How mainstream is Kpop in the west?

It is not mainstream in the US, and I would imagine that holds true for most of the West. My guess is that it will be very difficult to become mainstream unless Korean groups cater to potential listeners by using English.

Korean (Asian) dramas and anime have the luxury of being subtitled or even dubbed, something that is difficult to do if you are just listening to music.

Fashion magazines might feature them because magazines have global appeal and the most popular K-Pop artists are usually young, stylish, and beautiful. It is easier to translate style and beauty than language.

Something is either mainstream or it is not, there is no half measure. The rewards are so great that while it may never be mainstream, it seems here (in the West) to stay.

 John Smith:

It is not mainstream in the US, and I would imagine that holds true for most of the West. My guess is that it will be very difficult to become mainstream unless Korean groups cater to potential listeners by using English.

Korean (Asian) dramas and anime have the luxury of being subtitled or even dubbed, something that is difficult to do if you are just listening to music.

Fashion magazines might feature them because magazines have global appeal and the most popular K-Pop artists are usually young, stylish, and beautiful. It is easier to translate style and beauty than language.

Something is either mainstream or it is not, there is no half measure. The rewards are so great that while it may never be mainstream, it seems here (in the West) to stay.

Yeah, that is what I figured, that they are not mainstream at all. I just was not sure because there are not only fashion or beauty articles but also music articles - like about Exo's or Seventeen's new songs or Wheein (not) leaving Mamamoo. So things that are very specific to Kpop music. And these were next to articles about Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish. 

When I used to read these mags as a teen, most of the people they wrote about, whether it was a fashion article or music or culture, were all household names. So, unless things have changed, I cannot imagine these mags writing music articles about obscure groups only a few people know or listen to. So that's where my curiosity was coming from. And I guess by "mainstream" I meant popular among teens, since my source material is a teen girl's fashion magazine website after all haha. And I guess teen fashion mags themselves as a dying breed so there's that. 

 kardasx:

I don't know if I ever listened to any k-pop song (from a radio) in my country (in central Europe) except PSY-Gangnam style. In TV there are also no free stations that would show animes (except pokemon). Everything that they show is some US cartoons like Simpsons and Futurama. But maybe my country is not the right "West" :D

But I don't mind that they don't show it, because it would be surely dubbed and it would lose its charm. Watching anime or dramas in original language with english subtitles is the best for me. 

And dubbing asian songs? That would be the worst thing to do. Its main charm is in that "exotic" language. 

That's so true, the original language holds the most charm, whether it's music or tv shows, but especially music. Plus it's a good way to get familiar with the language!