Hallyu Spotlight: 4 iconic moments from Waterbomb Seoul 2025 that made the internet go wild

Every year, Waterbomb will come with its own set of iconic moments. You’re on the right track if you’re thinking of Sunmi’s Gashina moment, or Twice’s Nayeon playing her solo hits in her Louis Vuitton toga top at last year’s edition.

Anyhow, the festival is now almost synonymous with summer fun. With catchy tunes and a splash of water activities, it’s difficult not to have fun, after all.

This year, we’re bringing you through some of the most talked-about moments from the festival’s Seoul edition.

1. Kwon Eun-bi

Kwon Eun-bi is affectionately known as the Waterbomb Queen — a title she has held for three years now. It’s not an easy feat, by the way. But every year, her Waterbomb performances remind us time and time again why she’s so deserving of that moniker.

This year, the soloist has gone viral once again with her energetic performances and summer-ready outfit with a cowboy twist.

During her set, she performed her hits and even covered Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love (2003).

A special surprise came when she reunited with one of her close friends from Produce 48, Lee Si-an, the popular Singles’ Inferno contestant. The duo performed Rumour (2018), one of their fan-favourites from the survival show.

2. EXO’s Kai

Embodying the essence of summer fun with his charismatic appeal, Kai is the perfect fit for the summer music festival.

Aside from garnering attention for his muscular physique, he planned out an immaculate setlist comprising his famous hits, like Mmmh (2020) and Rover (2023).

But here’s the real deal: he surprised the crowd with a mini reunion with bandmates Suho and Chanyeol to perform an EXO medley.

 

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3. BTOB’s Changsub

It’s almost an unspoken prerequisite for Waterbomb acts to be playing dance tracks, for the crowd to get wild.

But BTOB’s Changsub wanted to change things up a bit. Even with his music mostly consisting of ballads and him shying away from flaunting his physique, he’s also in the line-up.

Though there’s a backstory to that. In a variety show, he created an iconic behind-the-scenes moment asking, “Since when did Waterbomb become a bodybuilding competition?”

4. JYP

Arguably the most iconic stage from Waterbomb Seoul 2025, this list would not be complete without the man of the hour, JYP.

We heard the singer needed a separate room to change into his finicky outfit, although the extra effort proved to be more than worth it.

JYP took fans by surprise with his hot pink plastic-vinyl outfit while singing classics like Who’s Your Mama? (2015).