Stray Kids tops Billboard 200 for 9th straight time — the most ever for a K-pop act

Stray Kids have claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the ninth consecutive time, extending their own record as the K-pop act with the most No. 1 albums on the United States' main album chart. The milestone comes roughly eight years after BTS first planted the K-pop flag atop the chart in 2018, adding another chapter to the genre's run in the American market.

According to Billboard, Stray Kids' mini album "This & That" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated Monday, making it the group's ninth chart-topper overall.

The achievement places Stray Kids alongside the Rolling Stones — who also have nine No. 1 albums — trailing only the Beatles, who hold the all-time record with 19.

Nine K-pop acts and projects have now topped the Billboard 200, combining for 25 No. 1 albums in total. Stray Kids lead with nine, followed by BTS with seven, Ateez with three, and SuperM, Blackpink, Tomorrow X Together, NewJeans, Twice and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack with one each.

K-pop's Billboard 200 dominance has been built one fierce first-week sales battle at a time, with each chart-topper earned against some of the biggest names in pop music.

BTS were the first K-pop act to reach No. 1, doing so in June 2018 when "Love Yourself: Tear" moved 135,000 units — including 100,000 in pure sales, 26,000 streaming-equivalent units and 9,000 track-equivalent units — to dethrone Post Malone's "Beerbongs & Bentleys."

That September, "Love Yourself: Answer" followed with 185,000 units, pushing past Ariana Grande's "Sweetener" to give BTS back-to-back No. 1 albums.

The group kept the momentum going in April 2019, when "Map of the Soul: Persona" (230,000 units) topped Billie Eilish's then-new release.

That October, SM Entertainment's supergroup SuperM surprised the industry by debuting at No. 1 with their self-titled mini album, moving 168,000 units to edge out R&B newcomer Summer Walker's "Over It." It was the first Billboard 200 No. 1 for any SM act.

BTS shifted into a higher gear in 2020. Their fourth studio album "Map of the Soul: 7," released in March, racked up 422,000 units — including 347,000 in pure sales — to outsell hip-hop heavyweight Lil Baby's "My Turn" and set the group's best first-week total to that point. That December, the mini album "BE" added a fifth No. 1 with 242,000 units, overtaking Megan Thee Stallion's "Good News."

From 2022 onward, the landscape diversified as fourth-generation boy groups surged and girl groups joined the ranks of chart-toppers.

In April 2022, Stray Kids claimed their first-ever No. 1 with "ODDINARY" (110,000 units), besting Lil Durk's "7220." BTS returned to the top in June with their anthology album "Proof" (314,000 units), knocking off Bad Bunny's global streaming juggernaut "Un Verano Sin Ti." That October, Blackpink made history with their second studio album "Born Pink" (102,000 units), becoming the first global girl group to top the Billboard 200 in 11 years — again at the expense of Bad Bunny. Stray Kids closed out the month with a back-to-back No. 1 of their own, as "MAXIDENT" (117,000 units) edged out Lil Baby's "It's Only Me."

Five K-pop albums reached No. 1 in 2023, marking a strong year for the genre. In February, Tomorrow X Together's "The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION" (161,000 units) snapped SZA's nine-week run at the top with her album "SOS." June belonged to Stray Kids, whose third studio album "5-STAR" (249,500 units) overpowered Morgan Wallen. August brought a landmark moment for girl groups: NewJeans' second mini album "Get Up" (126,500 units) edged out the "Barbie The Album" soundtrack by just 500 units.

Stray Kids returned to the top in November 2023, with "ROCK-STAR" (224,000 units) defeating Chris Brown. That December, Ateez pulled off what many called a miracle for a mid-sized agency, as "THE WORLD EP.FIN : WILL" (152,000 units) knocked Taylor Swift's "1989 (Taylor's Version)" off the top spot.

In March 2024, Twice claimed their first-ever No. 1 with their 13th mini album "With YOU-th" (95,000 units), topping Morgan Wallen. Ateez secured their second No. 1 in June with "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.1" (191,000 units), besting Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department."

August 2024 produced a striking sight: Stray Kids' "ATE" (232,000 units) and BTS member Jimin's solo album "MUSE" (96,000 units) occupied the top two spots simultaneously, the first time two Korean acts held the chart's top two positions at once. That December, Stray Kids' mixtape "SKZHOP HIPTAPE: HOP" (187,000 units) topped hip-hop titan Kendrick Lamar's "GNX."

The record-breaking run reached its peak in 2025 and 2026. In August 2025, Stray Kids' "KARMA" (313,000 units) topped Morgan Wallen, and that December "SKZ IT TAPE: DO IT" (295,000 units) defeated Kendrick Lamar.

This past April, a fully reunited BTS released "Arirang" and set an all-time record with 641,000 units — including 532,000 in pure sales — the highest single-week sales total ever recorded by a group on the chart. Also in April, Ateez completed a hat trick with "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4" (200,000 units), defeating J. Cole's "The Fall-Off" for their third No. 1. June saw the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack (125,000 units) — the first animated theatrical film soundtrack to top the chart — claim the top spot over Chappell Roan.

Then this month, Stray Kids' "This & That" (369,000 units) overwhelmed Ariana Grande's "Petal" (82,000 units) by more than four to one, completing nine consecutive No. 1 albums.

Among the labels behind the 25 No. 1 albums, JYP Entertainment and Hybe together account for 76 percent of the total, effectively splitting the market between them.

JYP leads all labels with 10 No. 1 albums — a 40 percent share — driven by Stray Kids' nine chart-toppers and Twice's one. The label's close partnership with US distribution partner Republic Records helped secure prominent placement in major brick-and-mortar retail chains such as Target and Barnes & Noble.

Hybe follows with nine No. 1 albums — a 36 percent share — spanning BTS (seven), Tomorrow X Together (one) and NewJeans (one), demonstrating the strength of its multi-label system. KQ Entertainment stands out as the only mid-sized agency to reach the top, doing so three times (12 percent) on the strength of Ateez. SM and YG each have one No. 1 — SuperM and Blackpink, respectively, at 4 percent each — with a Sony Music-distributed film soundtrack rounding out the list at one entry (4 percent).

Topping the album chart is, above all, a victory of fandom mobilization. A defining characteristic of K-pop's Billboard performance is the overwhelming share of pure physical album sales, which account for between 80 and 95 percent of total units in most cases.

Collectors' incentives unique to K-pop — photo cards, random cover variants and elaborate packaging — drive the mass purchasing power of highly loyal core fandoms.

American pop competitors, by contrast, tend to sustain long chart runs through a different model: broad mainstream appeal translated into streaming-equivalent units and radio airplay.

For all the dominance on the album chart, K-pop's performance on the Hot 100 — the main singles chart — remains comparatively limited. Even Stray Kids, with nine consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, have yet to crack the top 40 on the singles chart; their best showing to date is No. 49, reached by "Chk Chk Boom" in August 2024.