Stray Kids claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart dated Dec. 28 with their latest album, Hop, Billboard announced Dec. 21. This marks the group’s sixth overall No. 1 on the U.S. main albums chart.
Billboard noted that Stray Kids made history as the first act in the chart’s 69-year history to debut six consecutive albums at No. 1. The group, which debuted in 2018, first topped the chart in March 2022 with their EP Oddinary. Every release since—including MAXIDENT (October 2022), ★★★★★ (5-STAR) (June 2023), ROCK-STAR (樂-STAR) (November 2023), and ATE (July 2024)—has debuted at No. 1 during its first week.
While BTS previously achieved six No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, some of their albums debuted lower on the chart before reaching the top. According to Billboard, Stray Kids now share the distinction of having the most No. 1 albums by a group since 2000 alongside BTS, Linkin Park, and Dave Matthews Band.
Hop earned 187,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, with 171,000 of those from physical album sales, surpassing competitors like Kendrick Lamar’s GNX and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
The album’s title is a play on “SKZ-Hop,” combining the abbreviation for Stray Kids’ English name “SKZ” and “hip-hop,” reflecting their experimental and free-spirited musical style. The 12-track album, including the title song “Walkin’ On Water,” channels 1990s old-school hip-hop vibes.
Hop was primarily recorded in Korean, Billboard highlighted, marking it as the 27th non-English album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Of those, 18 were Korean-language albums. Twenty-three of the 27 non-English No. 1 albums have been released since BTS became the first Korean group to top the chart in 2018, underscoring the global impact of K-pop and BTS’s influence in paving the way for subsequent non-English albums to achieve such milestones.
The eight K-pop acts that have topped the Billboard 200 include BTS and Stray Kids (six times each), ATEEZ (twice), and SuperM, BLACKPINK, Tomorrow X Together, NewJeans, and TWICE (once each).
Stray Kids are currently on their “dominATE” world tour, with 48 shows across 32 regions. Starting in March, they will perform at stadium venues with capacities of over 50,000 seats in key locations across Latin America, North America, and Europe, including Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium and New York’s Citi Field.
Stray Kids credited their fans for the achievement, stating, “We are deeply thankful to our fans for making this historic milestone possible.”
