The three members of the boy band, Seo Taiji, Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno, experimented with many different genres of popular Western music.

The trio debuted on MBC's talent show on April 11, 1992, with their song "Nan Arayo" (난 알아요, "I Know") and got the lowest rating from the jury.

The group sold over 1.5 million copies of the album within a month of its release,[11] and Seo Taiji and Boys won a Golden Disc Award for "Nan Arayo" in 1992.

Danceable tunes were nearly non-existent except "Dreaming of Bal-Hae" (발해를 꿈꾸며), an alternative rock song indicating a hope of reuniting North and South Korea, which earned the group its third Golden Disc Award.

[12] Instead, songs such as the controversial "Classroom Idea" (교실 이데아) with death growl vocals, influenced by bands such as the Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine, by Ahn Heung-Chan of Crash took center stage.

[19] The song was extremely critical of the Korean education system and the pressure placed on youth to succeed academically, such as doing well on university entrance exams.

[17] The song was banned from being played on TV and radio (but passed by ethics committees) for the censuring of the education system in its lyrics:Every morning you lead us into a tiny classroom by 7:30, forcing the same things into the 7 million heads of children around the country.

"Come Back Home" was a foray into gangsta rap, featuring a high-pitched nasal voice influenced by B-Real of Cypress Hill in "Insane in the Brain" and by House of Pain.

[3] "Pilseung" (필승, 必勝, "Certain Victory") was also a hit with alternative rock sound and shouting voice reminiscent of House of Pain's "Jump Around".

[21] The version of the song included on the album is instrumental only, as a refusal by Seo to rewrite or remove the original three lines that the Ethics Committee demanded be changed (in bold):[3][17] Educated elders are walking down the street holding pretty dolls.

Seo Taiji headed over to the United States soon after, while Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-suk established record labels right after their retirement.

[6] Seo Taiji returned to music two years later with a very successful solo career; he is now referred to as "the President of culture" in South Korea.

[9] Doobo Shim, a researcher of Asian culture, credits Seo Taiji and Boys with creating the "distinctively Korean pop style" which became commonplace.

[3] Seo Taiji and Boys acted as an instrument of change within Korea, challenging censorship laws as well as the television networks hegemony over the music market.

This autonomy allowed Seo to bring subcultures in Korea, such as heavy metal, to the forefront of popular culture and challenge pervasive social norms.

[3] The band's independent success diminished the power of the television networks to dictate which artists appeared on shows, and gave rise to the influence of record labels and talent agencies.

[3][29] Dancer Nam Hyun-joon cites Seo Taiji and Boys as a primary influence, and appeared in one of band member Lee Juno's music videos.

the band BTS remade "Come Back Home" in 2017, reflecting a similar sentiment to the societal change that Seo argued for in his songs.