Stray Kids' tenth mini album THIS & THAT landed at the top of the Billboard 200 in August 2026, and the number attached to it — nine — put the group alongside one of rock's defining acts.
Did Stray Kids Really Tie The Rolling Stones on the Billboard 200?
Yes. THIS & THAT debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Aug. 22, 2026, with 369,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the tracking week ending Aug. 13, according to Luminate figures reported by Billboard . That is the group's ninth Billboard 200 No. 1, matching The Rolling Stones' nine chart-toppers for the second-most among groups in chart history .
Only The Beatles sit higher, with 19 .
Who, What, When, Where: The THIS & THAT Chart Run
THIS & THAT is Stray Kids' tenth mini album, released Aug. 7, 2026 at 1 p.m. KST / 12 a.m. ET through JYP Entertainment, per the agency's artist notice dated Aug. 2, 2026 . The EP runs eight tracks across 25 minutes and 11 seconds , and its U.S. tracking week ran Aug. 7–13, 2026, feeding the Billboard 200 dated Aug. 22, 2026 .
The record was produced in-house by 3RACHA — Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN — as with every prior Stray Kids project, spanning themes of ambition, love, separation, memory and self-determination . The title track "This & That" is a hip-hop-based, groove-driven song built around a relaxed statement of confidence: rather than picking one option, the group takes this and that. Pre-release single "RUN IT" arrived June 24, 2026, a day after JYP Entertainment announced the first leg of the group's "Run It" world tour through its official social channels on June 23, 2026 . "RUN IT" topped iTunes Top Songs charts in 41 regions upon release, according to label JYP Entertainment .
The physical rollout was unusually wide even by K-pop standards. THIS & THAT shipped in 17 CD and vinyl variants bundled with photocards, posters and stickers — some randomized, some signed — alongside eight digital download variants, according to Billboard . Billboard scheduled the full Aug. 22-dated chart to publish on Billboard.com on Aug. 18, 2026 .
Inside the 369,000-Unit Week
The 369,000 equivalent album units behind THIS & THAT's debut were overwhelmingly purchases, not plays. Traditional album sales accounted for 357,000 of that total — a career best for Stray Kids that also sent the EP to No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart . Streaming equivalent album (SEA) units added 11,000, and track equivalent album (TEA) units contributed 1,000, per Luminate's count for the tracking week ending Aug. 13, 2026 .
| Unit type | Units | Share of week | Underlying activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional album sales | 357,000 | 96.7% | CD, vinyl and digital download purchases across 25 variants |
| Streaming equivalent albums (SEA) | 11,000 | 3.0% | ~12.21 million on-demand official streams of album tracks source |
| Track equivalent albums (TEA) | 1,000 | 0.3% | Individual track downloads |
| Total | 369,000 | 100% | Week ending Aug. 13, 2026 |
That roughly 96.7% purchase share is the clearest read on how the release was built. Streaming equivalent units convert to about 12.21 million on-demand official streams of the album's tracks — real listening volume, but a minor contributor next to the collectible-driven physical campaign . Photocard, poster and signed-edition bundling across 17 CD and vinyl configurations converts fan spending directly into chart-eligible units in a way a streaming-first release does not.source
Pre-chart trade forecasts came in under the final figure. HITS Daily Double initially projected roughly 335,000 equivalent album units for the EP's opening week , then revised that estimate to about 351,000 copies sold and 362,000 total units for the Aug. 7–13 tracking period . Luminate's official 369,000 landed above both estimates.source
The week also cleared Stray Kids' own prior benchmark. KARMA opened with 313,000 units including 296,000 in pure sales, meaning THIS & THAT improved on that frame by about 56,000 total units and 61,000 in sales .source
Why It Matters: The Perfect Debut Streak and the Rolling Stones Comparison
The ninth No. 1 matters because none of the nine arrived slowly: every Stray Kids album that has ever charted on the Billboard 200 entered at No. 1, making them the first act in the chart's roughly 70-year history to open its first nine charting entries on top . The run began with ODDINARY in March 2022 and continued through MAXIDENT, ★★★★★ (5-STAR), ROCK-STAR, ATE, 合 (HOP), KARMA and DO IT before THIS & THAT .
Billboard tracked those thresholds as they fell. With ATE in 2024, the group became the first act to debut at No. 1 with its first five charting albums, that release opening with 232,000 equivalent album units in the week ending July 25, 2024 . 合 (HOP) later that year extended the pattern to six straight, and reporting citing JYP Entertainment recorded eight consecutive No. 1 debuts as of 2025 .
Alongside the streak sit two separate records: the most Billboard 200 No. 1 albums by any group since 2000, and the fastest run to nine No. 1s by a group since The Beatles .
