Published: August 17, 2026 · 3:14 PM EDT
The K-pop group earns 369,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., including 357,000 in album sales, matching The Rolling Stones for the second-most Billboard 200 No. 1 albums among groups behind only The Beatles
Stray Kids have reached another major U.S. music-industry milestone as THIS & THAT debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving the group its ninth chart-topping album.
The eight-track release earned 369,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the week ending August 13, according to Billboard and Luminate. Of that total, 357,000 units came from traditional album sales, giving Stray Kids their biggest sales week to date.
The achievement also moves Stray Kids into rare historical territory. With nine Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, the group now ties The Rolling Stones for the second-most chart-toppers among groups, while The Beatles remain first with 19.
The numbers behind THIS & THAT make the debut particularly interesting from a music-business perspective.
Album sales accounted for 357,000 of the record's 369,000 equivalent units. Streaming-equivalent album units contributed another 11,000, representing approximately 12.21 million official on-demand streams, while track-equivalent units accounted for the remaining 1,000.
That means the No. 1 debut was driven overwhelmingly by people purchasing the album rather than by streaming consumption alone.
Billboard reports that THIS & THAT was available across 17 CD and vinyl variants, with physical editions containing collectible elements, while the campaign also included eight digital download variants.
That physical-product strategy is an important part of the commercial story. Different configurations, collectible inclusions and signed editions can turn an album release into multiple products aimed at an audience still willing to purchase music rather than only stream it.
The opening gives THIS & THAT Stray Kids' largest week ever by equivalent album units.
Billboard also places the 369,000-unit debut among the six largest album weeks of 2026.
The traditional sales component is equally significant: THIS & THAT enters Billboard's Top Album Sales chart at No. 1 with its 357,000 copies sold.
For an industry increasingly measured through a combination of streaming and direct purchases, Stray Kids' numbers show a commercial model heavily supported by physical and downloadable album sales.
The new album also extends one of the more unusual streaks in Billboard 200 history.
Every Stray Kids release that has entered the Billboard 200 has debuted at No. 1. The run began with ODDINARY in 2022 and has now reached nine consecutive chart-topping entries. Billboard had already identified Stray Kids as the first act to see its first six Billboard 200 entries debut at No. 1 when HOP reached the summit in 2024; the group has since extended that record.
The nine No. 1 albums are:
ODDINARY - 2022
MAXIDENT - 2022
5-STAR - 2023
ROCK-STAR - 2023
ATE - 2024
HOP - 2024
KARMA - 2025
DO IT - 2025
THIS & THAT - 2026
The comparison with The Rolling Stones and The Beatles is not based on genre, era or musical style. It comes directly from Billboard 200 chart history.
Stray Kids and The Rolling Stones now each have nine No. 1 albums on the chart, placing them jointly second among groups. The Beatles remain well ahead with 19.
Stray Kids also hold the most Billboard 200 No. 1 albums among groups in the 21st century. Billboard noted that milestone when KARMA became their seventh leader in 2025, and the total has since grown to nine.
That places a contemporary South Korean group alongside two of the most commercially important bands in the history of the U.S. album chart.
Released on August 7, 2026, THIS & THAT is an eight-track mini-album and the latest Stray Kids release to enter the American market at No. 1.
Following confirmation of the chart result, the members reacted to the achievement in a message highlighted by Billboard, describing the news as the “most exciting news ever.”
But beyond the celebration, the numbers tell the larger story: 357,000 album sales in one week demonstrate that Stray Kids' U.S. business is being driven by more than streaming alone.
The significance of THIS & THAT extends beyond another K-pop No. 1.
Its debut illustrates how physical products, collectible configurations and an organized fan purchasing base can still generate major commercial results inside a U.S. music market dominated by streaming.
At the same time, nine consecutive No. 1 debuts have moved Stray Kids from being measured solely against other K-pop acts into broader Billboard history.
Matching The Rolling Stones does not make the groups commercially or culturally equivalent across their careers, but on this specific metric - Billboard 200 No. 1 albums - they now share the same total.
Through the No. 1 debut of THIS & THAT, Stray Kids have added another major result to a U.S. chart run that began with ODDINARY in 2022. The group's ninth Billboard 200 leader ties The Rolling Stones among groups, leaves only The Beatles ahead and, perhaps most importantly from a music-business perspective, arrives through a release that generated 357,000 traditional album sales in its opening U.S. week.
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
SOURCE: Billboard (Gil Kaufman)
IMAGE CREDIT: Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
Watch Stray Kids’ “THIS & THAT” below:
