Stray Kids are the loudest group in K-pop and proud of it. Formed on their own survival show in 2017 and debuted by JYP Entertainment in March 2018 with District 9, the eight members write and produce almost everything themselves through the in-house team 3RACHA (Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN). The result is a catalog of noisy, genre-mashing anthems that sound like no other agency's output.
God's Menu in 2020 was the breakthrough, a cooking-themed hip-hop track with a chorus built to be shouted in arenas, and it set the pattern: Thunderous, MANIAC, S-Class, LALALALA and Chk Chk Boom each turned the volume up a little further. Fans call the style 'Mala taste', after the numbing Sichuan spice, and it is either exactly your thing or not at all.
Commercially, every Stray Kids album since 2022 has debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and they headline stadiums on three continents. STAY is a fandom that grew alongside the group, and the lore, the self-produced songs and the members' constant online presence are as much the appeal as the music.
Start here: five songs
- 1
God's Menu (2020)
The breakthrough. A hip-hop track about cooking that sounds like a factory floor and became the group's signature stage.
- 2
S-Class (2023)
The lead single from 5-STAR, their first million-selling album in a single week. A distilled version of everything Stray Kids do.
- 3
MANIAC (2022)
The song that pushed the group to their first Billboard 200 number one. Menacing, catchy and built for the stage.
- 4
Chk Chk Boom (2024)
The ATE lead single, with a stadium-sized chant and an ad-libbed 'Chk chk boom' that spread far beyond the fandom.
- 5
MIROH (2019)
The first song to earn the group a music-show win. Noisier and more experimental than the debut, and the moment the Stray Kids sound clicked into place.
Timeline
2017–2018
The survival show and District 9
The reality show Stray Kids ends with all nine trainees debuting together; District 9 arrives in March 2018 with the members already writing their own songs.
2019
MIROH and Levanter
MIROH brings the first music-show win. Woojin leaves in October and the group continues as eight with Levanter.
2020
God's Menu
GO LIVE, the first full album, and God's Menu take Stray Kids from promising rookies to headliners. Back Door follows in the autumn.
2021
Kingdom and Thunderous
The group wins Mnet's Kingdom: Legendary War, and Thunderous becomes their biggest Korean hit to date.
2022
ODDINARY and MAXIDENT
ODDINARY, led by MANIAC, is the first Stray Kids album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200; MAXIDENT repeats the feat six months later.
2023
5-STAR and LALALALA
5-STAR sells over a million copies in its first week and S-Class tops charts worldwide. LALALALA leads ROCK-STAR, the third consecutive Billboard 200 number one.
2024–2025
ATE, dominATE and stadiums
Chk Chk Boom leads ATE, and the dominATE world tour plays stadiums across Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas, with the group headlining Lollapalooza and BST Hyde Park.
Moments fans remember
Nine or none
On their pre-debut survival show, the members refused to accept a lineup cut and campaigned for all nine trainees to debut together. They got their way, and 'Stray Kids everywhere all around the world' became the greeting STAYs still shout back.
God's Menu goes global
Released in June 2020 with no touring possible, God's Menu spread through dance covers and reaction videos instead. By the time live shows returned, the chorus was a stadium chant in countries the group had never visited.
Kingdom's finale
Winning Mnet's Kingdom in 2021 was the fandom's proof that the group's self-produced sound could beat polished agency productions in a live competition. The winning performance of WOLFGANG is still a go-to clip for converting new STAYs.
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