Without a doubt, a K-Pop group’s name is the most significant part of their branding. Some group’s names are based on the number of members in it, like MLD Entertainment‘s new group HORI7ON and GOT7…
HORI7ON | MLD Entertainment GOT7 | Mnet
…others like ATEEZ have meaning beyond a unique name.
Regardless of their meaning, the name is one of the more essential aspects of a group’s introduction.
This can be seen in how Jellyfish Entertainment‘s newest boy group rapidly changed their before they even debuted. EVNNE was initially called a different name with a possible NSFW meaning.
EVNNE | Jellyfish Entertainment
While this group’s name is not offensive, it has caught attention for its suggestive nature.
In early December NineTwo Entertainment shared that it would be debuting a project new boy group. A few weeks later, the first member line-up was revealed to be six members, including former WEUS member Woo Jeongyoon, Fantasy Boys participant Jeong Deun Haesol, and Boys Planet participant Jeon Wooseok.
3Way | NineTwo Entertainment
The group’s name, 3Way, is said to stand for World Wide Wonder, reflecting on plans for the team to tour and recruit new members.
| NineTwo Entertainment
While this is meaningful, 3Way has another meaning with a sexual connotation. A “three-way” can refer to a “threesome” or when three people engage in sexual activity with each other.
When searching “three-way” on Google, the first links are to adult entertainment sites.
Beyond the NSFW meaning, 3Way does look to have promising SEO results, something important for fans who try to look the group up. When searching “3Way,” information about 3-Way lighting connections and medical equipment comes up.
| MEP Academy
Netizens have reacted as expected to the name, commenting on how ridiculous names in K-Pop have gotten lately.
idk who they are but their group name is just https://t.co/ph6jMKaZaW
— raneee (@realminsung__) December 24, 2023
we gotta start getting creative with group names bc wth https://t.co/OVRO6yyWFn
— 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧✫ (@SoEunlol) December 24, 2023
3way… at this point kpop is definitely fucking with us https://t.co/w8c2klTiiH
— Starts w a (@soundslikeaa) December 24, 2023
Fans of group members have begun reaching out to NineTwo Entertainment in hopes of having the group’s name changed before their debut.
[] as many concerns have been raised regarding the group name and much more, an email template has been made to send to ninetwo entertainment. please help out by sending the template. https://t.co/fXpP1FRZJX
— WOOSEOK (@seokcord) December 24, 2023
Another boy group gained attention for their name for similar reasons, which you can read about below.
An Upcoming Boy Group Gains Attention For Their “Suggestive” Group Name
