How Stray Kids Built a Record-Breaking Run of Nine No. 1 Albums on the Billboard 200

Nine Albums, Nine No. 1 Debuts: The Strategy Behind Stray Kids’ Historic Billboard Run

For Stray Kids, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 is no longer an isolated breakthrough. It has become a pattern no other group has managed to reproduce.

The group’s new mini-album, “THIS & THAT,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated August 22, extending Stray Kids’ remarkable run to nine consecutive chart-topping releases. Every album the group has placed on the chart since “ODDINARY” in 2022 has opened at the summit.

“THIS & THAT” earned 369,000 equivalent album units in the United States during its opening week, according to figures from Luminate reported by Korean media. That total included 357,000 traditional album sales, 11,000 streaming-equivalent units and 1,000 track-equivalent units.

It was the group’s biggest U.S. sales week to date, rising approximately 25 percent from its previous release. More importantly, the increase arrived on the ninth album in the sequence, showing that the commercial momentum surrounding Stray Kids has continued to grow rather than weakening after the group’s initial breakthrough.

The achievement makes Stray Kids the group with the most Billboard 200 No. 1 albums released during the 21st century. Their nine leaders also place them alongside the Rolling Stones in the historical ranking for groups, behind the Beatles.

From ODDINARY to THIS & THAT

Stray Kids first reached No. 1 with “ODDINARY” in March 2022. At the time, it represented the group’s arrival at the highest level of the American album market. What followed turned that breakthrough into an unprecedented sequence.

“MAXIDENT,” “5-STAR,” “ROCK-STAR” and “ATE” each debuted at No. 1. “HOP,” “KARMA” and “DO IT” extended the run before “THIS & THAT” became its ninth entry.

The sequence matters because there has been no interruption. Stray Kids did not alternate between chart-topping albums and lower-performing releases. Each new project entered the chart with enough concentrated demand to defeat every competing album during its respective release week.

When “ATE” became their fifth consecutive No. 1 in 2024, Billboard reported that Stray Kids were the first group whose first five charting albums all debuted at the summit. They have since extended that record four more times.

Their latest result also ties Taylor Swift for the most No. 1 albums among all artists during the 2020s, according to the comparisons released with the new chart. Stray Kids additionally achieved nine Billboard 200 leaders in the shortest period for an act since the Beatles.

These historical comparisons should not imply that the artists have identical careers, audiences or cultural reach. They demonstrate something more specific: the extraordinary speed and consistency with which Stray Kids have accumulated No. 1 albums in the United States.

A Fanbase Built Around Albums, Not Just Singles

The composition of the 369,000-unit total reveals one of the most important reasons behind the record.

More than 96 percent of the opening-week units came from traditional album sales. That indicates an exceptionally strong physical-album market supported by STAY, the group’s fandom. K-pop albums are often designed as collectible packages featuring different versions, photographs and randomized inclusions, but those products still require a sufficiently large and motivated audience to generate repeat purchases on this scale.

Stray Kids have maintained that relationship by treating each album as part of a larger creative world. Visual concepts, member-focused content, performance videos and behind-the-scenes material give fans multiple ways to engage with a release beyond listening to its title track.

The numbers also reveal an important distinction. A Billboard 200 No. 1 does not automatically mean an album dominated every form of American music consumption equally. “THIS & THAT” received 11,000 streaming-equivalent units, while physical purchases provided the overwhelming majority of its total.

Rather than diminishing the achievement, that balance explains it more accurately. Stray Kids have built one of the world’s most effective album-buying fandoms at a time when much of the wider industry depends primarily on individual-song streaming.

Self-Production Made Their Sound Recognizable

Commercial organization alone cannot explain why the same audience continues returning for each release. Stray Kids also offer a strong and recognizable creative identity.

The group’s internal production unit 3RACHA, comprising Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, has been involved in shaping its music since before its official debut. The members’ continued participation in writing and production has allowed the group to develop a catalogue based on its own musical language rather than repeatedly changing direction to follow outside trends.

That language includes forceful rap, electronic experimentation, abrupt structural changes and performance-driven hooks. Not every Stray Kids song sounds the same, but the group rarely becomes difficult to identify.

“THIS & THAT” was presented as a display of that flexibility. Its track list moves between relaxed summer material, high-energy performance songs and influences from 2000s pop. However, the project remains connected by the members’ direct creative participation, with 3RACHA credited across the album.

Stray Kids acknowledged that identity in a statement following the chart result.

“As a team that sincerely loves music and wants to give positive energy and strength to many people through music, we are deeply honored to achieve the major record of nine consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200,” the members said through JYP Entertainment.

They added that, in keeping with the meaning of their name, they would continue moving beyond established boundaries and expanding their own musical spectrum.

Touring Turned Digital Fandom Into Physical Scale

The Billboard streak has developed alongside a major expansion in Stray Kids’ touring business.

Their “dominATE” world tour moved the group into stadiums across Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe. Billboard France reported that the tour’s 2025 performances sold more than one million tickets, including record-setting results for a K-pop tour in parts of Latin America.

This touring growth is significant because it shows that the fandom supporting the albums is not limited to online engagement or bulk purchasing. Stray Kids can also bring large audiences into physical venues across multiple continents.

The relationship works in both directions. Successful albums create demand for concerts, while large tours deepen the connection between the group and its international audience before the next comeback. Stray Kids have repeated that cycle at unusual speed, releasing new music frequently while maintaining an intensive touring schedule.

Their next major appearances include Brazil’s Rock in Rio and STRAYCITY, a new festival built around the group. These headlining stages place Stray Kids in environments larger than conventional K-pop promotional showcases and further establish them as a live attraction.

Why the Ninth No. 1 Matters

Stray Kids are now in their ninth year as a group, making the arrival of their ninth Billboard 200 No. 1 symbolically meaningful to the members.

“Just as if it were fate, we achieved our ninth Billboard 200 No. 1 in our ninth year since debut,” they said. The group credited STAY for making the record possible and expressed a desire to show global audiences the continuing growth of both Stray Kids and K-pop.

The more important number, however, may be the 25 percent increase over the previous project. Repetition can sometimes make a No. 1 debut appear routine, but growing first-week consumption after eight previous chart-toppers is not routine. It suggests that the group is still converting new listeners into committed supporters while retaining its established audience.

Stray Kids’ nine-album streak was not created by one crossover single or a sudden viral moment. It was assembled release by release through a consistent musical identity, collectable album culture, frequent fan communication and increasingly ambitious touring.

“THIS & THAT” is therefore not simply another No. 1. It is evidence that Stray Kids have turned their unconventional sound into one of the most dependable commercial systems in contemporary pop.