13 Of The Most Famous Boy Bands Of The 2000s

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Written by Laura Macmillan
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No decade better represents boy band mania than the 2000s. You couldn’t turn on the radio or watch television without hearing a group of teenage or twenty-something heartthrobs crooning about lost love.

The Backstreet Boys and NSYNC are the boy band titans of this era, but several other groups make the cut. Here, we’ll check out 13 of the most famous boy bands of the 2000s. Let’s get started!

Related: For more, check out our list of greatest boy bands of all time here.

1. Backstreet Boys

Arguably the most famous and successful boy band of all time is the Backstreet Boys. The group started in Orlando, Florida, in 1996, and their popularity peaked during the early 2000s. The group sold more than 180 million records, making them the top-selling boy band.

The RIAA certified two of their albums, Backstreet Boys and Millennium, Diamond. Three of their albums have reached #1 on the Billboard 200, and their songs “Shape of My Heart” and “More Than That” were hits on the Hot 100. 

The group is notable for its longevity as more than 25 years after their debut, the original members are still releasing music and performing today, with their music new and old alike receiving air time.

2. NSYNC

Next up, we have the semi-rival of the Backstreet Boys and the other top superstar boy group of the 2000s, NYSNC. This boy band started also started in Orlando, Florida, but a year earlier in 1995.

Justin Timberlake was the de facto leader before leaving the group for a successful solo career. The other members were JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone.

NSYNC achieved remarkable success during its brief seven-year run, including two certified-Diamond albums. Their 2000 song “It’s Gonna Be Me” hit #1 on the Billboard 100. 

NSYNC disbanded in 2002 and has no plans to reunite. Nevertheless, Entertainment Weekly later named them the best boy band of the 1990s and 2000s.

3. 98 Degrees

American boy band 98 Degrees started in Los Angeles, California, in 1996. They were a pop sensation in the 2000s and gave the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC a run for their money.

The group consists of members Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, and brothers Drew and Nick Lachey. Nick became the breakout star of the group and later filmed a reality TV show with his wife at the time, Jessica Simpson.

Their signature song, “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)” hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2000. 98 Degrees temporarily disbanded in the early 2000s but eventually reunited and is still active today. 

4. B2K

Pop boy band B2K, from Los Angeles, California, was the Boys of the New Millennium group. “Bump, Bump, Bump,” their signature song, featured hip-hop mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. It topped Billboard‘s Hot 100 in 2002. The members are Omarion, Lil’ Fizz, J-Boog, and Raz-B.

The B2K boys brought a youthful and unique energy to the boy band movement. With their energy, swagger, and choreographed routines, they had every generation singing along and dancing.

Omarion, the de facto leader of the group, launched a successful solo career after they split in 2004. The group briefly united but continues to have disagreements.

5. Jonas Brothers

The Jonas Brothers—consisting of brothers Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas—ushered in the modern era of boy bands following the dominance of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC in the early 2000s.

The group is an American pop-rock boy band that started in 2005 in New Jersey. They became famous for their work on the Disney Channel, including filming sitcoms and movies. The band plays their own instruments and writes their own lyrics, making them unique in the boy band genre. 

The Jonas Brothers have had 25 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100. After a brief hiatus, they remain active and touring.

6. Jagged Edge

Our next group, Jagged Edge, is a rhythm and blues and hip-hop boy band from Atlanta, Georgia. The quartet started in 1995 and has worked closely with legendary producer Jermaine Dupri throughout their career.

The group was most successful in the early 2000s. Their 2001 smash hit “Where the Party At,” featuring rapper Nelly, was a summer anthem and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Jagged Edge boys are a versatile group. They can sing the slow jams like their romantic ballad “Let’s Get Married” but can also hold their own on a hip-hop track. The group is still actively performing.

7. O-Town

Hailing from Orlando, Florida, American boy band O-Town started in 2000 at the height of boy band mania. The group was the subject of the ABC reality television show Making the Band in the first season. 

