From Stray Kids to TWICE: K-Pop artists take over U.S. 2024 CD sales, grabbing 7 of top 10 spots

The year 2024 was a notable one for K-pop artists on the U.S. charts. On January 15, 2025, Luminate Data unveiled its list of the Best-Selling CD Albums of 2024, and K-pop fans were thrilled to see that seven out of the top 10 artists on the list were Korean acts. This ranking was part of a global survey that included international artists from all genres, highlighting the worldwide influence of K-pop.

The tracking period for this achievement spanned from December 29, 2023, to January 2, 2025. Among the K-pop groups that dominated the chart were Stray Kids, ENHYPEN, ATEEZ, TXT, and TWICE, demonstrating their impact on the music industry.

Notably, Stray Kids achieved a major milestone by becoming the most-consumed male Korean pop group in the U.S. for 2024.

Fans are ecstatic about this accomplishment, particularly since it reflects K-pop’s growing prominence in the world’s largest music market.

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K-pop dominates 2024's year-end US CD sale rankings

Luminate Data, formerly known as Nielsen Music, is a prominent data analytics and measurement platform specializing in the music and entertainment industries. It provides insights into music consumption patterns, sales, streaming, airplay, and audience engagement across various platforms.

The above-mentioned ranking reflects CD-only sales during the tracking period, which ran from December 29, 2023, to January 2, 2025, excluding other formats like digital downloads or vinyl.

Groups like Stray Kids, ENHYPEN, ATEEZ, TXT, and TWICE emerged as the standout performers, with Stray Kids and ATEEZ each featuring two albums in the top rankings.

Stray Kids’ album ATE claimed the title of the best-selling CD by a group or male artist in the U.S. for 2024, selling 442,000 copies and earning the No. 2 spot overall.

It followed Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which sold a staggering 1.51 million copies.

The group also grabbed No. 5 with their special album (HOP), which sold 248,000 copies despite its late release toward the end of the tracking period.

Another young K-pop group ENHYPEN’s ROMANCE : UNTOLD landed at #3 with 363,000 copies sold. ATEEZ secured two positions on the list with GOLDEN HOUR : Part.1 having sold at #4 with 250,000 copies and GOLDEN HOUR : Part.2 selling 225,000 copies at number 7.

TXT’s minisode 3: TOMORROW took No. 6 with 240,000 copies sold, while TWICE made history as the only girl group to make the list, ranking No. 9 with their album With YOU-th selling 174,000 copies.

The detailed chart of the top 10 best-selling CD albums of 2024 in the U.S. is mentioned below:

1. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department (1,512,000)

2. Stray Kids – ATE (442,000)

3. ENHYPEN – ROMANCE : UNTOLD (363,000)

4. ATEEZ – GOLDEN HOUR : Part.1 (250,000)

5. Stray Kids – 合 (HOP) (248,000)

6. TXT – minisode 3: TOMORROW (240,000)

7. ATEEZ – GOLDEN HOUR : Part.2 (225,000)

8. Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (175,000)

9. TWICE – With YOU-th (174,000)

10. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft (165,000)

To add to fans' delight, Stray Kids and ENHYPEN also secured spots on the overall top 10-selling albums list for 2024, which considers all formats, including CDs, digital downloads, and vinyl.

Hence the influence of K-pop on the American market could be seen from these performances.