The Rolling Stones' nine, per Billboard's own accounting, span two decades of releases:
- Out of Our Heads
- Sticky Fingers
- Exile on Main St.
- Goats Head Soup
- It's Only Rock 'N Roll
- Black and Blue
- Some Girls
- Emotional Rescue
- Tattoo You
That list is the benchmark Stray Kids now share . Only The Beatles, with 19, sit ahead of both . The comparison has limits worth naming: the Stones' nine were accumulated across catalog eras with different chart rules and no variant-driven preorder model, while Stray Kids' totals lean heavily on physical purchases.
The margin on the Aug. 22-dated chart was not close. Behind THIS & THAT's 369,000 units came Ariana Grande's petal with 82,000, Olivia Rodrigo's you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love with 72,000, and Ella Langley's Dandelion and Morgan Wallen's I'm The Problem tied at 70,000 apiece . The No. 1 album outsold the rest of the top five combined by a factor of more than one.
Promotion Cycle and What Fans Should Watch Next
Stray Kids ran a ten-day domestic promotion cycle for THIS & THAT, performing the title track on Korean music shows from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16, 2026 . The schedule opened with a mini fanmeeting on Aug. 8, included a set at 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer on Aug. 9, and ran a pop-up store from Aug. 8 to Aug. 20, before an "After Party" fan event closed the cycle on Aug. 16 .
The pre-release phase set the tone. "RUN IT" arrived June 24, 2026 as the album's first preview, a day after JYP Entertainment announced the first leg of the group's "Run It" world tour through its official social channels on June 23, 2026 . The single topped iTunes Top Songs charts in 41 regions upon release, according to label JYP Entertainment .
Three things are worth watching from here:
- Tour dates. JYP Entertainment announced the first leg of the "Run It" world tour via official social channels on June 23, 2026, a day before "RUN IT" arrived, but its official artist notice on THIS & THAT covers only the Aug. 7 album launch, not additional routing . Further stops beyond that initial leg were not detailed there.
- The full chart. The complete Aug. 22-dated Billboard 200 publishes on Billboard.com on Aug. 18, 2026, which will confirm the surrounding placements and any catalog re-entries .
- Week two. With 357,000 of the debut week's 369,000 units coming from pure sales, the second-week figure will show how much of the run is streaming-driven .
For fans planning around the group, the concrete near-term marker is Aug. 18: the full chart lands, and any additional tour routing beyond the announced first leg is the next announcement to expect from JYP Entertainment.
Frequently asked questions
How many Billboard 200 No. 1 albums do Stray Kids have?
Stray Kids have nine No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. The ninth arrived with THIS & THAT, which topped the chart dated Aug. 22, 2026 . That total ties The Rolling Stones for the second-most Billboard 200 chart-toppers among groups in the chart's history ; only The Beatles rank higher, with 19, according to the Korea Herald .
How many units did THIS & THAT sell in its first week?
THIS & THAT earned 369,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the tracking week ending Aug. 13, 2026, according to Luminate figures reported by Billboard . The breakdown was 357,000 traditional album sales, 11,000 streaming equivalent album (SEA) units representing roughly 12.21 million on-demand official streams, and 1,000 track equivalent album (TEA) units . Sales alone put the EP at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart, and the total was the group's largest U.S. week to date .
Have all of Stray Kids' Billboard 200 albums debuted at No. 1?
Yes. All nine of Stray Kids' Billboard 200 entries have opened at No. 1, beginning with ODDINARY in March 2022 and continuing through MAXIDENT, ★★★★★ (5-STAR), ROCK-STAR, ATE, 合 (HOP), KARMA, DO IT and THIS & THAT . That makes them the first act in the Billboard 200's roughly 70-year history to send its first nine charting releases straight to the top . Billboard Canada documented an earlier stage of the same run, when 2024's ATE opened with 232,000 equivalent album units and made the group the first act to debut at No. 1 with its first five charting albums .
Which Rolling Stones albums hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200?
Per Billboard's own accounting, The Rolling Stones' nine Billboard 200 No. 1 albums are Out of Our Heads, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock 'N Roll, Black and Blue, Some Girls, Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You . That catalog was built across roughly two decades of releases, which is the structural difference chart analysts have drawn against Stray Kids' nine No. 1s compressed into the span since March 2022 .
Is Stray Kids going on tour for THIS & THAT?
Yes. JYP Entertainment announced the first leg of the group's "Run It" world tour through official social media channels on June 23, 2026, a day before pre-release single "RUN IT" arrived on June 24, 2026 . JYP's most recent official artist notice on the release, however, covered only the Aug. 7, 2026 album launch rather than additional tour routing . Check JYP's official channels for further routing announcements beyond the initial leg.
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
