2017–2018: Formation, debut and I Am series In August 2017,
JYP Entertainment (JYPE) announced its new reality survival show to launch a male idol debut project. The company released more details in the next two months, including the show's title,
Stray Kids. Prior to its premiere on October 17, JYPE released Stray Kids' first music video titled "Hellevator", which was later released as a digital single. Two members, Lee Know and Felix, were
eliminated but returned in the final, nine-member line-up. It was later revealed that the Stray Kids' member line-up was formed unusually, with the leader Bang Chan handpicking each member from the list of JYPE trainees rather than the agency's executives and creative directors selecting them. The band's members themselves conceptualized the name "Stray Kids" and created their own logo. The name originally referred to a lost child who wants to chase their dreams, then evolved to represent the idea of finding a way out of the ordinary together. in January 2018. Along with the launch of Stray Kids' official website, JYPE announced the release of the group's seven-track pre-debut extended play (EP) titled
Mixtape, which was co-written and co-composed by the members and includes "Hellevator" and other songs the band performed on the show. The EP and the performance video of its second track, "Beware", were released on January 8, 2018, while "Spread My Wings" was uploaded online a week later. The EP debuted at number two on the
Gaon Album Chart and the
Billboard World Albums chart. On March 25, the group held their debut concert, Stray Kids Unveil (Op. 01: I Am Not), at
Jangchung Arena. The following day, the band officially debuted with the release of the EP
I Am Not and the music video of its title track, "District 9". The music video of "Grow Up" and the "Mirror" performance video were released on March 31 and April 23, respectively.
I Am Not debuted at number four on the Gaon Album Chart and sold over 54,000 physical copies in March. On April 14, Stray Kids performed at
KCON Japan 2018, the group's first overseas performance. On July 12, JYPE announced the group's second concert, Stray Kids Unveil (Op. 02: I Am Who), for August 5 at
Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace. The following day, the band's second EP,
I Am Who, and its lead single, "My Pace", were released. On October 4, JYPE announced the group's third concert, Stray Kids Unveil (Op. 03: I Am You), for October 21 at
Olympic Hall. The band's new EP,
I Am You, was released the following day.
2019: Clé series and Woojin's departure in April 2019. In early 2019, Stray Kids toured the
Asia-Pacific region on their concert tour Unveil Tour "I Am...", starting on January 19 in
Bangkok, Thailand. The group also toured South Korea with the Hi Stay Tour, performing in cities including
Busan,
Daejeon, and
Incheon in March, and a finale at the
Olympic Park in Seoul on April 20. On March 5, JYPE announced the release of the band's fourth EP,
Clé 1: Miroh, to mark the first anniversary of the group's debut. On April 14, the group earned their first music-show win on
M Countdown for the album's lead single, "Miroh". On June 19, the band released its first special album,
Clé 2: Yellow Wood, and its lead single, "Side Effects", between the American and European legs of its first world tour. Stray Kids released a digital single titled "Double Knot" on October 9, 2019, and announced the District 9 Unlock World Tour, beginning at Olympic Hall in Seoul from November 23 to 24. Their fifth EP,
Clé: Levanter, was initially scheduled for a November 25 release, but on October 28, JYPE announced Kim Woojin had left the group due to personal circumstances, and the release was postponed. On November 13, the group released the music video for "Astronaut", its first single as an eight-member group; it was followed on December 9 by
Cle: Levanter. On December 19, as part of the Hi Stay Tour, Stray Kids performed at
Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, with an audience of 8,000 people. The group released the digital single "Mixtape: Gone Days", the first single of the Mixtape Project, on December 26.
2020: Japanese debut, 生 series, and All In Stray Kids released its first English versions of "Double Knot" and "Levanter" as digital singles—together titled
Step Out of Clé—and a performance video of the English version of "Double Knot" on January 24, 2020. The band's debut release in Japan, through
Epic Records Japan, was the compilation album
SKZ2020, which contains new recordings of previous songs, as well as Japanese versions of "My Pace", "Double Knot", and "Levanter". The group released the second Mixtape Project digital single, "Mixtape: On Track", on March 26. On June 3, Stray Kids released its first Japanese single, "
Top", and its B-side, "Slump"; these were used as the theme song and the ending theme for the anime
Kami no Tō: Tower of God, respectively. A Korean version was released on May 13, and an English version was released on May 20. The single debuted at number one on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart, making Stray Kids the fourth foreign male artists to debut at number one on the chart with their first single, after
Jang Keun-suk,
Exo, and
iKon. On June 17, Stray Kids released their first studio album,
Go Live, and its lead single, "
God's Menu"; the album includes the Korean versions of "Top" and "Slump" and previously released singles "Gone Days" and "On Track".
