K-pop group NCT DREAM’s music mirrors the experience of growing up by tracing the familiar journey from wide-eyed optimism through angsty valleys to hard-won confidence. Debuting in 2016, the seven-person project was originally envisioned as a pop finishing school, with members graduating at age 20. Accordingly, their songs reflect the trek through adolescence, with bright and bubbly early singles like “We Young” followed by brooding, EDM-tinged cuts like “GO.” By the time NCT DREAM’s core reached maturity, their management backed away from the graduation idea, allowing the unit to flex into adulthood with rap-fuelled “Ridin’.”