Five vibrant personalities and five nicknames, Scary, Baby, Sporty, Ginger and Posh (aka the Spice Girls) sold tens of millions of albums, had a box-office film and brought the phrase "girl power" to the masses. The quintet helped push a second wave of British music on America's charts.

Fifth Harmony is the latest girl group making waves around the world. Created on the U.S. version of The X Factor, the quintet have racked up a hit EP (Better Together hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in late 2013) and a slew of hit singles (including their first Top 40 hit "Sledgehammer"). Big things are expected from the girls when they drop their debut full-length Reflection in February.

Like international U.K. stars One Direction, Leona Lewis and Cher Lloyd, the foursome is the result of the British version of The X Factor. But Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirwall and Perrie Edwards have the distinction of being the first and, so far, only girl group to win the competition. The fervor has translated Stateside with the girls scoring two Top 10 albums in the U.S.

Perhaps the most unique girl group today, the Japanese teenage trio combine pop music melodies with heavy-metal production. If it sounds off-putting, well, Babymetal has found fans in Lady Gaga and Slayer while playing sold-out shows in America and their native Japan.

DK came to fruition on Diddy's Making the Band in 2005. Though they formally disbanded in 2009 after two No.1 albums, the ladies of Danity Kane (sans D. Woods) appeared at the 2013 VMAs together to announce that they would be reuniting. A new album, DK3, featuring just Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard and Shannon Bex after Aundrea Fimbres bowed out when she found out she was pregnant.

Under P. Diddy's mentorship, Dream had a quick rise to fame with two Top 40 hits "He Loves U Not" and "This Is Me." The quartet became the first female act ever to earn the coveted No. 1 slot on TRL and had a platinum-certified LP. When the material from their sophomore disc failed to make waves, the album was shelved and the group quietly disbanded. Since 2010, different members at different times have discussed a possible reunion. 

According to the charts, Girls Aloud are Britain's favorite girl group. Created on a British reality singing competition, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Cole and Sarah Harding earned 20 consecutive Top 10 singles and the title "Most Successful Reality TV Group" from Guinness World Records. After a hiatus in 2009, they reunited for a 2012 greatest hits album and a tour the following year, before disbanding in March 2013.

Motown outfit Martha & The Vandellas charted more than two dozen hits, including signature tune "Dancing in the Street," in the '60s and '70s. The group didn't include anyone named Martha until adding Martha Reeves, who became lead vocalist after an original member left. The Vandellas went through multiple member changes until Martha announced plans for a solo career. The final lineup (Martha with sisters Lois and Delphine) occasionally reunite for concerts.

K-pop quartet 2NE1 very well might be the fiercest ladies hailing from South Korea. Their blend of pop, hip hop and EDM has earned fans from will.i.am—who featured the girls on his #willpower album—M.I.A., Diplo, Jeremy Scott and more. In 2014, the girls earned the best-charting and highest-selling K-pop album ever when their Crush LP hit No. 61 on the Billboard 200. Plus, the quartet was the first female act from Korea to embark on a U.S. arena tour.

HAIM established themselves as one of 2013's breakout acts with harmony-driven songs, '70s-inspired vocals and a can't-miss live show. The sisters' meticulously crafted singles like "Falling" and "The Wire" helped send their debut LP, Days Are Gone, to the Top 10 and every critics' year-end best albums list.

The largest pop group in the world according to Guinness World Records, this Japanese girl group began with 48 members who perform daily concerts in Japan before expanding to 140 girls with splinter and sister groups. The outfit sells a massive amount of singles and CDs in Japan, mostly because the public has a stake in them—fans vote on new members and decide who gets the lead vocals on which songs.

One of the top R&B acts of the '90s, the quartet notched half a dozen Top 10 singles on the Hot 100. Today, you might know member Tameka "Tiny" Cottle for her reality show with husband T.I.

Skewing closer to the indie end of the spectrum were the LA-based ladies of The Like, who embodied the sound and style of beloved 1960s pop groups but with a fresh, modern energy, and production help from Mark Ronson and the Dap-Kings. Although the band officially announced a hiatus in 2011, they spontaneously reunited for a show in Japan in December 2013, which leaves us crossing our fingers for the future.

For those unfamiliar, the best way to think of K-pop quartet Sistar is by imagining an act who can send any single to No. 1—kind of like four Katy Perrys. In less than four years, the Sistar girls have snagged a whopping ten No. 1 hits on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100: Four as a group, three from leader Hyorin, two from member Soyu and one via a duet between Hyorin and rapper Bora.

One of the few crossover-country acts, the Dixie Chicks earned three No. 1 albums, ten Top 40 singles and 13 GRAMMY awards. In the early 2000s, the Dallas band became more known for negative thoughts about George W. Bush. But with 27 million albums sold in the U.S., they remain the biggest-selling country group since the '90s.

3LW, short for "Three Little Women," were a short-lived but memorable urban pop trio made up of Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams and Naturi Naughton. With deals from Epic Records as well as So So Def, the group was known for singles such as "Playas Gon' Play" and "No More (Baby Ima Do Right)," until they ultimately disbanded in 2007.

London-based post punk outfit Savages were one of the hottest acts to emerge in 2013. Their intense full-length debut Silence Yourself recalled the likes of Joy Division and Siouxie & The Banshees, and earned them critical acclaim in the UK and USA alike.

This Midwestern punk trio were born during the grunge explosion of the late 80s/early 90s, and had all the grit to prove it. These women rocked and rolled their way all over the world, from festival stages to opening slots on tour with Sonic Youth. They disbanded in 2001, but in early 2014, bassist Maureen Herman hinted at a possible Babes reunion on the horizon.

Girls' Generation is an international K-pop force, thanks in a large part to their ultra-dedicated fanbase. At the inaugural YouTube Music Awards, their fans—affectionately known as Sones—outvoted Beliebers, Directioners, Little Monsters and more to snag the girls' Video of the Year. The outfit is one of the biggest and most powerful acts to come out of Korea with Forbes Korea placing them at No. 1 on their annual Celebrity 40 list in 2011, 2012 and 2014. 

Known as a post-punk supergroup, Wild Flag is made up of Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein (also known as half of Portlandia), Autoclave's Mary Timony, the Minders' Rebecca Cole and Sleater-Kinney/Quasi member Janet Weiss. They've only released one album, a self-titled set in 2011, but are said not to be active as of 2014. With the recent Sleater-Kinney reunion, maybe we'll see a Wild Flag resurgence, too.

Some Americans might recognize these ladies from their E! reality show Chasing The Saturdays, but anyone across the pond can testify that The Saturdays have been making hits on the scene since 2007, when they got their start opening for Girls Aloud and the Jonas Brothers. Five studio albums and thirteen Top 10 UK singles later, the English-Irish group are still at it.

While Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and 5 Seconds of Summer all got discovered on YouTube, the six-sister act Cimorelli proved that girl groups could also get a record deal off a massive online following. With more than 3 million YouTube subscribers and a half-billion views on their official channel, the girls landed a deal with Island Records.

Put together by Robin Antin (a.k.a. the woman who created the Pussycat Dolls), this new girl group has pushed through member changes and tragedy (including Simone Battle committing suicide in mid-2014) to link up with hitmakers like Dr. Luke and Pitbull. The future looks bright for the quartet, too: Their latest single, "Lighthouse," is their best song yet (and it's dedicated to Simone).