global streaming behemoth. Yet the key element of that success is the filmโs music, full of anthems that help move the filmโs story forward, while also standing on their own as replay-worthy K-pop hits.
The songs of KPop Demon Hunters have been able to transcend the film and become crossover hits โ the soundtrack currently boasts a whopping seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 โ due in part to its pedigree and sonic diversity. A team of songwriting and production experts molded the soundtrack into a well-balanced collection of K-pop hallmarks, from the heartfelt ballad to the high-octane group single to the chest-thumping rap track.
Meanwhile, the two fictional groups at the heart of KPop Demon Hunters, the virtuous girl group HUNTR/X and their villainous boy band counterpart Saja Boys, provide each track with personality and narrative stakes. Throw in a few extra tracks to round out the project โ including a pair of songs from real-life K-pop superstars TWICE โ and thereโs no wonder why the KPop Demon Hunters music has resonated across platforms and demographics.
While the entire soundtrack is soaring commercially and worth perusing, some of the songs from the film have become clear standouts since its release. Here is Billboardโs ranking of all 12 songs on the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack.
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Jokers, โ์ค์๊ธธ Pathโ
Table of Contents
- Jokers, โ์ค์๊ธธ Pathโ
- Marcelo Zavros, โScore Suiteโ
- HUNTR/X, โTakedownโ
- MeloMance, โ์ฌ๋์ธ๊ฐ ๋ด Love, Maybeโ
- TWICE, โStrategyโ
- Saja Boys, โSoda Popโ
- TWICE, โTakedownโ
- HUNTR/X, โWhat It Sounds Likeโ
- HUNTR/X, โHow Itโs Doneโ
- Saja Boys, โYour Idolโ
- Rumi & Jinu, โFreeโ
- HUNTR/X, โGoldenโ
While the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack contains three previously released songs, the true outlier is โPath,โ an airy, lightly swaying bit of early โ70s psych-pop from the Asian band Jokers. โPathโ is a lovely deviation from the full-throttle K-pop on the rest of the soundtrack, although the song serves as more of a change-up in aesthetic than a highlight of the project. -
Marcelo Zavros, โScore Suiteโ
The instrumental closer to KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack is slightly Real KPDH Heads Only, but itโs still a sweeping and transportive three minutes of orchestral strings, pounding drums and โBring Me to Lifeโ-esque piano. Itโs an invigorating and cinematic enough listen that it might just inspire you to play back the whole set over again. -
HUNTR/X, โTakedownโ
As opposed to the TWICE version of โTakedown,โ the HUNTR/X rendition that appears in the film carries a greater narrative weight โ a line like โWhen your patterns start to show / It makes the hatred wanna grow out of my veins,โ for instance, hits harder because the character of Rumi is the one singing it while trying to hide her own patterns. Both versions of โTakedownโ sizzle with trap-drum urgency, though โ creating a rap-inflected diss track for a family-friendly animated film must have been a difficult tightrope to walk, but โTakedownโ works in multiple contexts. -
MeloMance, โ์ฌ๋์ธ๊ฐ ๋ด Love, Maybeโ
Still the song (as of publishing โ though perhaps not for that much longer) on the Demon Hunters soundtrack with the most Spotify plays is South Korean duoโs MeloManceโs sweet city pop-indebted โLove, Maybe,โ previously familiar for its usage in the hit 2022 rom-com series Business Proposal. In Demon Hunters, its smooth electric piano and syrupy vocals make perfect sense as the sentimental soundtrack to Rumi locking eyes with Jinu for the first time โ and then taking a comedic slow-motion spill as he lightly bumps into her while passing by. -
TWICE, โStrategyโ
As the unofficial ambassadors from the IRL K-pop world to the Demon Hunters-verse, it was only right that one of superstar girl group TWICEโs better original numbers be included on the soundtrack. โStrategyโ doesnโt play a particularly integral role in the movie or its plot, but its broken-down romantic plotting over its Neptunes-reminiscent clang-and-shuffle beat fits right in the OST โ irresistible enough that you donโt even particularly miss the excised Megan Thee Stallion verse. -
Saja Boys, โSoda Popโ
