Schur functions are a basis of the symmetric function ring that represent Schubert cohomology classes for Grassmannians. Replacing the cohomology ring with K-theory yields a rich combinatorial theory of inhomogeneous deformations, where Schur functions are replaced by their K-analogs, the symmetric Grothendieck functions. We initiate a theory of the Kromatic symmetric function $\overline {X}_G$, a K-theoretic analog of the chromatic symmetric function $X_G$ of a graph G. The Kromatic symmetric function is a generating series for graph colorings in which vertices receive any nonempty set of colors such that neighboring color sets are disjoint. Our main result lifts a theorem of Gasharov (1996), showing that when G is a claw-free incomparability graph, $\overline {X}_G$ is a positive sum of symmetric Grothendieck functions. This suggests a topological interpretation of Gasharov’s theorem. Kromatic symmetric functions of path graphs are not positive in any of several K-analogs of the e-basis, demonstrating that the Stanley–Stembridge conjecture (1993) does not have such a lift to K-theory and so is unlikely to be amenable to a topological perspective. We define a vertex-weighted extension of $\overline {X}_G$ which admits a deletion–contraction relation. Finally, we give a K-analog for $\overline {X}_G$ of the monomial-basis expansion of $X_G$.

We introduce two new bases of the ring of polynomials and study their relations to known bases. The first basis is the quasi-Lascoux basis, which is simultaneously both a $K$-theoretic deformation of the quasi-key basis and also a lift of the $K$-analogue of the quasi-Schur basis from quasi-symmetric polynomials to general polynomials. We give positive expansions of this quasi-Lascoux basis into the glide and Lascoux atom bases, as well as a positive expansion of the Lascoux basis into the quasi-Lascoux basis. As a special case, these expansions give the first proof that the $K$-analogues of quasi-Schur polynomials expand positively in multifundamental quasi-symmetric polynomials of T. Lam and P. Pylyavskyy.

The second new basis is the kaon basis, a $K$-theoretic deformation of the fundamental particle basis. We give positive expansions of the glide and Lascoux atom bases into this kaon basis.

Throughout, we explore how the relationships among these $K$-analogues mirror the relationships among their cohomological counterparts. We make several “alternating sum” conjectures that are suggestive of Euler characteristic calculations.