Stray Kids’ new album KARMA puts K-pop back in a familiar spot – No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. By debuting at No. 1 on the chart dated Sept. 6, KARMA becomes the 20th album or EP by a K-pop act to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The first was BTS’ Love Yourself: Tear in June 2018.
Stray Kids has amassed seven No. 1 titles on the Billboard 200, which puts them out front among K-pop acts. BTS is in second place, with six No. 1 titles. ATEEZ is next in line with two No. 1s on the Billboard 200. SuperM, BLACKPINK, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, NewJeans and TWICE have all notched one No. 1 to date.
BLACKPINK was the first female K-pop act to land a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. They scored with Born Pink in 2022. NewJeans and TWICE were the second and third.
K-pop groups tend to be large ensembles. TWICE has nine members, one more than Stray Kids and ATEEZ. BTS and SuperM each have seven members. TOMORROW X TOGETHER and NewJeans each have five members. BLACKPINK has four members. To date, no K-pop solo artists, duos or trios have topped the Billboard 200.
There have been multiple No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 by K-pop acts in every year since 2018 except for 2021, when there were none, and 2025, when there has been just one so far. The peak year (to date) for most No. 1 K-pop albums on the Billboard 200 was 2023, when there were five. There were four in 2022 and four again in 2024.
Here’s a list of all K-pop albums to top the Billboard 200. They are listed in chronological order.
BTS, Love Yourself: Tear
Image Credit: JTBC PLUS/Imazins via Getty Images BTS, Love Yourself: Answer
Date Hit No. 1: September 8, 2018
Single: “Idol”
BTS, Map of the Soul: PERSONA
Date Hit No. 1: April 27, 2019
Singles: “Boy with Luv,” “Make It Right”
SuperM, SuperM: The First Mini Album EP
Date Hit No. 1: October 19, 2019
Single: “Jopping”
BTS, MAP OF THE SOUL: 7
Date Hit No. 1: March 7, 2020
Singles: “Black Swan,” “On”
BTS, BE
Stray Kids, Stray Kids Mini Album: Oddinary (EP)
Image Credit: The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images Date Hit No. 1: April 2, 2022
Single: “Maniac”
BTS, Proof
Date Hit No. 1: June 25, 2022
Single: “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)”
BLACKPINK, Born Pink
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global Date Hit No. 1: Oct. 1, 2022
Singles: “Pink Venom,” “Shut Down”
Stray Kids, Maxident
Date Hit No. 1: Oct. 22, 2022
Single: “Case 143”
TOMORROW X TOGETHER, The Name Chapter: Temptation (EP)
Date Hit No. 1: Feb. 11, 2023
Single: “Sugar Rush Ride”
Stray Kids, 5-Star
Date Hit No. 1: June 17, 2023
Single: “S-Class”
NewJeans, 2nd EP ‘Get Up’
Image Credit: The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images Date Hit No. 1: Aug. 5, 2023
Singles: “Super Shy,” “Cool With You,” “ETA”
Stray Kids, ROCK-STAR
Date Hit No. 1: Nov. 25, 2023
Single: “Lalalala”
ATEEZ, THE WORLD EP. FIN:WILL
Image Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images Date Hit No. 1: Dec. 16, 2023
Single: “Crazy Form”
TWICE, With YOU-th (EP)
Date Hit No. 1: March 9, 2024
Singles: “I Got You,” “One Spark”
Stray Kids, ATE (EP)
Date Hit No. 1: Aug. 3, 2024
Single: “Chk Chk Boom”
ATEEZ, Golden Hour: Part.2 (EP)
Date Hit No. 1: Nov. 30, 2024
Single: “Ice on My Teeth”
Stray Kids, Hop
Date Hit No. 1: Dec. 28, 2024
Single: “Walkin on Water”
Stray Kids, KARMA
Date Hit No. 1: Sept. 6, 2025
Single: “Ceremony”
