Recently, the online community was abuzz when Roy Wang of TFBOYS covered ESOit’s the hit song First snow. This reflected a rare moment in the past when a ESO member performed a TFBOYS track, creating a unique “song exchange” between two groups of kids who once dominated the Asian music scene.
A decade ago, actor Xing Zhaolin, former SM Entertainment trainee and self-proclaimed ESO fans, sparked a massive fan war by saying: “I don’t know TFBOYS, what does ‘Cloverleaf’ mean?” This has sparked intense debates online, with ESO AND TFBOYS fans clashing in unforgettable social media battles. Even after the disputes were resolved, unwritten “rules” persisted: TFBOYS fans pointed out that the The “E” in EXO is silentWhile ESO fans insisted TFBOYS must be written in capital letters a testament to the fan culture of the time.
After the recent Roy Wang cover, many fans see it as the symbolic closure of the long “fan war”, dubbing it “the tears of an era”. For many, it evokes nostalgia for the intense fan debates and rivalries that once defined their youth.
ESO debuted in 2012 under SM Entertainment, quickly becoming a third-generation K-pop phenomenon with hits like Growl, Overdose, Call me darlingAND Love me well. At their peak, they broke sales records and sold out concerts across Asia, boasting one of the most powerful and richest fandoms in K-pop. However, over time, ESO faced challenges: Chinese members gradually left the group, management strategies changed, and mandatory military service caused prolonged disruptions. By the time they returned, new generations of idols had emerged, making it difficult to regain their former dominance.
TFBOYSinstead, he debuted in 2013 in China with Karry Wang, Roy Wang and Jackson Yee, quickly achieving national fame with hits such as Youth Handbook AND Big dreamer. Their presence spanned music, TV and national events, becoming symbols of youth culture in China. Yet, similar to ESO, TFBOYS eventually saw the members pursue solo careers, focusing on individual music, acting and personal projects. The group’s joint activities almost froze for several years, turning the collective impact of the boy band into a nostalgic memory.
The combined history of these two top-tier Asian boy bands has created a ripple effect for fans, often triggering large-scale fanwars. Today, however, the glory days are over. Members of both groups now focus primarily on solo activities, while prolonged gaps in group activities have weakened their collective influence in a fiercely competitive music market full of younger, trend-conscious idols.
Netizens mused: “*ESO it became like big Bang, big Bang Pleases TFBOYSAND TFBOYS everyone went their own way. The ‘war’ of ten years ago ultimately had no real winner.”* This highlights how time and circumstance have reshaped the legacies of these legendary boy bands.
Lately, ESO he returned after completing his military service, reigniting excitement among fans. In the meantime, TFBOYS fans are hoping for a reunion, not only to relive the group’s golden moments but also to honor shared memories of an era now immortalized in the hearts of their fans.
Sources: Weibo, China Daily
