There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” features, I can average their ratings into one mega-score and place them in a pantheon alongside other acts.
As always, this feature has some rules of its own. I’m including any “Song Review” ratings as part of this graph, including Japanese releases and collaborations with one other artist. I’m not including Buried Treasures or solo/sub-unit releases. For the ratings themselves, I’m using the most current number on this blog, so if a song was part of a “Risers and Fallers” or “Legendary Songs Inauguration” post, that’s the rating you’ll see displayed here. That means there will still be a few ratings here and there I find slightly inaccurate, but it’ll mostly reflect my up-to-date feelings.
Finally, these scores are completely subjective. Feel free to agree, disagree and argue (that’s part of the fun!), but know that this chart reflects the opinion of only one person (me).
Check out STRAY KIDS’s placement on the ULTIMATE ARTIST RANKING page!
STRAY KIDS: A Career In Song Ratings
The Breakdown
Highest Rated Songs
Lowest Rated Songs
Imperial Phases
Miroh -> Side Effects (2019)
TOP -> Blueprint (2020)
Slump Phases
Hellevator -> Spread My Wings (2017-2018)
Oh -> The View (2021)
Lalala -> Chk Chk Boom (2023 – 2024)
Walkin On Water -> Do It (2024 – 2025)
Rating Average: 7.88
Overall Trendline:
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I’m pretty sure you rated Hellevator a 6, the graph shows a 7
But yeesh, they have yet to top District 9 and Miroh. Enough with the gimmicky slop, PLEASE.
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Yes, at times I’m revising a few really old ratings if they’re substantially different than how I feel now.
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soo many slump phases damn
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Haven’t gone to love anything they’ve released since S-Class, but Divine is certainly taking them the right way. Hopefully it gets better from here on out.
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Day X of asking for ONF
Also Nick, will you likely have to wait until the legendary song 2026 in July to do an analysis for certain artists?
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Probably, but I’ll likely post that LS inauguration earlier this year.
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looking like the vital signs monitor of someone on life support 💀 the amount of slump phases is killing me.
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I have a huge nostalgic fondness for Hellevator. The rest has never been to my taste, although I will say no one has been able to replicate their sound successfully. Also, I kind of feel like Modyssey’s Hook should be included here, it’s the best Stray Kids song in years.
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side effects appeared in your honorable mentions for top 100 best kpop songs of all time, does that make it a 10?
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No, and the honorable mentions portion of that list probably needs a revision. Much of the lower half of that list probably needs one, actually, but that is a huge project I’m not up to right now.
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you should definitely do an update on the list maybe around 2030 or something
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some suggestions for next groups to cover 🙂
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Awkward silence, My pace and Spread my wings are among my favorite SKZ songs, I don’t really rate songs but if I did they would have gotten an 8.5 minimum. As for Miroh it is one of my favorite songs in the whole industry. Lately the group is not doing much for me though.
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Wow, that’s some fluctuations there ( and a hella lot of material)!!! Never really vibed with their music tbh but agree with your ratings for most of their songs.
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That has to be the most releases on a chart yet hahaha
It kinda sucks that I’ve fallen out of SKZ’s music so hard since they were my absolute favourite group years ago…I still have a soft spot for the members but I definitely mourn the days of Miroh and Side Effects
blaming the success of God’s Menu for the stagnation of their sound the last few years (and I like God’s Menu!)
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Cle 2 as the group picture 👏
Yeah they have been more of a mixed bag recently. I was obsessed with Miroh and Side Effects, love all their songs from debut-2022. Besides that it’s great to see them thrive internationally! Didn’t expect it initially but God’s Menu really laid that foundation down haha
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I’m laughing because Easy was the song that got me into kpop. And I still listen to Stray Kids even though their title tracks don’t always hit the spot but there are golden b-sides that always make my playlist.
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The nerd at my core doesn’t like that each graph’s y-axis isn’t consistent.
At a glance, Stray Kids looks overall quite low, but then you notice that the baseline is 6, whereas P1Harmony for instance has a baseline of 3.
I’d love to see the graphs superimposed with a consistent y-axis.
Yay for the Ultimate Artist Ranking Page. I do realise that this is where the comparison is happening. I’d just love to see it graphically as well, because, nerd.
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my chest hurts 💔
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I miss the days where they put out bangers like “Miroh” and “Side Effects”. What I wouldn’t give to hear another song like those again.
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