Stray Kids Have The Happiest Fans In Music, According To New Study

In an innovative approach to understanding music fandoms, a recent study conducted by The Action Network analyzed over 1.5 million Reddit comments from communities centered around 106 artists to assess fan emotions. The results spotlighted Stray Kids as having the most joyful fanbase, with nearly a third of their fans’ online interactions reflecting happiness.

This fresh methodology diverges from traditional measures of fandom intensity — such as streaming figures, album sales, or concert attendance — by focusing instead on the emotional tone present in fan discussions. The study’s findings position the Stray Kids fandom, commonly known as STAY, at the pinnacle of positive sentiment, with 30.5% of their comments conveying joy. This distinguishes them from other fan groups across a wide spectrum of genres.

Following Stray Kids, fans of Florence + the Machine and Hozier also exhibited notably high joy levels, registering 27.2% and 23.9% respectively. The analysis further included diverse artists such as BTS and The Cure, whose followers similarly demonstrated an above-average propensity for joy despite the latter’s music often featuring melancholic themes. This suggests that the emotional atmosphere within a fan community may not directly mirror the mood of the artist’s work but rather reflects the nature of fan interactions and support.

Contrasting with these cheerful pockets, the study highlighted that fans of Mitski experienced the highest expressions of sadness, with 11.4% of comments displaying this sentiment. Other artists with notably melancholic fanbases included My Chemical Romance and Charlie Puth. The predominance of female artists among the groups exhibiting greater sadness points to possible correlations between artist identity and fan emotional expression.

On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, hip-hop artists had fan communities marked by elevated levels of anger. Future’s fandom topped this category, with 11.7% of comments characterized by anger, closely followed by Tyler, the Creator and Kodak Black. This trend may partially reflect the nature of discussions within these communities, which often involve debates over lyrical content, artist comparisons, and music releases, potentially generating more contentious exchanges.

Interestingly, the study noted that rap fandoms, while appearing less joyful in this analysis, might not necessarily lack enjoyment. Instead, the typical content of their conversations leans toward critical examination rather than overt expressions of happiness. This nuance underscores the complexity of interpreting emotion in digital fan spaces.

The research also identified several communities with low expressions of sadness and anger. For example, Stray Kids fans ranked among those least likely to express sadness, aligning with their high joy scores. The least sad fandoms included those of Offset, OutKast, and The Beatles, while the calmest fanbases in terms of anger were predominantly found in pop and rock genres, featuring artists like Ed Sheeran, Elton John, and Florence + the Machine.

The study’s methodology acknowledged certain limitations, such as the inclusion of song lyric quotes within emotional categorizations. Approximately 15-20% of high-confidence sadness comments consisted of fans sharing melancholic lyrics rather than personal feelings, which nonetheless was considered a valid reflection of the fandom’s emotional identity.

Looking ahead, Stray Kids are poised to maintain their fans’ high spirits with the imminent release of their new album, THIS & THAT, scheduled for early August 2026. This will be their first full-length project of the year following a successful mixtape release last November, which achieved one of the highest opening week sales for a K-pop act in the United States. Concurrently, the group has embarked on The Run It World Tour, beginning with multiple shows in Seoul and continuing into 2027, further energizing their dedicated fanbase.

Overall, this study provides a novel lens through which to view the dynamics of music fandoms, emphasizing emotional engagement as a key dimension of fan culture. Stray Kids’ distinction as the fandom with the most joy underscores the powerful connection between artists and their audiences, which can transcend genre boundaries and traditional popularity metrics.