Entertainment

Ranking the top 10 boy bands of all time

Twenty years after they were larger than life with their 1999 blockbuster “Millennium,” Backstreet Boys are back — all right! — with “DNA,” their ninth studio album, out Friday.

Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake — the biggest star not named Michael Jackson to ever come out of a boy band — will bring his “Man of the Woods” tour back to Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

Not simply just a dude domain, boy bands are born out of a youthful sound and spirit — plus a certain heartthrob appeal to keep the girls screaming for more.

Here, we bust out our synchronized dance steps and rank the Top 10 boy bands of all time.

1. The Jackson 5 | Breakout year: 1969





The family group that established the ABCs of the boy-band playbook are still — and forever will be — the big men on this canvas. Even after they had to change their name to the Jacksons when they left Motown in 1975, they still had the magic of Michael.

Best song: “I’ll Be There,” their biggest single and last of four No. 1 hits.

Memorable moment: After Michael had become a solo superstar, the Jackson 5 staged a thriller of a reunion at “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” in 1983.

2. Backstreet Boys | Breakout year: 1997

The best-selling boy band of all time, they’re also one of the most enduring: They are up for a Grammy for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” on Feb. 10, 17 years after their last nomination, for “Shape of My Heart.”





Best song: “I Want It That Way,” a ballad at their swoon-worthy best.

Memorable moment: At the peak of their popularity in 2000, they even had their own comic book, “Backstreet Project,” created by BSB’s Nick Carter and Marvel’s Stan Lee.

3. Boyz II Men | Breakout year: 1991

They updated old-school doo-wop for a new generation with their “Motownphilly” sound cultivated at Philadelphia’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Their vocal abilities and harmonies set the standard among boy bands.

Best song: “End of the Road,” their Grammy-winning smash from the “Boomerang” soundtrack.

Memorable moment: Teaming up with Mariah Carey on 1995’s “One Sweet Day,” they spent a record 16 weeks at No. 1.





4. *NSYNC | Breakout year: 1998

If all they did was give us Justin Timberlake, that would have been enough. But while they only made three albums before JT went solo, they had a string of hits from 1996’s “I Want You Back” to 2001’s “Girlfriend.”

Best song: “Bye Bye Bye” — and its iconic video with *NSYNC making like puppets.

Memorable moment: They rocked the 2001 Super Bowl halftime show with Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly.

5. New Edition | Breakout year: 1983

Like a new edition of the Jackson 5, this Boston quintet not only spawned a solo star in Bobby Brown but also another hitmaking group with Bell Biv DeVoe. And they get bonus points for Michael Bivins discovering and managing Boyz II Men.





Best song: “Mr. Telephone Man,” before voices changed and innocence was lost.

Memorable moment: After Brown was voted out of the group in 1985, NE said, “Thank you, next,” and found a better, more soulful singer: Johnny Gill.

6. New Kids on the Block | Breakout year: 1988

Like New Edition, NKOTB was another Boston boy band that was groomed for its teen-pop takeover by Maurice Starr. And while they’ve had their individual pursuits — including an acting career for Donnie Wahlberg (TV’s “Blue Bloods”) — they’re still hangin’ tough together.

Best song: “Step by Step,” their 1990 No. 1 hit that got to all the girls.

Memorable moment: Donnie’s brother Mark Wahlberg appeared in the “Step by Step” video back when he was still Marky Mark, shirtless leader of the Funky Bunch.

7. One Direction | Breakout year: 2012

Unlike other British and Irish boy bands before them, such as Take That, Boyzone and Westlife, 1D managed to conquer the US as well as the UK. Formed by Simon Cowell on “The X Factor,” the group has gone on to launch some promising solo careers, especially for Harry Styles.

Best song: “What Makes You Beautiful,” pretty-boy pop-rock that packs a punch.

Memorable moment: When Zayn Malik left 1D in 2015, it was the beginning of the end for them: They went on hiatus the following year.

8. Menudo | Breakout year: 1981

Formed in Puerto Rico, the Latin boy band had a rotating lineup and some strict age restrictions in its early years: You were over the hill at 16 and had to be replaced.

Best song: “Subete a Mi Moto,” which is Spanish for “Get on My Motorcycle.”

Memorable moment: The most famous Menudo alum, Ricky Martin, joined their ranks in 1983, when he was just 12, and said “adios” in 1989.

9. BTS | Breakout year: 2017

This South Korean septet, whose name stands for Beyond the Scene, is currently the biggest boy band in the world, with the international sensations having put K-pop on the map in the US.

Best song: “Fake Love,” their first US Top 10 single last year.

Memorable moment: After BTS became the first K-pop act to perform at the American Music Awards in 2017, last year they became the first South Korean artists to headline a US stadium show, at Citi Field.

10. The Osmonds | Breakout year: 1971

This spot is pretty much a toss-up between the Osmonds and two other bands of brothers: Hanson and the Jonas Brothers. But we’re giving it to Donny and his bros because they are the O.G.’s.

Best song: “One Bad Apple,” their 1971 No. 1 hit, which was also the theme song for their ABC cartoon show.

Memorable moment: After they had previously released music as the Osmond Brothers, Donny joined the group in 1970 and took them to another level.





Share this: