100 Best Girl Groups of All Time

Author:
Ansel Pereira
Updated date:
Jul 13, 2021

I have been an online writer for over six years. I am passionate about books, philosophy, music, and the music industry.

best-girl-groups-of-all-time — Wikipedia Commons

In recent years a number of female pop groups have made a big impression in the male-dominated music industry. While girl groups have been prominent in every decade of music, in recent times all female groups have taken harmony singing, fashion, style, and choreographed dance moves to a whole new level. Women are paving new pathways in music, and this is just the beginning.

The list below showcases an epic collection of girl groups from different decades. If you have a view, opinion, or suggestion, let us know in the comments section.

Top 10 Best Girl Groups of All Time

Blackpink
Little Mix
Fifth Harmony
Destiny’s Child
Spice Girls
The Pussycat Dolls
TLC
Icona Pop
En Vogue
Sugababes

What Is a Girl Group?

A girl group is a musical act that comprises of female singers who sing together. The term “girl group” is used as an umbrella term to give identity to the new wave of female pop groups. While all-female bands are often associated with rock music or referenced with acts from other genres that play their own musical instruments, girl groups are purely identified as vocal and dance ensembles in the realms pop music.

Although the terminology differs universally, girl groups may also be referred to as “girl bands” to differentiate in accordance with musical style and genre. Aside from their signature vocal harmonies, all-female pop groups are also recognized for their supremely stylish fashion sense and scintillating dance choreography.

#11—20

11. Bananarama

12. Girls Aloud

13. The Supremes

14. Twice

15. All Saints

16. Girls Generation

17. Atomic Kitten

18. Red Velvet

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Pioneering Female Singing Groups of the ‘40s and ‘50s

Some of the pioneering girl groups emerged in the ‘40s and ‘50s. A number of vocal groups in these decades combined influences of swing, jazz, boogie-woogie, R&B, a cappella, and doo-wop. Many acts were recognized for their distinctive close harmony singing style that comprised of intricately-melodic vocal architecture. Female singing groups in these decades performed extensively at big-time theatres. Mentioned below are close harmony singing groups who played a pivotal role in paving the way for a new era of female groups

The Andrew Sisters
Three X Sisters
The Boswell Sisters
The Chordettes
The McGuire Sisters
The Fontane Sisters
The DeCastro Sisters

#21—40

21. Sister Sledge

22. f(x)

23. Itzy

24. The Saturdays

25. The Pointer Sisters

26. SWV

27. Momoland

28. The Ronettes

29. Salt-N-Pepa

30. T-ara

31. B*Witched

32. The Marvellettes

33. GFriend

34. Eternal

35. Stooshe

36. Wonder Girls

37. Morning Musume

38. Baccara

39. The Nolans

40. Mis-Teeq

Female Vocal Groups in the ‘60s and ‘70s

Doo-wop, rock n roll, R& B and traditional pop became the flavor of the '60s. As the musical landscape changed, and racially segregated barriers started diminishing, all-black female vocal groups with a strong influence of choir music came into prominence. Innumerable songs by girl groups in the ‘60s expanded the concept and idea of girlhood through an identity associated with race, class, and gender. All-female formats became hugely popular in different genres during the ‘60s.

With the ‘70s came an element of glam among female singing groups. Numerous pop acts embraced a glamorous image, with psychedelic glitter and color becoming the preferred choice during performances. Extravagant matching outfits and identical choreography started becoming the new norm as the disco craze gained momentum. A large number of dance-oriented girl groups had tremendous chart-topping success in the late ‘70s. R&B songs laced with elements of disco became immensely popular in mainstream.

#41—60

41. The Shirelles

42. Monrose

43. The Veronicas

44. Wilson Phillips

45. The Shangri-las

46. G.R.L.

47. Martha and the Vandellas

48. Xscape

49. (G)I-dle

50. Mamamoo

51. Sistar

52. The Lennon Sisters

53. AKB48

54. Rouge

55. APink

56. No Angels

57. Honeyz

58. Iz*One

59. Nina Sky

60. Danity Kane

Female Pop Groups in the ‘80s and ‘90s

Contemporary R&B became magnanimous in the ‘80s. Although female pop groups adopted sophisticated production techniques to make their music accessible to mainstream audiences, they remained true to their roots of harmonized vocals. As the disco craze started fading away in the early 80s, a new wave of influences morphed with disco-like beats took shape to give songs a unique identity. Alongside new wave and synthpop, dance-pop and europop became hugely popular. Female vocal duos burst onto the scene and changed the musical landscape with their sophisticated disco-pop sound.

With the ‘90s began the era of dance pop girl groups. New jack swing, a fusion of dance-pop and hip hop production techniques combined with the urban contemporary R&B became exceedingly popular in the realms of pop music. A large number of dance ensembles with diverse influences of contemporary R&B, new jack swing, hip hop, funk, and soul took the world by storm with their eclectic blend of dance music and vocal harmonies. Some of the best-selling girl groups in music history emerged in the ‘90s. Both American female groups and British female groups achieved worldwide success with their albums and singles. A great number of female acts of the ‘90s are credited to reshaping and diverting pop music in a new direction.

#61—80

61. The Three Degrees

62. Luv’

63. Miss A

64. t.A.T.u.

65. Girlicious

66. The Emotions

67. EXID

68. Dream

69. Brown Eyed Girls

70. Serebro

71. O’G3NE

72. Total

73. Las Ketchup

74. After School

75. Queensberry

76. Mary Mary

77. Loona

78. SHeDAISY

79. ZOEgirl

80. Labelle

Pop Girl Groups Post 2000

Since the year 2000, a new wave of pop girl groups has emerged. Electronic influences have become a prominent part of dance-oriented songs. With EDM culture becoming a mainstream entity in the 2000s, a number of female vocal groups started restructuring their sound by incorporating elements of synth-pop, electro, house, trap and dub. The trend of female groups collaborating with DJs to produce high-energy EDM dance tracks brought about a paradigm shift in musical structure and took dance-pop in a new path breaking direction.

Post 2010, dance pop female acts from Asia have had groundbreaking success with their brand of music and choreography. While J-pop did make a big impression in the realms of mainstream, it was K-pop girl groups that mesmerized audiences with their fiery brand of music, audiovisual content, fashion, style, and choreography. Thanks to management agencies and talent scouts in South Korea, female idol groups have taken entertainment to a whole new level with their breathtakingly beautiful pop music that encompasses a wide spectrum of audio-visual technology.