Stray Kids Broke Billboard History Again: Here's What You Need to Know

The Numbers That Made Fans Double-Check

This isn’t one of those “charting well” stories. Stray Kids are doing something that makes even longtime fans stop and reread the numbers.

After releasing DO IT in November, the album continued climbing instead of fading. As of January 3, 2026, it’s sitting at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 — five consecutive weeks on the main chart. At the same time, it held No. 1 on the World Albums chart for five straight weeks.

That alone would be impressive. But this isn’t where the story peaks.

The KARMA Era That Refuses to End

While DO IT keeps gaining momentum, Stray Kids’ fourth studio album KARMA is still holding its ground.

The album has now spent 18 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200, officially setting a new personal record for the group’s longest chart run. It debuted at No. 1 in 2024 — and instead of dropping off, it settled in.

This is the kind of longevity most artists hope for once. Stray Kids are doing it while releasing new music on top.

Japan Didn’t Just Notice — It Ranked Them

The scale of their success isn’t limited to the U.S. Japan’s Oricon year-end rankings for 2025 made that very clear.

Their Japanese mini album Hollow placed No. 5 on the annual album chart — the highest ranking achieved by any K-pop artist that year. And it didn’t stop there.

• Hollow — No. 5 (highest K-pop ranking of 2025)
• KARMA — No. 15
• HOP — No. 40
• DO IT — No. 59
• GIANT — No. 94

Five albums. One group. One year. That’s not hype — that’s presence.

The Record That Actually Changed the Conversation

This is the part that puts everything into perspective.

Stray Kids became the only group in Billboard 200 history to debut at No. 1 with seven consecutive releases — and then extend that streak to eight consecutive No. 1 entries.

No one else has done this. Not before them.

Albums like KARMA and DO IT didn’t just perform well — they reinforced a pattern. Consistency at the top, release after release.

What These Numbers Really Say

This isn’t about one successful era. It’s about a fanbase that shows up globally, every time — whether it’s the U.S., Japan, or anywhere else.

2025 was supposed to be the year Stray Kids proved their staying power. Instead, they expanded it. Their dominATE world tour crossed continents, filled stadiums, and reportedly covered distances equivalent to circling the Earth multiple times.

This isn’t standard idol-group growth. This is global-act behavior.

The Bigger Pattern

Every stat points to the same thing: repeatability.

Stray Kids aren’t surviving on one hit or one album cycle. They release, chart, tour, and then do it again — at the same level or higher. That’s the hardest thing to pull off in music.

As 2026 begins, they’re not chasing relevance. They’re carrying momentum. And if the past year is any indication, whatever comes next won’t be small.