Stray Kids Tie The Rolling Stones’ Billboard Record as “THIS & THAT” Debuts at No. 1

Stray Kids have achieved another enormous Billboard milestone. Their latest release, “THIS & THAT,” has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving the group another chart-topping album and putting them level with legendary rock band The Rolling Stones for the second-most No. 1 albums among groups in Billboard 200 history. The achievement was highlighted by Soompi as one of the day’s biggest K-pop stories.

The result is particularly significant because “THIS & THAT” delivered Stray Kids’ ninth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. That means the group has now maintained an extraordinary level of consistency on the U.S. album chart, extending a record they already held for the most No. 1 albums among groups this century.

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums in the United States based on a combination of equivalent album units, including traditional album sales, track-equivalent albums, and streaming-equivalent albums.

For Stray Kids, physical album sales have historically played a major role in their American chart success, reflecting the enormous dedication of their global fandom, STAY.

“THIS & THAT” represents another chapter in the group’s increasingly international career. Since debuting under JYP Entertainment in 2018, Stray Kids have transformed from a promising rookie act into one of the biggest touring and album-selling groups in contemporary K-pop.

Their rise has been driven partly by their distinctive creative identity. Members of the group’s production team, particularly Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, have played major roles in writing and producing their music, helping Stray Kids develop a sound that often moves between hip-hop, electronic music, rock influences, and aggressive performance tracks.

That self-produced identity has become a major part of their appeal.

The Billboard milestone also puts the group’s current achievement into historical perspective. The Beatles remain the overall leaders among groups with 19 No. 1 albums, while Stray Kids and The Rolling Stones now share the second position with nine each.

For a K-pop group to reach that territory is remarkable, particularly because the Billboard 200’s history stretches back decades before K-pop became a global commercial force.

The achievement comes during another busy period for Stray Kids, who are continuing their global activities and expanding their international touring footprint. Their ability to pair major album sales with large-scale concerts has helped establish them as one of K-pop’s most commercially powerful touring acts.

The group’s latest No. 1 therefore isn’t simply another trophy for the résumé. It reinforces the scale and consistency of Stray Kids’ American audience.

With “THIS & THAT” now sitting at the top of the Billboard 200, STAY can expect the group to continue promoting the release while maintaining its wider global activities.

Nine No. 1 albums down. The Beatles’ record remains a distant mountain, but Stray Kids have already carved out a remarkable piece of Billboard history.