KATSEYE 'Gnarly': The Meaning Behind the Polarizing Song and Its Lyrics

The new KATSEYE song “Gnarly” is a frontrunner for most polarizing pop song of 2025 — and its existence is proof we're so back. There are so many ways to make an impactful pop hit: you could go for diaristic lyrics, a catchy hook, or an anthemic chorus. But with “Gnarly,” KATSEYE honors its K-pop origins by choosing chaos and somewhat bizarre English lyricism, backed by a sick beat and a killer live performance that sells the whole thing.

The six members of KATSEYE — Sophia, Manon, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae — pretty much knew their song was going to provoke some strong reactions even before it came out. The global girl group, created from the HYBE x Geffen project Dream Academy and mythologized in the Netflix documentary Pop Star Academy, shared a TikTok when “Gnarly” dropped. In it, they lip-sync along to a Nicki Minaj audio snippet: “You're not gonna get the song the first time you hear it. After the second and third time, you're like ‘Woah, what is this?’”

If you were initially repulsed by “Gnarly" and/or its music video, you're not alone. If you've now found a new vocal stim in “Making beats for a boring dumb b*tch f*cking gnarly,” you're also not alone. Every other TikTok on my FYP right now is a reaction to this song.

But what is the song meaning behind KATSEYE's “Gnarly,” and why is this an important moment for their career? Dive into lyric explanations, inspirations, and fan theories below.

What is KATSEYE's “Gnarly” about?

KATSEYE's “Gnarly" explains what it's about in the very first lyric, a spoken-word line delivered by Yoonchae: “They could describe everything with one single word.” The simplest meaning of the song is that one word can have a ton of different meanings and connotations, depending on what cultural or life context you're in. Fried chicken is delicious, Tesla is repulsive, but they can both be described by the word “gnarly.”

The group says as much in their recent interview with The Fader.

“Gnarly can be a good thing or a bad thing in our minds. It's kind of up for interpretation,” Manon told the outlet. Lara added, “I think it's good to know in the song, especially in the first verse, there are good gnarlies and there are bad gnarlies. They're just like, yeah, whatever you interpret it as.”

Why are there two versions of “Gnarly"?

Importantly, there are two versions of “Gnarly” out now: clean and explicit. Based purely on my anecdotal observations, it seems like fans are enjoying the clean version more — a rare feat that you can credit to lyric changes like “robotics” instead of “Tesla” and “I'm legit” instead of “I'm the sh*t.” (Which just feels more fun to say.)

The clean version removes curse words, but it also removes brand names. This is the version you'll see primarily performed on Korean music shows like MusicCore and Music Bank, because there are certain rules around product advertising.

Who sings which “Gnarly” lyrics? What are the lyrics to “Gnarly”?

Yoonchae: They could describe everything with one single word/You know? Like

Daniela: Boba tea (Gnarly), Tesla (Gnarly)
Yoonchae: Fried chicken (Gnarly)/Partyin' in the Hollywood Hills (Uh)
Megan: This song (Gnarly)/Oh my god, that new beat (Gnarly, fucking gnarly)/Oh my god, is this real? (Gnarly, everything's gnarly)

Lara: Oh, we're in a session tonight, gang, gang / Oh, we're going out tonight, gang, gang / Oh my god, this song's so lit, congratulations

Manon: Now you be like, “Gang” Gang, gang, gang, gang, gang

All: Gnarly Gnarly
Daniela: Everything's gnarly
All: Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnar-gnar-gnar-gnar—)
Sophia: Everything's gnarly

Manon: Hottie, hottie, like a bag of Takis / I'm the shit, I'm the shit (Gnarly)
Megan: Obvi, obvi, they be tryna copy/I'm the shit, I'm the shit

All: Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) / Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly
Sophia: I'm the sh*t, I'm the sh*t
All: Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) / Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly
Daniela: I'm the sh*t, I'm the sh*t

[Interlude] Daniela: Gnarly

Lara: Making beats for a boring, dumb b*tch / Fucking gnarly (Gnarly) /Don't talk to me /You're gnarly, I'm not (Sh*t is gnarly)
Yoonchae: Je-je-jealous of my mansion? / Yeah, the view is f*cking gnarly

All: Gnarly / Gnarly
Daniela: Everything's gnarly
All: Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) / Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) / Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnar-gnar-gnar-gnar—)
Sophia: Everything's gnarly

Manon: Hottie, hottie, like a bag of Takis / I'm the shit, I'm the shit (Gnarly)
Megan: Obvi, obvi, they be tryna copy / I'm the sh*t, I'm the sh*t

All: Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) / Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly
Sophia: I'm the shit, I'm the shit
All: Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly (Gnarly) / Na-na-na-na-na-gnarly
Yoonchae: I'm the shit, I'm the shit

[Outro] Daniela: Everything's gnarly (and during the performance, finishing with an iconic lick of the teeth)

Who wrote “Gnarly” and what inspired it?

