Hype Boy

The single peaked at number two on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart and reached the top 10 in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

The South Korean idol girl group NewJeans was formed and signed with ADOR, an independent division of Hybe Corporation, under the direction of its CEO Min Hee-jin.

[26][27] Gigi, Ylva Dimberg, and the member Hanni wrote the lyrics to "Hype Boy",[28] a song that captures the essence of young love akin to a daydream.

"[30] According to NME's Rhian Daly, Hanni's input helped usher in a female perspective for a girl-group song, which deviated from the "male gaze" that had dominated K-pop idol music.

[30][37] According to the South Korean digital music site Melon, "Hype Boy" is a hybrid of moombahton and electropop that has a "unique pre-chorus" and highlights individual members' vocals.

[34] Writing for the same publication, Derrick Tan said the song's production resembled the music of Kaytranada and described NewJeans' vocals as "honeyed" that "[belt] out passionately in the euphoric chorus".

[30] Time's Kat Moon wrote the track featured "soft" beats and "mellow" instrumentals but described the vocals in the chorus as "soaring".

Rolling Stone placed "Hype Boy" at number 24 on their list of the top 100 songs of 2022, highlighting it as a "standout" from the group's EP with "its addictive choreography and catchy chorus".

[30] The magazine ranked it 26th on their overall list of the best songs of the year, with Daly describing it as a refreshing sound that made NewJeans stand out in a pool of similar-sounding K-pop groups.

[41] It was also featured on unranked lists of the year's best K-pop songs by Nylon,[42] Teen Vogue,[43] Time,[44] and CNN Philippines, with many comments praising its retro-styled production that brought forth a nostalgic yet also modern feel.

[29][50] On the music streaming service Melon, "Hype Boy" alongside "Ditto" and "OMG" occupied the top three spots of the most-listened-to songs for two consecutive months, making NewJeans the first musician to do so in the site's 18-year history.

[56] In other Asian music markets, the song peaked in the top 20 of Billboard's Hits of the World charts for Taiwan (9),[57] Vietnam (9),[58] Malaysia (10),[59] the Philippines (11),[60] Indonesia (16),[61] and Hong Kong (19).