SHINee ('SHINE' meaning light, and 'ee' is a suffix, thus meaning 'one who receives the light') (Hangul: 샤이니)  is a South Korean boy group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2008. They were introduced as a contemporary R&B boy group by their company with the goal to be trendsetters in all areas of music, fashion, dance, etc. and debuted on May 25, 2008 with their first EP, Replay on SBS's Inkigayo with their single "Replay". The fandom name came into being on September 2, 2008 marking 100 days from SHINee's debut and is called ShaWol, shortened from SHINee World.

The group gained attention for starting a fashion trend amongst students, which the media dubbed the "SHINee Trend". In August, 2008, the group released their first Korean studio album The Shinee World, which won the Newcomer Album of the Year at the 23rd Golden Disk Awards. Shinee further consolidated their popularity on the South Korean music scene with follow-up singles "Ring Ding Dong" and "Lucifer". "Ring Ding Dong" charted on top of several Korean music charts and gained popularity all over Asia. "Lucifer" was nominated for the Best Dance Performance Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2010 for its outstanding choreography.

In 2012 the group released Sherlock, which became the fifth most sold album of the year with over 180,000 copies sold. The group has also been included in the Forbes list of Korea Power Celebrity 40 multiple times, once in 2014 and again in 2016.​

SHINee are considered as one of the best live vocalists in K-pop and are known for their highly synchronized and complex dance routines and were awarded the Best Dance Performance Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards three times in a row for their dance performances to "Sherlock", "Dream Girl" and "View". SHINee's signature musical style is contemporary R&B but the group is known for their experimental sound, incorporating various genres including funk rock, hip hop, and EDM. The group's popularity in their native country South Korea has earned them numerous accolades and titles like "Princes of K-pop".

SHINee started out with 5 members including Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taemin. On December 18, 2017 tragedy struck as their main vocalist Jonghyun tragically took his own life. He will be forever missed and loved... You did well Jonghyun, rest in peace.