2000–2008: Formation and debut Prior to the group's debut, some of the members were already involved in the entertainment industry.
Yoona had gone through about 200 auditions for music videos, dramas, and movies before becoming a singer for Girls' Generation.
Sooyoung was exposed to the Japanese music scene as a member of a pop duo named
Route 0, which disbanded one year after its debut in 2002. The first member of the group to join
SM Entertainment's training system was
Jessica in 2000, after she and her sister,
Krystal Jung, were scouted in a mall in South Korea during a family vacation. That same year, members Sooyoung and
Hyoyeon were cast into S.M.'s training system through the 2000 S.M. Open Audition, in which Hyoyeon danced for her audition.
Yuri was the next Girls' Generation member to become an S.M. trainee after coming second in the 2001 S.M. Youth Best Dancer competition. Yoona was cast the following year through the 2002 S.M. Saturday Open Casting Audition, where she sang and danced to her favorite singers,
BoA and
Britney Spears.
Seohyun, the group's youngest member, was scouted in the subway by an S.M. scout; she then auditioned in 2003, singing children's songs. in Seoul The group's leader,
Taeyeon, was cast in 2004 after winning first place in the S.M. Youth Singing Competition. That same year, member
Tiffany auditioned at S.M.'s Starlight Casting System in Los Angeles, and joined the company in October 2004. The final member of the group to be added was
Sunny, who had become an S.M. trainee in 1998 and trained for five years before moving to another company, Starworld. At Starworld, she trained to debut in a duo named
Sugar, which never debuted. In 2007, on the recommendation of Korean-Japanese singer
IconiQ, Sunny moved back to S.M. Entertainment and became a member of Girls' Generation. In July 2007, Girls' Generation had their first stage performance on
Mnet's
School of Rock, where the group performed their first single, "
Into the New World" (). On August 5, 2007, the group officially made their debut on
SBS's
Inkigayo, where they performed the same song. Girls' Generation subsequently released their
self-titled debut studio album in November 2007, which was preceded by the singles "
Girls' Generation" ()—a remake of
Lee Seung-cheol's 1989 song, and "
Kissing You". ''Girls' Generation
became the twelfth best-selling album of 2007 in South Korea, selling 56,804 copies. The album has sold over 120,000 copies in the country as of 2009. In March 2008, the album was re-released under the title Baby Baby''. The album was preceded by
a single with the same name, which was released on digital music sites on March 17, 2008.
2009–2010: Breakthrough and Japanese debut Though Girls' Generation had gained some attention with their 2007 debut album, it was not until 2009 that the group rose to stardom. It was the best-selling single of 2009 in South Korea. The group's second EP,
Tell Me Your Wish (Genie) () and its
titular lead single were released in June 2009. The EP sold 50,000 copies within its first week in South Korea, and charted at number eight on the Taiwanese
G-Music chart. In November 2009, S.M. Entertainment announced the group's first concert tour,
Into The New World, whose tickets for the South Korean shows were sold out in three minutes. The tour visited Seoul in December 2009, Shanghai in April 2010, and Taipei in October 2010. Girls' Generation's second studio album,
Oh!, was released in January 2010. The album peaked atop South Korea's
Gaon Album Chart and has sold over 240,000 copies in South Korea. The album's
title track peaked atop South Korea's
Gaon Digital Chart and was the second best-selling digital single of 2010 in the country, selling over 3.3 million copies.
Oh! was re-released under the title
Run Devil Run in March 2010, which also reached number one on the Gaon Album Chart. Its
titular single reached the top spot on the Gaon Digital Chart.
Oh! and
Run Devil Run were the second and fourth best-selling albums of 2010, respectively. In mid-2010, Girls' Generation signed with
Nayutawave Records (now
EMI Records Japan), a division of
Universal Music Japan, to venture out to the Japanese music scene. Their debut release was a DVD titled ''
New Beginning of Girls' Generation'', released in August 2011, which features seven of the group's music videos and a special bonus footage. The DVD debuted at number four on the Japanese
Oricon DVD Chart on August 23, 2010, making Girls' Generation the first Korean girl group to earn a top-five DVD on the Oricon chart. It was
certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). On August 25, 2010, the group performed to 22,000 fans at their first showcase in the country. In September 2010, Girls' Generation released the Japanese version of "
Genie" as their debut single in Japan. It peaked at number four on the Japanese
Oricon Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the RIAJ. The following month, the group released their second Japanese single, "
Gee", which reached number two on the Oricon Singles Chart. It sold 207,000 copies and achieved a million certification for sales of one million units by the RIAJ. Amidst their Japanese activities, they also participated in the
SMTown Live '10 World Tour alongside their labelmates, which started on August 21 at
Seoul Jamsil Olympic Stadium. Girls' Generation's third Korean EP
Hoot () was released in October 2010. It charted atop the Gaon Album Chart and at number two on the Oricon Album Chart, and became the third best-selling album of 2010 in South Korea. The
title track debuted atop the Gaon Digital Chart. At the 2010 and 2011
Seoul Music Awards, the group won two consecutive Artist of the Year awards, becoming the fourth South Korean act and the first girl group to do so.