Go Live became the group's best-selling album at the time, debuting at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart, selling 243,462 copies by the end of the month, and peaking at number five on the monthly Gaon Album Chart. The
Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) certified the album platinum in August 2020, the group's first album to achieve this. "God's Menu" became the group's first single to be certified gold and platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On September 14, Stray Kids reissued its first studio album as
In Life. During promotions, the group received music-show wins on
MBC M's
Show Champion and Mnet's
M Countdown.
Time ranked the lead single "Back Door" eighth on its list of the 10 Best Songs of 2020—the only song by a Korean act on the list—and described it as "an artful Frankenstein that's as catchy as it is complex". Stray Kids' first Japanese EP,
All In, with the title track "All In" as the lead single, was released on November 4. The EP also includes Japanese versions of "God's Menu" and "Back Door", as well as the band's first Japanese single, "Top." On November 22, the group held their first online concert, titled "Unlock: Go Live In Life", via
Beyond Live, which was considered a continuation of their "District 9: Unlock" Tour that faced postponement and cancellation due to concerns over the
COVID-19 pandemic. During the concert, the group performed the Korean version of their song "All In" for the first time, which was released as a digital single on November 26.
2021: Kingdom: Legendary War and Noeasy At the
2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards, it was announced that Stray Kids would join
Ateez and
the Boyz on the inaugural season of
Kingdom: Legendary War, an Mnet boy-group competition show;
BtoB, iKon, and
SF9 were later also confirmed as participants. On May 28, 2021, Stray Kids released a song titled "
Wolfgang" for the final round of the competition, which charted at number 138 on the main
Gaon Digital Chart, the band's first appearance on that chart. The band won the program on June 3, earning them their own reality show and a
Kingdom Week special show. (
pictured) and Corsak in "
Going Dumb". Stray Kids held its first official fan meeting, Stray Kids 1st #LoveStay 'SKZ-X', on February 20, 2021, via
V Live, and its first Japanese fan meeting—STAYing Home Meeting—for the first anniversary of their Japanese debut on March 18. The group worked with Swedish producer
Alesso and Chinese DJ Corsak on the Korean version of the song "
Going Dumb" for
PUBG Mobile, which was released on March 19. The song debuted at number 13 on
Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, the group's first appearance on that chart. Stray Kids unexpectedly released the third single for their Mixtape Project, "
Mixtape: Oh", on June 26 without any prior announcement. It debuted at number one on the
Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, their first number one on that chart. The group released their second studio album,
Noeasy, on August 23, 2021. It debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart, selling over 1.1 million copies as of August 2021 and being certified
million by the KMCA, making Stray Kids the first JYPE act to sell more than one million copies of an album. The album's lead single, "
Thunderous", peaked at number 33 on the Gaon Digital Chart earning six wins on South Korean music programs. The accompanying music video on YouTube reached 100 million views in 55 days after release, the group's fifth and fastest video to reach this mark. The group released its second Japanese single, "
Scars"/"Thunderous (Japanese ver.)", on October 13. The single charted at number two on the
Oricon Singles Chart and the
Billboard Japan Hot 100, selling over 180,000 CD copies. A Christmas-themed "special holiday" album titled
Christmas EveL was released on November 29, including the
title track and "
Winter Falls" as lead singles. It peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart, selling over 743,000 copies in 2021, and the KMCA certified it double platinum. Stray Kids concluded the year with the digital release of
SKZ2021, a compilation album that includes re-recorded versions of earlier songs and the Korean version of "Scars", on December 23.
2022: Oddinary, Circus, and Maxident On February 10, 2022, it was announced that Stray Kids, alongside labelmate
Itzy, had signed to
Republic Records for promotions in the United States as part of JYPE's strategic partnership with the label. The group held their second fan meeting on February 12 and 13 at Olympic Hall; the second day was broadcast via Beyond Live. Stray Kids released its sixth EP,
Oddinary, on March 18. The EP peaked at number one on charts in South Korea,
Finland,
Poland, and the United States, selling over 1.5 million copies in March. It was the first Stray Kids album to appear on the
UK Albums Chart and the US
Billboard 200; the band was the third Korean act to top the latter chart after
BTS and
SuperM. Its lead single, "
Maniac", became the group's first song to appear on the
UK Singles Chart, where it charted at number 98, and the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 at number 19, among others. In support of
Oddinary, Stray Kids announced their second concert tour, the
Maniac World Tour, which began on April 29 in Seoul, South Korea, followed by shows in Asia, Australia, and North America. It concluded in
Los Angeles on April 2, 2023. On June 22, Stray Kids released their second Japanese EP,
Circus, preceded by the Japanese version of "Maniac", the new song "
Your Eyes", and the
title track. The EP debuted at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and atop
Billboard Japan Hot Albums. The group surprise-released the single "
Mixtape: Time Out" on August 1 to celebrate their fourth anniversary of revealing the fandom's name, Stay. Prior to the release of the group's seventh EP,
Maxident, Stray Kids released "Heyday", which 3Racha performed for
Street Man Fighter Mega Crew Mission.
