Back in my day, the girls channeled their entrepreneurial instincts and creative juices into running fan accounts and writing fanfic about male pop stars. At the time, there were lots of iconic muses providing inspo — I’m of course referring to Justin Bieber, the One Direction boys, 5SOS, and sure, I’ll even be generous and throw in Shawn Mendes. And before that batch of boys, there was Justin Timberlake, the other NSYNC people, and whoever else… IDK, that was before my time. In 2025, though, we’re facing a major crisis, and no, I’m not referring to any of the obvious and extremely alarming ones caused by the orange rat in the White House.

I’m talking about the lack of popular males in pop music! Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan have successfully followed in the footsteps of Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Lady Gaga, respectively. But where in god’s name is the Gen Z Justin Bieber? Or the Gen Z Harry Styles? Is there any hope for young men in pop? I figured it’s time to sit down and take a long, hard look at the dudes in music today: Here is my formal review and ranking of the 2025 Gen Z male pop stars.

2025 Gen Z Male Pop Stars, Ranked

In Search Of The Gen Z Justin Bieber And Harry Styles

7. Benson Boone

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You know what would be a “beautiful thing”? If I didn’t have to hear that song again <3. It would also be a beautiful thing if this man didn’t spend his Rolling Stone interview talking about how he stays out of politics and didn’t know Taylor Swift’s music before he opened for her on the Eras Tour. Be so for real. Sure, Benson has a great voice and boundless confidence, but I think he’s done more flipping than songwriting in his life… and it shows. (Listen to “Mystical Magical.”)

6. Daniel Seavey

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Much like Harry Styles, Daniel is out here pursuing a solo career after his beloved boy band fell apart. (Except the boy band in question was Why Don’t We, not One Direction, and the end of this band was a legal battle disaster, not the guys getting sick of each other.) Daniel makes decent alt-pop music, and I give him an A+ for vocals and charismatic stage presence. If one or two of his songs go super viral on TikTok, we could be looking at the next major male pop star. But if I’m being totally honest, I’m not sure he quite has the personality to make the transition from C-list to A-list.

5. Lil Nas X

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He’s an icon, he’s a legend, and he was the moment… of 2019 and 2021. Is he gonna make a comeback soon? I hope so, but we’ll see. Obviously, Lil Nas X is not exactly in the Justin Bieber category (his brand is less ~basic but charming heartthrob for 14-year-old girls~ and more ~flashy pop, Satan shoes, and polarizing music videos~), but he’s definitely one of the most successful Gen Z male pop stars yet. Still, his fame hasn’t quite reached the heights of certain millennial male pop stars before him.

4. The Kid Laroi

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So, he’s giving discount Australian Justin Bieber, and there’s nothing wrong with that. (Literally every time I see pics of him and Tate, I have vivid Jelena flashbacks.) The man can sing, he writes some catchy pop tunes, and he even kinda looks like Justin. Maybe they’re long-lost cousins? Honestly, I’m not sure why Laroi isn’t more famous — especially when society is so desperately craving a Justin/Shawn/Harry 2.0. Perhaps he just hasn’t had his “Espresso” yet.

3. Conan Gray

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My Shayla. Conan is for the Swifties, the Livvies, the girls, the gays, and all the deeply traumatized and depressed people of the world. Even 12 years into his career, he remains criminally underrated, and it upsets me. And the new album, Wishbone? “Masterpiece” is an understatement. It’s going platinum in my house. Yes, this is another case of Not At All The Justin Bieber Category, but Conan’s definitely a Main Gen Z Pop Boy in my eyes.

2. Sombr

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There’s a new pop boy on the block, and let’s just say… the other pop boys should be terrified. Quaking. Sweating. With smash hits like “Back to Friends,” “Undressed,” and “12 to 12,” and his hit debut album, I Barely Know Her, 20-year-old Sombr is killing it. Impressively, he’s credited as the only writer and producer on almost the entire album — that’s very rare for an artist on a major label. The NYC native understands social media like the back of his hand and expertly uses it to his advantage. Don’t be surprised if you see Sombr in the 2026 Grammy noms!

1. Role Model

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Lastly, we have 5’7″, Brandy Melville-loving SoundCloud rapper-turned country diva, Role Model. In my completely unbiased opinion, he’s one of the most interesting male artists to watch right now. I didn’t think he could top his mesmerizing, hopeless romantic tunes, “neverletyougo” and “blind,” but his country-pop heartbreak album, Kansas Anymore, is a warm, Kacey Musgraves-esque masterpiece.

This man is my One Direction. In fact, he sometimes introduces himself as One Direction (or Sabrina Carpenter, Jacob Elordi, etc.) He might’ve lost People‘s Sexiest Musician to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but Tucker Pillsbury wins my completely subjective 2025 Gen Z(ish) Male Pop Star contest. He has the X factor, the talent, the humor, the good looks, and he actually respects women. Congratulations, king.