A Ranking Of 16 Iconic Boy Band Dance Moves

Everybody dance now!

16. "The Elbow Shuffle"

Via youtube.com

Band: One Direction

Song: "One Thing" (2011)

Skill Level: 1/10

Ridiculousness: 1/10

Their lack of effort for this incredibly simple move puts them at the bottom of the list. They're hot though, so there's that.

15. "The Stomp and Thrust"

Via youtube.com

Band: NSYNC

Song: "It's Gonna Be Me" (2001)

Skill: 1/10

Ridiculousness: 1/10

Bonus: +1, Justin Timberlake's jazzy spin move

Don't be distracted by JT's showboating, the boys in the back are the ones doing the sexy thrust. While the enthusiasm in their wide-step stomping is appreciated, the move is still pretty basic.

14. "The Row Boat"

Via youtube.com

Band: One Direction

Song: "Best Song Ever" (2013)

Skill: 2/10

Ridiculousness: 1/10

The 1D guys are blessed with looks but cursed with a horrible choreographer. It looks like the guys are doing half-assed jumping jacks in a food court. It may be "The Best Song Ever," but it certainly isn't the best dance ever.

13. "The Lasso Switch"

Via youtube.com

Band: NSYNC

Song: "Bye Bye Bye" (2000)

Skill: 2.5/10

Ridiculousness: 1/10

Yes, this dance is iconic, but that doesn't make it tricky. It's simple enough that everyone could and should do it at every opportunity.

12. "The Airport Terminal Tango"

Via youtube.com

Band: Backstreet Boys

Song: "I Want It That Way" (1999)

Skill: 2/10

Ridiculousness: 3/10

The white on white is a crisp look for sure, but who let AJ steal the limelight? As the only choreographed bit of their video, you think they'd make their moves a little sharper, instead of looking like a group of white SkyDancers.

11. "The Robot Creep"

Via youtube.com

Band: The Backstreet Boys

Song: "Larger Than Life" (1999)

Skill: 4/10

Ridiculousness: 4/10

This ground-breaking vid showed our boys in a utopian space future, clearly their interpretation of what post-Y2K would be. Their outfit choices are impeccable, from Brian's kevlar vest to AJ's chainmaille crop top. There is weirdly a lot of pointing — maybe they're pointing out their favorite constellations?

10. "The Frankenstein Line Dance"

Via youtube.com

Band: Backstreet Boys

Song: "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" (1997)

Skill: 3/10

Ridiculousness: 6/10

This impromptu Halloween flashmob is interesting, but their costume choices aren't. It appears that they are all some version of Aladdin, with the exception of Howie D. — who appears to not have dressed up for the occasion at all. The moves are a bit unoriginal, but getting a bunch of people at a Halloween party to do it with you is quite a feat.

9. "The Left Turn"

Via youtube.com

Band: B2K

Song: "Girlfriend" (2003)

Skill: 4.5/10

Ridiculousness: 2/10

Now this is how your moves need to look! Their body rolls are perfection and they've got their transitions on lock. B2K clearly beat the Backstreet Boys in the sharpness department. They are rocking the all white look too. That's gotta hurt.

8. "The Running Man 2.0"

Via youtube.com

Band: NSYNC

Song: "Pop" (2001)

Skill: 3.5/10

Ridiculousness: 4/10

Bonus: +1, costume change; +1, Chris Kirkpatrick's ringmaster jacket

This routine is clearly a shout-out to marathon runners. Run, stop for water, then keep running.

7. "The Backstreet Stomp"

Via youtube.com

Band: Backstreet Boys

Song: "Larger Than Life" (1999)

Skill: 6/10

Ridiculousness: 4/10

I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't impressed by this intergalactic stomp. Because this breakdown occurs in a UFO, it begs the question: "If a Backstreet Boy claps in space, does it make a sound?"

6. "The Point and Pump"

Via vimeo.com

Band: O-Town

Song: "Liquid Dreams" (2001)

Skill: 3/10

Ridiculousness: 6/10

The dance itself isn't all that awesome, but the song is where the gold's at. These five guys are actually dancing to a song they wrote in dedication to wet dreams, all while water women dance around on platforms. I'm also pretty sure that this dance move may have inspired the song in the first place.

5. "The Dat Ass"

Via youtube.com

Band: B2K

Song: "Bump Bump Bump" (2002)

Skill: 8/10

Ridiculousness: 3/10

Let's get one thing straight: the members of B2K can get down. They can pop and lock with the best of them. Not to mention they seamlessly incorporated a three-nod booty glance into their choreography. Kudos!

4. "The Air Marshall"

Via youtube.com

Band: NSYNC

Song: "It's Gonna Be Me" (2001)

Skill: 7/10

Ridiculousness: 5/10

It's nice to see these guys actually dance in sync instead of being overshadowed by JT and his ramen hair. This sequence requires a lot of concentration as they have to focus on the moves while directing the landing for a Transatlantic flight.

3. "The Modified Macarena"

Via youtube.com

Band: NSYNC

Song: "Pop" (2001)

Skill: 6/10

Ridiculousness: 7/10

Bonus: +1, mid-dance costume change

The outrageous choreography is only overshadowed by the video's multiple costume changes mid-dance. This is also the one instance known to man of Chris Kirkpatrick wearing the most fashionable attire of the group.

2. "The Jean Wobble"

Via youtube.com

Band: B2K

Song: "Uh Huh" (2002)

Skill: 7/10

Ridiculousness: 4/10

Deductions: -1, member's lack of ab display

B2K seriously brought the heat in all of their videos. It's amazing that you can see each guys' individuality in this choreographed number: three members by their amount of flair, the fourth by his lack of adherence to the "no shirt" memo.

1. "The Modified River Dance"

Via youtube.com

Band: New Kids On The Block

Song: "Step By Step" (1990)

Skill: 9/10

Ridiculousness: 4/10

It's the OG boy band that puts the rest to shame. Each one of them is on point with the toe taps, synced with their arm crosses, and their slow turns are perfection. Take notes millennials, take notes.