Full Breakdown
Stray Kids Achieve Ninth Billboard 200 No. 1 with “THIS & THAT”
8/17/2026, 1:54:48 AM
Record-setting debut
On August 16 local time, Billboard announced that Stray Kids’ mini-album “THIS & THAT” entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1. The release logged 369,000 equivalent album units for the week ending August 13, the group’s largest U.S. week to date. Of that total, 357,000 were traditional album sales, making the album the week’s best-selling record in pure sales.
Background & Context
Stray Kids first topped the Billboard 200 with “ODDINARY” in 2022. In 2024 the group became the first act to debut its first six entries at No. 1 with “HOP.” The latest achievement extends that streak to nine consecutive No. 1 debuts, a feat unmatched in the chart’s 70-year history. The group now ties The Rolling Stones for the second-most No. 1 albums among groups, behind only The Beatles (19). Their record also reinforces Stray Kids’ lead among K-pop acts for the most Billboard 200 No. 1s.
Data & Statistics
- 369,000 equivalent album units (Luminate data).
- 357,000 traditional album sales; 11,000 streaming-equivalent album (SEA) units; 1,000 track-equivalent album (TEA) units.
- SEA units correspond to 12.21 million on-demand audio streams.
- The week ranks as the sixth-largest album week of 2026 by total units and the second-largest traditional-sales week, behind BTS’s “ARIRANG” (532,000).
- Physical formats were released in 17 CD and vinyl variants, many containing collectible items such as photocards, posters and randomized signed editions.
- Spotify reported 12.8 million streams on the first day and 46 million streams in the first week, the biggest debut week for any fourth-generation K-pop act in 2026. Six album tracks entered Spotify’s Global chart simultaneously, with the title track reaching No. 31 with 2.3 million streams.
Official Statements & Responses
Billboard’s chart methodology notes that the Billboard 200 ranks albums using multi-metric consumption: one unit equals a full album sale, ten track sales, or a streaming conversion (2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 paid/subscription streams). Luminate, the data provider for the chart, verifies and authenticates all submissions before final calculations, removing any data deemed suspicious or unverifiable.
Why It Matters
The achievement underscores Stray Kids’ growing commercial power in the United States, a market traditionally dominated by Western and earlier-generation K-pop acts. By consistently delivering high physical-sale volumes through collectible packaging and securing massive streaming numbers, the group demonstrates a hybrid sales model that leverages both fan-driven merchandise purchases and digital consumption. Their tie with The Rolling Stones places a fourth-generation K-pop act among the most historically successful groups on the Billboard 200, highlighting the genre’s sustained penetration of the U.S. mainstream market.