Maxident and the EP's lead single, "
Case 143", were released on October 7, 2022. The EP debuted at number one in South Korea, Poland, and the United States. It became their second consecutive number-one album in the US and the fourth South Korean and non-English album to top the
Billboard 200 chart.
Maxident became Stray Kids' and JYPE's first album to sell over two million and three million copies and be certified triple million by KMCA. They released the third compilation album,
SKZ-Replay, on December 21, containing solo tracks by the members and songs previously unofficially released as video uploads. The
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) ranked Stray Kids as the seventh-best-selling artist of 2022.
Maxident and
Oddinary were the sixth-best- and fourteenth-best-selling albums of 2022.
2023: The Sound, 5-Star, Social Path / Super Bowl (Japanese Ver.), and Rock-Star Stray Kids' debut Japanese-language studio album titled
The Sound was released on February 22, 2023; this release was preceded by the Japanese version of "Case 143" and
the title track. It debuted at number one on the
Oricon Albums Chart for the first time with 378,000 copies, and the
Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) certified it double platinum. On June 2, 2023, the group released its third studio album,
5-Star, and the lead single "
S-Class"; rapper
Tiger JK features on the side track "Topline". The album's lyrics discuss themes of uniqueness, confidence, and aspirations. The album peaked at number one in various regions, including South Korea, France, and the United States; the latter is the group's third consecutive number-one album in the country. It has sold over five million copies as of June 2023, and KMCA certified it as such. "S-Class" won the
Best K-Pop Video at the
2023 MTV Video Music Awards. Stray Kids held the band's third fan meeting at
KSPO Dome on July 1 and 2 and embarked on the
5-Star Dome Tour in South Korea and Japan from August to October 2023. The group headlined the
Lollapalooza music festival in
Paris, France, on July 21 and was scheduled to appear at the 2023
Global Citizen Festival in New York City on September 23. However, due to a minor car accident involving three of the band's members, only 3Racha performed instead. The group's third Japanese-language EP,
Social Path / Super Bowl (Japanese Ver.), was released on September 6; the release was preceded by dual lead singles "
Social Path" featuring Japanese singer-songwriter
Lisa and the Japanese version of "
Super Bowl". The EP became the band's second number one in Japan and its first million-certified record in Japan. In October, Stray Kids featured on one of the remix versions of
Lil Durk's "
All My Life" and released their eighth Korean-language EP,
Rock-Star, on November 10, alongside the lead single "
Lalalala". The EP peaked at number one in South Korea and the United States, and "Lalalala" became the group's first entry on the
US Billboard Hot 100 at number 90. Furthermore, in 2023, Stray Kids received the Prime Minister's Commendation at the
Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards and participated in the Japanese New Year's Eve television special
74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. IFPI named Stray Kids the third best-selling artist of 2023, behind
Taylor Swift and
Seventeen, with
5-Star as the second and
Rock-Star as the ninth best-selling album globally in 2023.
