When most Americans think of Korean pop music, colloquially called K-pop, what comes to mind is usually Psy’s “Gangnam Style” — a high-octane fusion of rap verses, techno beats and pop hooks, complete with an ultrabright music video and hypersynchronized dance moves. But the playwright Jason Kim is hoping to change that.

“There’s a desire to look at K-pop as goofy and strange and funny,” Mr. Kim said, referring to that 2012 crossover hit. “What’s so wonderful is that it’s incredibly diverse — there’s very serious K-pop and there’s very goofy and funny K-pop.”

This month, he is helping to introduce New York theatergoers to the varieties of the genre with the world premiere of a musical called “KPOP.” Mr. Kim co-conceived and wrote the book for the immersive show, which opens on Sept. 22 at A.R.T./New York Theaters, in a coproduction by Ars Nova, Ma-Yi Theater Company and Woodshed Collective.