2015–present: Leading roles
In 2015, Hyeri was cast as the lead of the tvN drama Reply 1988. The drama premiered in November and went on to become a commercial success with audience ratings peaking at 18.8%, making it one of the highest rated dramas in Korean cable television history. Hyeri received critical and audience acclaim for her award-winning portrayal of the female protagonist. In the show, Hyeri's character was the Madagascar picket girl at the 1988 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony. Due to the series' status as a cultural phenomenon, the actress was chosen by the Madagascar delegation to become its official flag bearer at the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. However, due to her busy schedule, Hyeri declined the offer.
In 2016, Hyeri was cast as the lead in the SBS drama Entertainer along with actor Ji Sung and CNBLUE member Kang Min-hyuk, which began airing on April 20 and for which she won "New Star Award" at 2016 SBS Drama Awards. In 2017, she also starred in the police comedy drama Two Cops alongside Jo Jung-suk and Kim Seon-ho.
In 2017, it was announced that Hyeri would be making her big screen debut as the female lead in Monstrum; filming began in April. Monstrum premiered in September, 2018. In 2018, Hyeri was cast in My Punch-Drunk Boxer, a boxing comedy drama film. The film premiered at 20th Jeonju International Film Festival in September, 2019; its general release followed in October, 2019. In 2019, Hyeri also starred in tvN's office comedy drama Miss Lee.
Besides acting, Hyeri frequently guests on variety shows. She has been described as a "blue chip" in the entertainment industry due to her "frank and easy-going charms, bright energy and flexible chemistry with other cast members". Since 2018, Hyeri had been a regular cast member of DoReMi Market, a weekly television program airing on tvN. In late 2020, she left the show to focus on her acting career.
In 2021, Hyeri starred in tvN's fantasy-romance drama My Roommate Is a Gumiho alongside Jang Ki-yong, produced by iQIYI. The series was a commercial success, amassing more than 100 million views on the online video platform and becoming its most-watched original drama series of the year. Later that year, Hyeri starred in KBS2's historical drama Moonshine alongside Yoo Seung-ho.
In 2022, Hyeri starred in the television series May I Help You?. For her performance, she received the Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries at the 2022 MBC Drama Awards. Later in 2022, she hosted the 2022 KBS Drama Awards alongside Jun Hyun-moo and Jung Yong-hwa. During the ceremony, she was awarded the Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries for her role in Moonshine. In 2023, Hyeri starred in the ENA variety show HMLYCP.
On March 6, 2023, Hyeri was cast in the cheerleading movie Victory. The film premiered at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival, where she was awarded with the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award for her performance in the film. She also earned a nominations for best new actress award in 61st Baeksang Arts Awards.
In November 2023, she was cast in the Netflix reality competition show Agents of Mystery. In June 2024, Hyeri signed with agency Sublime.
In 2025, Hyeri starred as lead role in teen mystery thriller series Friendly Rivalry. Based on the webtoon of the same name by Song Chae-yoon and Shim Jae-young, it was released on U+ Mobile TV from February 10 to March 6, 2025, airing every Monday to Thursday. She portrayed Yoo Jae-yi, the school's top student with a perfect score on her CSAT test. Hyeri's performance in the series garnered critical and audience praise for her transformation into a calculating and mysterious character, a departure from her previous "bubbly girl" roles, and for exploring same-sex attraction. She earned a nomination for Best Actress at the 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards.
