Dreamy, pitch perfect, and a symbol of teenage youth, boy bands have become a constant presence throughout modern pop culture. In media, boy bands are a great way to present coming of age moments and character development. The concept of fictional boy bands most recently came to the forefront, with Turning Red's 4*Town, but fictional boy bands have been a mainstay of movies and TV shows since the heyday of Backstreet Boys and N*Sync in the late '90s.
Here is a list of some of our favorite fictional boy bands in film and TV!
4*Town (Turning Red)
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With their smooth melodies, suave poses, and perfectly synchronized dancing, 4*Town brings all the best parts of Y2K era boy bands into one group. The five besties, Aaron T. (Topher Ngo), Aaron Z. (Josh Levi), Robaire (Jordan Fisher), Tae Young (Grayson Villanueva), and Jessie (Finneas O’Conner) are an integral part of Meilin’s (Rosalie Chiang) coming of age moment at the end of Turning Red. With music composed by FINNEAS and Billie Eilish, 4-Town amps the nostalgia factor up to a 10.
Boyz 'N Motion (That’s So Raven)
First featured in the episode “Boyz ‘N Commotion,” Boyz 'N Motion were such a major moment in the show That’s So Raven, that it almost felt like they were a real life boy band. Their song, “We Are the Boyz 'N Motion” still goes viral every so often on social media.
In the show, the group books a reservation at Raven’s (Raven Symone) family restaurant, The Chill Grill. The band, composed of JJJ (Ryan Hansen), Trey (Columbus Short), and Ricky(Michael Copon), are mobbed by high schoolers after Raven and her crew humblebrag that the group has a reservation at The Chill Grill. Raven helps them escape the crowd by hiding them in her home but her little brother Cory (Kyle Massey) sees this as a business opportunity. He begins to take items that the band use to later sell. While Raven was excited at first to have her favorite boy band in her home, she soon realizes that she needs to be careful what she wishes for. The trio are messy and don’t necessarily clean up after themselves.
Microbe (Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century)
The Disney Channel Original Movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century is a cosmically iconic sci-fi film set in the year 2049 and the space boy band Microbe was definitely a highlight. Headed by lead singer, Proto Zoa (Phillip Rhys), Microbe had every tween on the Wyndham space station wanting more, especially 13-year-old megafan, Zenon Kar (Kirsten Storms). With ice blonde spiked up highlights, metallic outfits, and shimmering face glitter, Proto Zoa and Microbe sang “Supernova Space Girl,” and became the first rock band to sing a song in space.
2ge+her (2ge+her The Movie)
Created to parody popular '90s boy bands like N*Sync, 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, and more, 2ge+her is an entertaining and catchy comedic look into the spectacle of the boy band. The film starts when Bob Buss’s (Alan Blumenfeld) boy band Whoa! fires him after he disagrees with one of the members getting a stomach tattoo. He bounces back after listening to Jerry O’ Keefe (Evan Farmer) sing and decides he wants to create a rival group. Bob recruits Doug and Chad Linus (Noah Bastian), Mickey (Alex Solowitz), and Q.T. McKnight (Michael Cuccione) and names them 2ge+her. After the success of the film, a show was created as a continuation of the movie. In real life, the popularity of the fictional group led to them opening some of Britney Spears’s 2000 tour dates. The actors always stayed in character and the music always stayed in the same spoofy tone of the film and show. The single, "The Hardest Part of Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff)" peaked at Number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2000.
Boys Who Cry (Spongebob Squarepants)
A trio of identical fish with matching side swept hair dos and V-neck blue polo shirts, Boys Who Cry have a look that is made just for Bikini Bottom teenage dreams. Mr. Krabs’s (Clancy Jones) daughter, Pearl (Lori Alan) is a mega fan, and has them sing at her 16th birthday party. While their singing fee was outrageously high, it was the best present that Pearl wanted for her milestone birthday. Squidward (Rodger Dale Bumpass), is also a massive Boys Who Cry fan, but his singalong moment is met with glares from the other sea creatures who would prefer to just hear the originals. Although they are only shown on the show in small doses, Boys Who Cry are an unforgettable and highly quotable part of Spongebob lore.
Sing Street (Sing Street)
Set in 1980s Ireland, Sing Street is an underrated gem featuring a boy band with a soundtrack that could fit right into any 1980s pop chart. Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is a teenage boy whose family is falling apart during the Dublin recession in 1985. Both he and his older brother Brenden (Jack Reynor) have a rolodex of music knowledge in their head. In order to impress Raphina (Lucy Boynton), Conor decides to recruit a few other teenage boys to start a band that defies the gender norms of his Catholic all-boys school. At first, the group decides to focus on music covers, like "Rio" by Duran Duran, but soon realize that they need to do more if they want their group to succeed. They develop a synth heavy sound that resonates deep with the coming of age emotions with their ages.
The Style Boyz (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping)
In the years since its premiere, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has gained a cult following. This mockumentary follows Connor (Andy Samberg) years after the breakup of his boy band, The Style Boyz. Connor is the most successful of the group, yet the shadow of The Style Boys still follows him. After a string of public failures following the release of his second solo album, Conor reunites with The Style Boyz on stage to sing their newest song "Incredible Thoughts" featuring Michael Bolton. While The Style Boyz are inspired by boy bands in general, the Beastie Boys were the main reference. The lyrics to The Style Boyz songs are irreverent, silly, and above all, memorable.
Alvin and the Chipmunks (Alvin and the Chipmunks)
This animated sibling trio of singing chipmunks have been an undeniable part of the fabric of pop culture since their introduction in 1958. Their high-pitched squeaky vocals are instantly recognizable and their Christmas single, "The Chipmunk Song," was a number one single in the U.S. in 1958. Voiced by creator, Ross Bagdasarian, Simon, Theodore, and Alvin also had other Billboard Hot 100 songs like “The Witch Doctor.” In 2007, the chipmunks were rebooted for a new audience, this time in CGI. Voiced by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney, covers of “Funky Town” and “Bad Day” reached the Billboard Hot 100. Three sequels followed, as well as a TV series reboot. In 2019, the fictional boy band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Oh Boyz (Kim Possible)
The Oh Boyz on the TV show Kim Possible are a fading boy band with great tunes. Instead of being upset when the villain Señor Senior, Sr. (Earl Boen) kidnaps the group, their record label Defteen are relieved. Robby (Lance Bass), Ryan (James Marsden), Dexter (Justin Shenkarow), and Nicky Nick (Joey Fatone) are captured alongside Ron Stoppable (Will Friedle) so that Señor Senior Jr. (Nestor Carbonell) can achieve his dreams of pop stardom. The music of the Oh Boyz is inspired by Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.
Boyz 4 Now (Bob's Burgers)
Unlike other fictional boy bands, Boyz 4 Now aka B4N is more closely inspired by One Direction. Boo Boo (Max Greenfield), the youngest member of the group, leaves the band in a similar way to Zayn Malik. The band is first introduced when Tina (Dan Mintz), a mega fan of the boy band, drags Louise (Kristen Schaal) to one of their concerts. Louise becomes enchanted with Boo Boo, and they sneak onto their tour bus, where she ends up slapping him. The music of B4N is influenced by the 2010s with more guitar pop riffs than boy bands of the '90s.