2024: Ate, Giant, and Hop In January 2024, Stray Kids performed "God's Menu", "S-Class", and "Topline" in Paris, France, at the Le Gala des Pièces Jaunes, a charity event organized by
Brigitte Macron, the spouse of
Emmanuel Macron, the
President of France. The following month, the group, alongside other JYP artists J.Y. Park, Itzy, and
Nmixx, collaborated with
Coca-Cola for a "K-Wave" limited edition of
Coke Zero Sugar, accompanied by the song "Like Magic". Stray Kids held two fan meetings in 2024: SKZ's Magic School in Seoul from March 29 to 31 and SKZ Toy World in Osaka and Saitama in April. Stray Kids performed the theme for the
Japanese television drama Re: Revenge – Yokubo no Hate ni, titled "
Why?", which was released on April 12. Stray Kids attended the 2024
Met Gala as guests of the designer
Tommy Hilfiger. and ranked number one in Red Carpet Power Rankings in the male category, according to
The Hollywood Reporter. Stray Kids released the single "
Lose My Breath", featuring American singer-songwriter
Charlie Puth, on May 10. The song peaked at number 90 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and number 97 on the UK Singles Chart. On July 18, 2024, JYP announced the members of Stray Kids had renewed their contracts with the company, and the band's ninth Korean-language EP,
Ate, and its lead single, "
Chk Chk Boom", were released the next day. The EP peaked at number one on album charts in South Korea, Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and the United States. Stray Kids became the first group and the second act to top the
Billboard 200 with their first five charted releases. "Chk Chk Boom" also became the band's highest peak on the UK Singles Chart and the
Billboard Hot 100, at numbers 30 and 49, respectively. In support of the EP, the group headlined major music festivals
I-Days in
Milan,
BST Hyde Park in
London, and Lollapalooza in
Chicago. The band also embarked on the
Dominate World Tour starting in August in Seoul and traveled to Asia, Australia, Latin America, North America, and Europe. In October 2024, Stray Kids became the second K-pop group to perform at the
American Music Awards, following BTS. The band released the second Japanese-language studio album titled
Giant on November 13, featuring the opening theme "
Night" and ending theme "
Falling Up" for the "Workshop Battle" arc of the
second season of
Kami no Tō: Tower of God. On December 13, they issued the mixtape, marketed as "SKZhop Hiptape",
Hop, alongside the lead single "
Walkin on Water". It combines hip-hop influences, introducing music under the 'SKZhop' genre, a term blending the group's initials, "SKZ", and "hip hop". The mixtape peaked at number one on the album charts in South Korea and the United States. Stray Kids officially became the first act ever to top the
Billboard 200 with their first six charted releases. Also in 2024, Stray Kids performed two soundtrack songs: "
Slash" and "
Come Play" (with
Young Miko and
Tom Morello) for the American superhero film
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and the television series
Arcane, respectively. According to IFPI, Stray Kids was the fifth best-selling artist in 2024, while
Ate was the tenth best-selling album.
2025–present: Hollow, Karma, and Do It In 2025, Stray Kids held the fifth fan meeting, SKZ 5'Clock, for three days from February 14 to 16 at
Inspire Arena; the third day was broadcast via Beyond Live. The group released the single album
Mixtape: Dominate on March 21, the fifth installment of the "Mixtape Project" series. It includes the Korean version of "
Giant" from the second Japanese-language album of the same name and four sub-unit tracks, which debuted at the Latin America leg of the Dominate World Tour. They released the Japanese-language EP
Hollow on June 18, supported by the
lead single of the same name. The album debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and
Billboard Japan Hot Albums. Stray Kids' fourth Korean-language studio album,
Karma, was released on August 22, 2025, supported by the lead single, "
Ceremony". The album topped several national charts, including those of South Korea, France, Germany, and the United States. The album made Stray Kids the first act in
Billboard history to debut at the top of the
Billboard 200 with the first seven entries. The album has sold 3.03 million in its first week, becoming the best-selling 2025 album in South Korea. The band featured on the track "
In the Dark" from
DJ Snake's third studio album,
Nomad. To conclude the Dominate World Tour, Stray Kids held the encore concert of the Dominate World Tour titled Dominate: Celebrate on October 18 and 19 at
Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, Incheon. Following the tour's conclusion, Stray Kids announced the second mixtape, the "SKZ It Tape"
Do It, released on November 21. The
title track and "
Divine" serve as the mixtape's dual lead singles. The album peaked at number one on the album charts in South Korea and the United States. Stray Kids officially became the first act ever to top the
Billboard 200 with their first eight charted releases. According to IFPI, Stray Kids was the second best-selling artist worldwide in 2025, their highest rank ever, behind only
Taylor Swift. For Japanese activities, Stray Kids held an exhibition commemorating the fifth anniversary of their Japanese debut, titled "We Stay, Together", in five cities throughout Japan from December 2025 to April 2026, and their
virtual concert,
Lynkpop: Stray Kids World Tour VR at Seibu Shibuya, Tokyo between March and June 2026. The band returned to Le Gala des Pièces Jaunes for the second time on January 22, 2026. The Dominate World Tour's concert film
Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience premiered on February 6, 2026. To commemorate their eighth anniversary, Stray Kids released the single "
Stay" on March 25, and held their sixth fanmeeting, Stay in Our Little House, on March 28–29 and April 4–5 at the Inspire Arena. The band will headline two major music festival, the
Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City in June and
Rock in Rio in Brazil in September. == Artistry ==