Stray Kids Draw 100,000 at Rock in Rio, Top K-POPIT BOARD Global Chart

K-POP group Stray Kids have claimed the No. 1 spot in the K-POPIT BOARD's global rankings following a string of festival headlining performances in South America. The group's expanding presence on the international live circuit is now showing up clearly in the data.

According to the K-POPIT BOARD, a global K-POP analytics index, Stray Kids ranked first in the overall global standings as of Sept. 15. Their PWR(GL) score, which measures overall global influence, reached 62.0, while their MOM(GL) score, recent momentum tracker, stood at 54.1.

In the domestic Korean rankings over the same period, the group placed sixth, with a PWR(KR) of 59.4 and a MOM(KR) of 51.2. The raw figures were close to their global scores, but the gap in rankings made the group's stronger overseas momentum more visible. The contrast appears to reflect their recent run of high-profile international performances.

The clearest catalyst was Rock in Rio, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sept. 11. Stray Kids became the first K-POP act to headline the festival, performing for a crowd of roughly 100,000. Rock in Rio also allowed light sticks inside the venue, an unusual move that underscored the size of the group's fandom and its standing as a live draw.

The rise across both fandom and non-fandom metrics coincides with Stray Kids' growing influence in the live music market. Just before Rock in Rio, the group opened STRAYCITY in Bogotá, Colombia, a new festival organized around Stray Kids by JYP Entertainment and Live Nation. They are no longer simply being booked to headline established festivals but serving as the anchor around which a new festival is built.

That shift is also reflected in an FHI score of 79.5 and an MAS score of 97.6. A strong fandom provides the foundation for large-scale shows, while festivals expose the group's music and performances to audiences beyond its core fan base. The video-focused VCR score reached 92.0, while the D-layer index, a measure of interest among the non-fandom general public, increased by 23.7 percent, figures that align with the wider attention surrounding the festival appearances.

The group's nine consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200, most recently with "THIS & THAT," form the foundation of the same cycle. Sustained album demand supports larger-scale performances, while the growing reach of those shows can bring the group to new audiences and generate further video engagement.

The gap between first place globally and sixth place domestically shows where the strongest momentum surrounding Stray Kids is currently emerging. As the group moves from headlining international festival stages to anchoring a festival of its own, its overseas influence is increasingly extending beyond the core fandom.