Aespa lands third top-10 entry on Billboard 200 with 'LEMONADE'

Aespa's fresh sound has paid off. The K-pop group's latest album has broken into the top 10 of the Billboard 200, marking the third time the group has achieved the feat.

According to a Billboard chart preview published Sunday (local time), aespa's second full-length album "LEMONADE" debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, the main US album chart.

The group previously reached the top 10 with its second mini-album "Girls" (No. 3) and third mini-album "MY WORLD" (No. 9), making "LEMONADE" its third career top-10 entry on the chart.

The achievement stands out for being driven not only by physical album sales but also by strong performance across the streaming market.

Aespa moved 34,500 traditional album units during the tracking period, landing at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart. Streaming equivalent albums (SEA) contributed an additional 6,500 units — representing roughly 6.73 million on-demand audio streams — with track equivalent albums (TEA) adding further support. The result came amid stiff competition: Drake's "ICEMAN" held the top spot for a third consecutive week, while Paul McCartney's new album entered at No. 5.

Aespa also made history on the UK Official Charts, published the previous day. The title track "Lemonade" debuted at No. 95 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 — the first time aespa has appeared on the UK's main singles chart since its debut. The track also charted at No. 13 on the Singles Downloads Chart and No. 15 on the Singles Sales Chart, demonstrating genuine traction among British listeners.

With "LEMONADE," aespa leaned into an expanded lore and a deliberate musical pivot. The group had long built its identity around a so-called "metallic" sound set against the dystopian warrior world of "KWANGYA."

The second full-length album centers on a crack in that universe caused by a "Lemon Bug" that tumbles in from a parallel world. The narrative follows aespa crossing "P.O.S" — a dimensional transit corridor — to transform a dark world with bright, positive energy. The album's guiding motto: "Think of hardship and pain as lemons, and blend them into lemonade." Musically, the group trades its sharp metallic sound for a refreshing, addictive brand of hyper-electronic pop.

Aespa has shown consistent, stair-step growth on North American charts. Its first mini-album "Savage" entered the Billboard 200 at No. 20, followed by a career-best No. 3 with "Girls." Subsequent releases charted as follows: "MY WORLD" at No. 9, "Drama" at No. 33, the first full-length album "Armageddon" at No. 25, and "Whiplash" at No. 50 — a run that has kept the group consistently among the most visible K-pop acts on the chart.