2011–2012: Japanese success, The Boys, and international expansion Girls' Generation continued their success in Japan with the single "
Mr. Taxi", released in April 2011. The single peaked at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and as of April 2017, was certified Million by the RIAJ. After releasing three singles in Japan, their debut
eponymous Japanese studio album was released in June 2011. To promote the album, Girls' Generation embarked on
The 1st Japan Arena Tour starting in
Osaka on May 31, 2011; the tour attracted 140,000 people in total and generated an estimated ₩20 billion in sales. The album was met with tremendous success in Japan, peaking atop the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart and becoming the first album by a foreign girl group to top the Oricon chart. Within its first month of release, ''Girls' Generation
sold 500,000 copies and earned a double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. A repackaged version titled The Boys'' was released in December 2011 and peaked at number five on the Oricon Albums Chart. The album won the award for
Album of the Year at the
2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. Following their successful Japanese debut, the group was regarded as the most popular K-pop girl group in Japan alongside
Kara and both became the first Korean girl groups to appear at
Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Girls' Generation's third Korean studio album,
The Boys, was released in October 2011. The album was released in the United States by
Interscope Records, marking Girls' Generation's debut album in the country. To help
The Boys connect with audiences worldwide, the group made their debut on US television upon performing on
Late Show with David Letterman on January 31 and
Live! with Kelly on February 1. They also performed on French television show
Le Grand Journal on February 9.
The Boys was commercially successful in the group's home country, having sold over 460,000 copies and becoming the highest-selling album of 2011. The lead single, "
The Boys", peaked atop the Gaon Digital Chart and sold over 3.03 million copies in 2011. The group's endeavor to the United States, meanwhile, was met with limited success;
The Boys entered the
Billboard Top Heatseekers at number 17 and sold 21,000 copies. According to
SoundScan Japan, the single sold 103,000 copies within its first month of release. Girls' Generation released their second Japanese album,
Girls & Peace, in November, which sold 116,963 copies within its first week of release and peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart. It was subsequently certified platinum by the RIAJ and became the forty-first best-selling album of 2012 in Japan with 141,259 copies sold. The album was further preceded by a single titled "
Flower Power".
2012–2014: I Got a Boy, worldwide recognition, and Jessica's departure In December 2012, Girls' Generation released "
Dancing Queen"—a remake of British singer
Duffy's "
Mercy" (2008)—as the lead single from their then-upcoming 2013 Korean studio album. and held an
MBC special television program, ''
Girls' Generation's Romantic Fantasy. The album peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart; and Billboard
s World Albums Chart. The title track reached number one on Billboard''s
Korea K-Pop Hot 100 and the Gaon Digital Chart, and sold over 1.35 million copies. Its music video won Video of the Year at the inaugural
YouTube Music Awards in 2013, beating other popular nominees including
Psy and
Justin Bieber. This attracted attention from Western media outlets as the group was considered lesser-known compared to other candidates at the time. In February 2013, Girls' Generation embarked on the
Girls & Peace: 2nd Japan Tour, which started in
Kobe on February 9. The accompanying DVD was released in September 2013 and topped the Oricon DVD Chart. The group's first world tour,
Girls' Generation World Tour Girls & Peace, spanned from June 2013 to February 2014 and consisted of ten concerts in seven Asian countries. Girls' Generation released a
remix album titled
Best Selection Non Stop Mix in March, and a
live album titled ''
2011 Girls' Generation Tour'' in April 2013. The former charted at number six on the Oricon Albums Chart, Girls' Generation's third Japanese studio album,
Love & Peace, was released in December 2013. The album debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified gold by the RIAJ. The album spawned two singles: "
Love & Girls" and "
Galaxy Supernova", charting at numbers four and three on the Oricon Singles Chart, respectively. reached number one in South Korea. With sales of over 163,000 copies, the EP was the 5th highest-album of the year in South Korea. In the United States, the EP debuted at number 110 on the
Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 3,000 copies. The
title track was a number-one single on the Gaon Digital Chart and sold over 900,000 units. In July 2014, the group released their first Japanese
greatest hits album,
The Best, which is composed of the group's previous singles and four new tracks. It topped the Oricon Albums Chart for two consecutive weeks and has sold over 175,000 copies in Japan. With
The Best reaching number one in Japan, Girls' Generation became the first non-Japanese female group in Asia to have three number-one albums in the country. They also completed their third concert tour in Japan,
Love & Peace, within that month. The group's three Japanese concert tours attracted 550,000 spectators in total, setting the record for a K-pop girl group. On September 30, 2014, member Jessica announced that she had been dismissed from the group. SM Entertainment confirmed her departure, stating Jessica was no longer a member of Girls' Generation due to conflicts between her and the group's schedules. Girls' Generation continued to promote as an eight-member group thereafter. During an event held in the same day in
Shenzhen, the members were visibly emotional. The next day, the group's leader
Taeyeon apologised to their fans, saying "From the start, we've only wanted to protect Girls' Generation... Please believe in us one more time." The remaining eight members proceeded with the group's activities, holding
The Best Live concert at
Tokyo Dome on December 9, 2014. The concert was a sellout and attracted 50,000 spectators. The recorded show was released as a DVD in April 2015, which topped both Oricon's DVD and Blu-ray charts simultaneously.
2015–2021: Lion Heart, Holiday Night, and hiatus Girls' Generation's first release as an eight-member group was "
Catch Me If You Can", released in March 2015. It was recorded in both Korean and Japanese; the Korean version was released worldwide on April 10, while the Japanese version was released on April 22, 2015. It peaked at number 19 in South Korea and number eight in Japan. The album reached number one in South Korea, and at number 11 in Japan. The album sold over 145,000 copies in 2015. It produced three singles; the lead single "
Party" reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, and number ten on the Japan Hot 100. Following the release of "Party", Girls' Generation appeared on the
Billboard Social 50 at number 44 on August 1, 2015. The following week, the group's position on the chart rose to number 22. The follow-up singles "
Lion Heart" and "
You Think" were made available in conjunction with the release of the album. They charted at numbers four and 30 on the Gaon Digital Chart, respectively. To promote the album, the group starred in a South Korean reality television program titled ''Channel Girls' Generation''. They embarked on
Girls' Generation's Phantasia, a concert tour which started on November 21, 2015, in Seoul. With this achievement, Girls' Generation became the first South Korean girl group to hold a fourth concert tour. The group also concurrently embarked on their 4th Japan Tour, which commenced on December 12, 2015, at Nagoya. The Gaon Music Chart announced that Girls' Generation was the most successful girl group of South Korea in 2015. In August 2016, to commemorate the group's ninth anniversary, S.M. Entertainment released a single titled "Sailing (0805)". The lyrics were written by member Sooyoung, highlighting the relationship between the group and their fans. In July 2017, Girls' Generation announced the release of their sixth Korean-language studio album to commemorate the group's tenth anniversary. The album, titled
Holiday Night, was released on August 7, 2017. It debuted atop the
Billboard World Albums chart, and peaked at number two on the Gaon Album Chart. The album surpassed
The Boys as Girls' Generation's fastest-selling Korean-language album in the first week, and sold over 167,000 copies by the end of 2017. In October 2017, Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Seohyun left SM Entertainment on the condition that the group remains together. With the group on an extended hiatus, all members primarily focused on their solo careers. Girls' Generation reunited in September 2021 with an appearance on variety show
You Quiz on the Block, which marked their first group activity in four years.
2022–present: 15th anniversary reunion, and Forever 1 In May 2022, SM Entertainment announced that Girls' Generation would have a full-group comeback for their fifteenth anniversary, ending their five-year hiatus. To commence the anniversary promotion, the group took part in an 8-episode reality show,
Soshi TamTam, which began airing on
JTBC in July. Their seventh Korean-language studio album,
Forever 1, was released in August 2022, peaking at number two on the
Circle Chart. The group performed at the
SM Town Live 2022 concert during the same month, and also held a sold-out special event "Long Lasting Love" in September 2022. In August 2023, Sunny left SM Entertainment after her exclusive contract with the company ended. Girls' Generation recorded the cover of
The Grace's 2006 single "
My Everything", which was included on SM Town's album
2025 SM Town: The Culture, the Future, released on February 14, 2025. == Subgroup and solo endeavors ==