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NCT for Beginners: One Name, Many Teams, and Ten Years of NEO

  • Category: Starter guide
  • Artist: NCT

KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked October 22, 2026

Most K-pop groups have a fixed number of members. NCT was designed not to. When SM Entertainment launched it in 2016, the idea was a group with no limit on members, where new people can join and different teams work under one name. Ten years later, that one name covers NCT 127, NCT DREAM, WayV, NCT WISH and more.

It can look confusing at first. It isn’t, once you know the map. Here’s how NCT works, the big moments of its first ten years, and three ways to start.

What is NCT?

NCT is an SM Entertainment brand that includes several teams. SM has described it as a new kind of group built on openness and expansion: there’s no limit on the number of members, new members can join, and various teams are active under the NCT brand. SM: NCT 2018 wrap-up

The brand began on April 9, 2016, with the song The 7th Sense. SM marked the 10th anniversary on April 9, 2026, with a year-long project called NCT 2026 and the slogan EVERYTHING, ALL AT ONCE, NEO. SM: NCT 2026

NCT even has an official color: Pearl Neo Champagne. In September 2026, SM lit up Seokchon Lake in Seoul in that color for the anniversary. SM: 10th anniversary festival

The team map

SM’s artist directory lists these NCT names: NCT, NCT U, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, WayV, NCT WISH, NCT DOJAEJUNG and NCT JNJM. SM artist directory

NCT U

The team whose lineup changes with each song. SM calls it a combined team, mixing members from across NCT.

NCT 127

SM introduced it as NCT’s Seoul team. It releases its own albums, separate from the whole-NCT projects.

NCT DREAM

SM introduced it in 2018 as a team of teenage members. It celebrated its 10th debut anniversary in 2026.

WayV

An NCT team with its own album catalog. In 2020, its members joined the whole-NCT album RESONANCE.

NCT WISH

NCT’s newest team. Its first full-length album, Ode to Love (2026), sold over 1.8 million copies in its first week.

The golden rule: always read the team name next to the song title. Two NCT songs can have completely different performers.

Ten years in four projects

Every couple of years, NCT’s teams come together for a whole-group album. These are the easiest way to see the system in action.

Year Project What happened
2018 NCT 2018 EMPATHY 18 members, six music videos released like a relay, from BOSS to Black on Black
2020 NCT 2020 RESONANCE 23 members, a double million-seller, and the mash-up single RESONANCE
2023 Golden Age A 20-member title song, and a sold-out stadium tour in Japan for 220,000 fans
2026 NCT 2026 The 10th anniversary project: albums from each team, a pop-up, an exhibition and a festival in Seoul

Why EMPATHY and RESONANCE?

The album titles tell NCT’s own story. SM says NCT’s world is about members who connect through dreams and become one through music. In 2018 that idea was EMPATHY. In 2020, SM said NCT moved from empathy to RESONANCE, connecting through music to create a bigger synergy. SM: NCT 2020

The 10th anniversary year

SM’s roadmap for NCT 2026 gave every team a plan for the year: SM: NCT 2026

Team 2026 plan, per SM
NCT 127 An album and a tour in the third quarter
NCT DREAM A fan meeting in the third quarter and an album in the fourth, for its 10th debut anniversary
WayV An album and a tour in the third quarter
NCT WISH Its first full-length album on April 20, a Japanese single in the third quarter and an album in the fourth

The anniversary also came to the streets of Seoul. SM’s festival plan included: SM: festival

Five things to notice

  1. The 7th Sense keeps returning. It launched NCT in 2016. In 2023, its five members (TAEYONG, DOYOUNG, TEN, JAEHYUN and MARK) reunited for Baggy Jeans, and the song opened NCT’s Japan stadium shows.
  2. Some songs mix languages. From Home (2020) is sung in Korean, Chinese and Japanese, about members who came together with the same dream.
  3. A British magazine’s No. 1. Dazed named NCT U’s Baby Don’t Stop (TAEYONG x TEN) the best K-pop song of 2018, according to SM.
  4. Some songs are built from other songs. The single RESONANCE combines four songs from the 2020 album into one.
  5. A Bach sample. That’s Not Fair on Golden Age samples Bach’s Fugue in G minor, BWV 578.

Our take: NCT rewards curiosity. Pick one member you like and follow them across teams, and you’ll discover how the whole system connects.

Three ways to start

Short on time? Watch one video from each whole-NCT project.

Project Video Guide
NCT 2018 BOSS EMPATHY
NCT 2020 Make A Wish (Birthday Song) RESONANCE Pt. 1
NCT 2023 Baggy Jeans Golden Age

Want the system? Follow one team. Pick NCT 127, NCT DREAM, WayV or NCT WISH and explore its own albums before coming back to the group projects.

Want the newest sound? Start with NCT WISH. Their 2026 run includes Ode to Love and the October mini album I SPY.

Quick answers for new fans

How many members does NCT have? There isn’t one fixed number, and that’s by design. Each project lists its own participants: 18 in 2018, 23 in 2020, and 20 on the 2023 song Golden Age. For each team’s current lineup, check its official profile.

What does NCT U mean? It’s the team that changes members from song to song. If a song is credited to NCT U, look at that song’s lineup.

What is NEO? A word SM uses throughout NCT’s branding, from the 10th anniversary slogan to the NEO GROUND pop-up.

Where to go next

Sources