Under the stewardship of notorious executive producer Lou Pearlman, the showrunners assembled O-Town after a nationwide search.

With considerable publicity from the show, their eponymous debut album reached #5 on the Billboard 200. Their most successful and signature song, “All or Nothing,” reached #3 on the Hot 100 in 2001.

After temporarily disbanding, O-Town has since reunited and continues to release new music and tour internationally.

8. LFO

Lyte Funkie Ones, or LFO, was an American boy band trio that started in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1995. The peak of their success was in the 2000s.

The group was a classic one-hit wonder—their only big hit, “Summer Girls,” became one of the most iconic pop music songs of all time. As a Boston-based group, LFO gave a shoutout on the track to their boy band predecessors New Kids on the Block.

LFO sold over 2.5 million records, and “Summer Girls” peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Sadly, two of the three members of the group have passed away from cancer.

9. 112

Another icon boy band is 112. Their peak success was in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group brought a hip-hop flare of rhythm and blues into the mainstream.

112 is affiliated with Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and Bad Boy Records. In 2001, they released their signature song, “Peaches and Cream,” which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy.

The de facto leader of the group, Marvin “Slim” Scandrick, parlayed his success into a solo career with multiple features on hip-hop records. 112 continues to perform and release new music.

10. Westlife

Irish boy band and pop group Westlife was founded in Dublin in 1998. The members are Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, and Mark Feehily. 

Proving that boy bands can flourish outside the United States, Westlife dominated the international early 2000s boy band scene. The group holds the record for #1 singles on the United Kingdom singles chart.

Westlife’s top American song, “Swear It Again,” reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Uptown Girl” their most commercially successful, selling over a million copies. The group continues to tour and perform today.

11. SoulDecision

The United States and Britain may have dominated the boy band era of the 2000s, but Canadian pride soulDecision held their own.

SoulDecision was a pop trio boy band that started in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1993 with members Trevor Guthrie, David Bowman, and Ken Lewko.

The group achieved success in the early 2000s with their signature song, “Faded,” which reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the top song in Canada. Their other major hit was “Ooh It’s Kinda Crazy.”

SoulDecision is no longer active, but they solidified their spot in the boy band pantheon.

12. BBMak

Handsome pop trio BBMak is an English boy band cult classic. They started in Liverpool, England, in 1996 and had their most success in the early 2000s. The members are Mark Barry, Christian Burns, and Stephen McNally.

BBMak’s signature song, “Back Here,” played endlessly on MTV and the radio. It took the #13 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. The song also won the Most Performed Song Award from the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.

The group took a hiatus in the late 2000s but has since reunited and continues to perform today.

13. Savage Garden

Last by not least, we have Savage Garden, who proved that Australia could get in on the boy band mania. The pop duo enjoyed critical success during their brief seven-year career, hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 twice with “Truly, Madly, Deeply” and “I Knew I Loved You.”

Both their studio albums, Savage Garden and Affirmation, were also multi-Platinum, #1 hits in Australia and top 10 in the US and UK.

Lead singer Darren Hayes and partner Daniel Jones enjoyed international success during the 2000s, but it wasn’t meant to be. The group disbanded after disagreements and has no plans to reunite.

Summing Up Our List Of Famous 2000s Boy Bands

If you enjoy boy bands, the 2000s is your decade. The turn of the millennium was the peak of boy band mania, with a new group seemingly topping the charts every week.

The early 2000s had boy band titans NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys at their peak, while fledgling groups like the Jonas Brothers were just getting started. The wheel kept turning for the next big act—to the point where there was a reality television show to find the next big boy band.

Many of the boy bands of that decade experienced group friction and temporarily broke up. However, most of them have reunited and are still active today or live on through the success of solo pop artists like Justin Timberlake and Omarion.

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Laura has over 12 years experience teaching both classical and jazz saxophone and clarinet. She now resides in California where she works as a session and live performer.