After what seemed like an eternity, Billboard (the American music chart publication) finally assembled and published their 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2018 Critic’s Picks list. These annual lists have been of particular importance to me, as Billboard seems to be the only big American music publication that makes a year-end list focused on Kpop songs.

Normally, the list contains songs that I am very familiar with and songs that I haven’t heard at all, and this combination results in both a satisfying inclusion of some of my favorites while also introducing me to many new songs. I was expecting this year’s list to be the same, so it came as a big surprise to me when I read through the rankings and realized I was very familiar with every song on the list. For those who have not yet read through the list, here are the rankings:

1. 1. “Bad Boy” by Red Velvet
2. 2. “Shine” by Pentagon
3. 3. “Fake Love” by BTS
4. 4. “BBIBBI” by IU
5. 5. “Our Page” by SHINee
6. 6. “Jenga” by Heize ft. Gaeko
7. 7. “Love Scenario” by iKON
8. 8. “I’m So Sick” by Apink
9. 9. “La Vie en Rose” by IZ*ONE
10. 10. “Heroine” by Sunmi
11. 11. “Lo Siento” by Super Junior, Leslie Grace, & Play-N-Skillz
12. 12. “Egotistic” by MAMAMOO
13. 13. “Instagram” by Dean
14. 14. “Black Dress” by CLC
15. 15. “134340” by BTS
16. 16. “Don’t” by Loco & Hwasa
17. 17. “Love Bomb” by fromis_9
18. 18. “Tempo” by EXO
19. 19. “Baby Don’t Stop” by NCT U
20. 20. “Oh My!” by Seventeen

After reading through the rankings for the first time, I honestly wasn’t very impressed. While many of the songs feel well-placed and definitely deserve the recognition (“Bad Boy,” “Shine,” “Love Bomb”) many of the placements feel awkward and somewhat ill-fitting. The list seems to laud the trendiest of tracks from the past year (“Love Scenario,” “BBIBBI,” “Egotistic”) but this commonality is struck down by the absence of some of 2018’s most popular, trendy, and essential Kpop songs, the most striking omissions being that of MOMOLAND’s inescapable “Bboom Bboom,” the best Twice song of 2018, “What is Love,” and SHINee’s gorgeous comeback “Good Evening.”

Another odd theme of this year’s list is its inclusion of trendy quirkiness but almost complete exclusion of tracks that veered towards a more trailblazing oddness. In my opinion, it’s an absolute sin that Oh My Girl’s magnificent “Remember Me” was not included at any point in the list, and the only pick that even slightly forgives this is the placement of fromis_9’s brilliant “Love Bomb” at number 17. Another sinful exclusion that immediately comes to mind is that of NCT 127’s masterfully off-kilter “Simon Says.” After releasing quite a lukewarm banger in October’s “Regular,” the boys of Seoul returned with what is perhaps their most experimental and memorable track yet in “Simon Says.” Its use of sounds that are utterly new, including that of an ear-splitting electronic wub and instances of what sounded like a horse’s neighing, characterized it as a brash standout piece among a year’s worth of recycled noises. That bridge alone deserved an entry on the list. What a shame.

As K-pop continues to gain a bigger international audience and influence, it’s not a surprise to see that this year’s list favors the cool aspects of the genre over the cute. However, that does not make it okay to almost completely exclude the genre’s lighter side. Many cuter tracks seemed like fine fits for this year’s lineup, including LOONA yyxy’s adorable “love4eva” featuring Grimes, and Lovelyz’s sugary synth-pop confection “That Day.” This exclusion also affects many deserving boy groups, including Golden Child and ONF, who wowed with singles like “Genie” and “Complete.”

Billboard’s 2018 Top 20 Kpop Songs list had a lot to like about it. It included some of the year’s hands-down best songs, while also favoring songs that made the most impact in South Korea and internationally. But among the highlights, it’s hard not to notice many deserving songs’ absence from the ranking and wonder if Kpop is losing the effectiveness of its signature style in favor of a more inoffensive, crowd-pleasing sound.