Stray Kids just made history in the United States — again.
On August 18 local time, Billboard confirmed that the group's latest title track "This & That" had debuted at No. 38 on the Hot 100, the chart that ranks the most popular songs in the United States. It's the group's first-ever top 40 entry on the chart, and their sixth entry overall — following "LALALALA" (No. 90), "Lose My Breath" (No. 90), "Chk Chk Boom" (No. 49), "CEREMONY" (No. 52), and "Do It" (No. 68).
The top 40 is the hard part
Getting on the Hot 100 at all is rare for a K-pop act. Climbing the rest of the way is where most artists stall. Stray Kids' trajectory tells a clear story: No. 90, then No. 49, and now No. 38. That's not a fluke — that's a fandom scaling up consistently, year after year, with streaming numbers that keep pushing the group past the ceiling of the previous release.
The Hot 100 rewards sustained attention rather than a single viral moment. A top 40 debut means more than radio play or one strong week; it means the audience is deep enough to hold a song in the conversation. For Stray Kids, it's the kind of milestone that makes future breakthroughs more likely, not less.
Five charts at once
The Hot 100 was far from the only headline. Stray Kids' mini album "THIS & THAT" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, tying The Rolling Stones' record for the second-most No. 1 albums by any group in history. Only one group — you know the one — has more.
That record exists largely because Stray Kids' fanbase buys. The album also topped the Top Album Sales chart, the Vinyl Albums chart, and the World Albums chart this week. Meanwhile, the group re-entered the Artist 100 at No. 1, and "This & That" landed at No. 4 on the Digital Song Sales chart. That's five separate Billboard charts topped in a single week — breadth that most artists never see at any point in a career.
The global picture
Over on Billboard's global charts, "This & That" debuted at No. 15 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 25 on the Global 200. The U.S. is the headline this week, but the group's growth is even across markets — Korea, Japan, the Americas, and Europe all supporting the release at once.
That's the quiet part of these numbers. Stray Kids don't rely on one country's fandom to carry a release. A top 40 in the U.S. with global chart stays alongside it is the profile of a group operating on a global level, not a regional one.
What it means going forward
Stray Kids have been building toward this moment since "God's Menu" first put them on the international map. The gap from No. 90 to No. 38 was closed release by release, and the pattern — bigger numbers with every comeback — suggests the ceiling keeps moving.
With a Rolling Stones record tied and a top 40 hit banked, the next question isn't whether Stray Kids can chart in America. It's how high they can go.
