XG (; ; initialism for Xtraordinary Genes) is a Japanese vocal group based in South Korea. The group was formed by Xgalx, a subsidiary of Avex. The group is composed of seven members: Jurin, Chisa, Hinata, Juria, Cocona, Maya, and Harvey. They made their debut on March 18, 2022, with the release of the digital single "Tippy Toes".
The group's name, XG, originally stood for "Xtraordinary Girls". Xgalx described the name as aspirational, stating the group strives to empower young people worldwide through its music and performances. XG's fandom name is "Alphaz", which was chosen because it "evokes how each fan can become a leader, have a connection to XG, and be a part of the new movement taking the world by storm."
In January 2026, Xgalx reinterpreted the initialism as "Xtraordinary Genes", stating that "Genes" symbolizes the power and creativity at the group's core and a commitment to creating new culture beyond convention.
XG's social media accounts were launched on January 25, 2022, with a short video entitled Xgalx â The Beginning. The video showed several girls in training for the Xgalx Project. This was followed by a dance performance video directed by Choi Hyo-jin, of the Korean street dance TV show Street Woman Fighter. Over the next few weeks, the group released a series of teaser content, including a rap video featuring Jurin and Harvey performing a cover of Rob Stone's "Chill Bill", and a vocal cover video of Justin Bieber's "Peaches", performed by Juria and Chisa. On February 2, XG posted solo dance performance videos, with each member dancing in different styles.
On March 18, 2022, XG made their debut with the release of their all English-language digital single "Tippy Toes". On June 29, they released their second all English-language single titled "Mascara", followed by their first television appearance on South Korean Mnet's M Countdown performing the single. On November 17, XG released a rap cypher video entitled Galz Xypher. The video became viral on a TikTok through an XG fan account, gaining over 15 million views on the platform.
On January 25, 2023, XG released their third all English-language single, Shooting Star, featuring a single of the same name, its music video, and an additional track titled "Left Right". On March 6, XG entered the Mediabase US Radio Top 40, becoming the first female Japanese artist and the first Japanese group to do so. On June 30, XG released "Grl Gvng" accompanied by its music video, as a pre-release single preceding their debut EP New DNA. On August 4, XG released "TGIF" accompanied by its music video, as the second pre-release single to their debut EP New DNA. On August 23, XG released "New Dance" accompanied by its music video, as the third and final pre-release single to their debut EP New DNA. On September 27, XG's debut EP New DNA was released alongside its lead single "Puppet Show", accompanied by its music video. The EP was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of over copies.
In March 2024, XG announced their first world tour, with shows across Asia, North America, and Europe in October and November. On April 12, XG collaborated with Riot Games to release the single "Undefeated" for the online video game Valorant. One month later, on May 21, they released another single titled "Woke Up". Toward the end of the year, XG released several more singles, including "Something Ain't Right" on July 26 and "IYKYK" on October 11, in anticipation of their second EP, Awe. On November 8, XG released Awe alongside a music video for the lead single, "Howling". On November 20, it was announced that XG would be performing at the 2025 Coachella Music Festival.
On September 19, 2025, XG released the music video "Gala". On December 6, Cocona revealed on their 20th birthday that they are transmasculine and non-binary, having undergone top surgery earlier in the year, and thanked the rest of XG for supporting their identity. On December 16, the group performed on The Voice<nowiki/>'s season 28 finale. It marked XG's first appearance on American television. On January 23, 2026, XG released their first full-length album, The Core - æ ¸, and the music video for its lead single "Hypnotize".
XG's second world tour, "XG World Tour: The Core", began on February 6, 2026. The tour began in Yokohama, Japan and is scheduled to continue across Japan, Asia, North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and Latin America. That same month, XG was announced as part of the lineup for Fuji Rock Festival '26.
On February 23, 2026, XG's producer Junho Sakai (known professionally as Simon Jakops), was arrested along with three other men on suspicion of possession of cocaine in violation of the Narcotic Control Law.
XG's music covers genres such as hip-hop and R&B with elements of EDM and psychedelic music. On services such as Spotify, they are placed under the K-pop and Japanese dance-pop genres. XG calls themselves a "global group" and their sound "X-pop", which is neither K-pop or J-pop. XG sings in Korean, Japanese and English in order to help their music reach a wider audience.
In February 2025, XG became the face of cosmetics brand Anessa and the group's song "Is This Love" was used as the theme song for its global campaign. On April 4, 2025, XG appeared at Shanghai Fashion Week as models for Nike's "Victory Lap" collection. XG has also been featured in promotions for McDonald's Japan on February 10 and September 29, 2025 for "Real-Time MacPa with XG" and "Blue Mac Day" respectively.
On February 5, 2026, Cocona was announced as a global brand ambassador of Gucci, and on February 27, appeared at Milan Fashion Week for the fashion house's Fall/Winter 2026-27 collection.