To introduce Saja Boys as the out-of-nowhere competition to HUNTR/X, the film needed a song unapologetically catchy enough to sound like an instant smash, and scored with โSoda Pop.โ Complete with a fast-paced beat, smooth-like-butter vocals and even a TikTok-ready sound effect, the song is as immediately refreshing as a can being clicked open and fizzing, while also making Saja Boysโ dreamy appeal immediately clear. Yet compared to the best HUNTR/X songs, which are rooted in real emotion, โSoda Popโ canโt help but lose a bit of its flavor. -
TWICE, โTakedownโ
Kicking off the soundtrack with its version of HUNTR/Xโs diss take aimed at Saja Boys, TWICE provides an authentic pop-star sheen to โTakedownโ that turns the aggressive lyricism slightly more elegant, and ultimately more satisfying than the film version. In particular, Chaeyoung absolutely shines on the second verse: โItโs a takedown, Iโma take you out, you break down like, โWhat?โโ she raps, snarling through every syllable. Although their original track โStrategyโ also appears on the soundtrack, โTakedownโ is a more effective gateway to TWICEโs overall appeal for unfamiliar listeners. -
HUNTR/X, โWhat It Sounds Likeโ
In the tradition of recent Disney ballads like โLet It Goโ and โHow Far Iโll Go,โ โWhat It Sounds Likeโ functions as a turning point through the main characterโs moment of realization โ swelling in stature after a sparse beginning, and reaching a climax that redefines its greater context. The key difference is that, after Rumi starts the song by shedding her insecurities, her HUNTR/X group mates join her, their voices coming together to proclaim, โThe song we couldnโt write, this is what it sounds like.โ The result is a powerful riff on a well-used template, as the trioโs collective and individual journeys reaches a culmination with a galloping pace and lump-in-throat emotion. -
HUNTR/X, โHow Itโs Doneโ
Opening a movie about a global K-pop girl group with a hit that recalls BLACKPINKโs world-conquering aesthetic was brilliant: the hard-hitting production on โHow Itโs Doneโ perfectly supports its various movements, from rap to three-part harmony to even a touch of spoken-word. (The latter part underscores how, despite being pop stars and demon hunters, HUNTR/X are also just girlsโฆfor the most part: โHeels, nails, blade, mascara/ Fit check for my napalm eraโ.) โHow Itโs Doneโ is not only the perfect introduction to the individual strengths of the three members of HUNTR/X โ Rumiโs soaring vocals, Miraโs choreography and cool factor, and Zoeโs raps and lyrics โ but instantly amps up viewers for all thatโs to come. -
Saja Boys, โYour Idolโ
In the story of KPop Demon Hunters, โYour Idolโ has been designated as the โvillain songโ: the mask is fully off Saja Boys by the time they perform it at a stadium show thatโs literally soul-sucking, and the five members of the demon boy band spend the track convincing their listeners that being evil is a hell of a ride. That gleefulness is part of why โYour Idolโ has become a surprise smash off the soundtrack, but the song also carries an intoxicating edge to it โ this quintet is a collection of bad boys, after all, and Saja Boys have devilish fun offering their audience a sense of danger.
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Rumi & Jinu, โFreeโ
The only traditional musical number in KPop Demon Hunters โ Rumi and Jinu donโt sing โFreeโ onstage or as part of their respective pop groupsโ catalogs, but just as emotional spillover moments where what theyโre feeling about themselves and for each other is too intense not to express in song. Luckily, โFreeโ justifies the outpouring: EJAE and Andrew Choiโs voices intertwine beautifully on an overpowering chorus that packs all the release you could ask for from a song about letting go, and the result feels halfway between The Chainsmokers and Halseyโs โCloserโ and Aladdinโs โA Whole New World.โ -
HUNTR/X, โGoldenโ
The song thatโs positioned as a pop smash in the film has rightly become the same thing in the real world. โGolden,โ which acts as a throughline for the filmโs underlying message of embracing all parts of yourself, is rich with lyrical meaning, about battling the literal demons in the movie and the less tangible ones in life. The genius of โGolden,โ however, is spreading that substantial message through unassailable pop style, with gargantuan melodies that are delivered through arena-worthy vocal performances. The takeaway of the film is tightly packaged within a three-minute pop song, and after being teased throughout KPop Demon Hunters, the full song is finally delivered. It was well worth the wait.