Stray Kids’ Album “Maxident” Achieves RIAA Gold Status, Ties with BTS’ Record

On January 31, 2025, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that “Maxident,” an extended play by the K-pop group Stray Kids, has received Gold certification. By selling over 500,000 units, the album now matches the record of BTS, another leading K-pop group, for the most gold-certified albums by a K-pop act in the U.S.

Stray Kids broadcasted the news on their official X (previously known as Twitter) account. The post read, “MAXIDENT has been certified RIAA GOLD! Stay, who has already achieved the 8th gold certification, thank you so much as always. We’ve earned our 8th RIAA gold certification with Maxident! We really can’t thank you enough STAY.”

Gold certification by the RIAA is awarded when an album surpasses 500,000 units in sales, a milestone “Maxident” has now reached. The album follows its predecessors “★★★★★ (5-STAR)”, “ROCK-STAR”, and “ATE”, other Stray Kids’ projects which have also earned gold status.

In total, Stray Kids now holds eight gold certifications from the RIAA, including for their hit singles such as “God’s Menu”, “MANIAC”, “Back Door”, and “Thunderous”. This achievement reflects the group’s commitment to their music and the appreciation from their fans.

With this latest recognition, Stray Kids stands shoulder-to-shoulder with BTS in having the most gold-certified albums by a K-pop group in the U.S. This accomplishment solidifies Stray Kids’ position among the top global artists who have successfully brought K-pop into mainstream American music.

For those unfamiliar, “Maxident” is Stray Kids’ seventh mini-album, which was released on October 7, 2022. The album features the title track “CASE 143” and was released under JYP Entertainment, Dreamus, and Republic Records. The eight-track album also includes songs like “CHILL”, “Give Me Your TMI”, “Super Board”, “3RACHA”, “TASTE”, “Can’t Stop”, and the Korean version of “Circus”.