“Gnarly” was written by Alice Longyu Gao, who intermixes elements of hyperpop, EDM, and PC music into her sound. Gao hails from China but is now based between New York City and Los Angeles. She moved to the U.S to pursue a university degree and now works as a singer, songwriter, DJ, and performance artist.

You might recognize her from the 2024 track “♡ Korean Girls,” which she released alongside Mega Mongoliad, a subunit of K-pop alt group Balming Tiger featuring Omega Sapien and Leesuho.

The first version of “Gnarly” that Gao ever shared with the world was in April 2023, when Andrew Taggart from The Chainsmokers shared a TikTok featuring the demo of the song's intro, sung by Gao.

The final, more extended version of the song performed by KATSEYE also features Tim Randolph, Madison Love, Pink Slip, and Jacob Kasher as writers alongside Gao. The song was also produced by Tim Randolph and Pink Slip alongside longtime HYBE producer Slow Rabbit and former CEO Bang Si-hyuk (credited as “hitman” Bang). Gao and Love also provided background vocals.

Gao has provided backstories for a few of her gnarly experiences on her social media, including boba tea and fried chicken. She's also provided more context for her initial infatuation with the world, and it all goes back to ESOL. As a non-native English speaker, Gao says she's always on the lookout to expand her vocabulary. When she first heard the word “gnarly,” she didn't know the meaning, but she was “amused and surprised by the excessive usage of this word by some basic bros.”

Why is “Gnarly” so polarizing among fans?

Probably because it sounds absurd when you first hear it! Other initial gripes from fans include the controversial mention of Tesla (though that could be — and likely is — the “bad” kind of gnarly), the over-simplistic lyrics and curse words, Lara throwing Yoonchae (well, a doll that represents her) out the window, and, yeah, there's also the buzzing flies having sex in the music video. (The video is essentially stimulus overload.)

Video aside, though, at its core, “Gnarly” is hyperpop, and hyperpop is a notoriously polarizing genre, especially this particular niche with striking aesthetics and brainrot-inspired lyrics and references that non-online people wouldn't get. May we remind you that Charli XCX's Vroom Vroom EP only got a 4.5 rating by Pitchfork, but she's now headlining Coachella with the same type of sound? Just like that, reactions to “Gnarly,” as KATSEYE themselves predicted, have shifted since its initial release.

Fan reactions — and a few celebrity reactions, too

Whether you love it or are still in the denying stages, “Gnarly” is, without a doubt, an earworm. A couple listens and it's stuck with you. It's catchy in a wildly raucous way — and, hey, not every song has to be palatable.

“God forbid we have a little fun with music these days,” creator Marc Sebastian said on TikTok. “It's not even giving if you get it, you get it. For me, it's giving if you don't get it, I don't care.”

Reneé Rapp was also among the first “Gnarly” defenders, posting her reaction to the demo on Instagram. Since then, we have gotten multiple celebs hopping on the “Gnarly” bandwagon, including HSMTMTS star Sofia Wylie and Riverdale's Camila Mendes — not to mention various K-pop idols from TXT to BOYNEXTDOOR via dance challenges and meme stars.

See some of our favorites below:

Why is “Gnarly” good for KATSEYE's future?

KATSEYE is coming off a debut era in which they played it pretty safe sonically. Their first few songs are solid but also very much follow popular genre trends over the past few years: “Touch,” for example, has a drum ‘n bass energy that would fit it in within NewJeans or ILLIT’s discography.

“Gnarly,” on the other hand, leans on the second and third generation K-pop instinct toward striking surreal visuals and creates something more dynamic — and not for everyone's taste. To be memorable in this inundated pop landscape, you either have to be first, best, or weird enough to feel refreshing. Coming in hot with a polarizing song like “Gnarly” also allows them to show off their performing abilities; the song alone is fairly absurd, and the song and the live performance combined make it a success.

In short, you want to be big enough to have haters and to rally your fanbase into defense of your honor. With “Gnarly,” KATSEYE achieves both.