<p>Efficient coupling between acoustic fields and fluid microenvironments is crucial for advancing applied physics and microfluidic engineering in advanced biomedical, environmental sustainability, and broader industrial applications. Harnessing such interactions for biological processing enables the precise, contactless, and tunable control of cell membrane disruption, facilitating reagent-free, contamination-minimized lysis. However, existing acoustic lysis devices are faced with challenges of limited efficiency and intricate structures. To overcome these limitations, we developed a staggered traveling-surface Rayleigh acoustic wave (STRAW) microchip for additive-free cell lysis. The device consists of a LiNbO₃ substrate patterned with two sets of interdigital transducers and a circular polydimethylsiloxane ring for confining cell suspension. We constructed a mathematical model for the STRAW-induced mechanical effects and optimized the alignment of interdigital transducers via theoretical modeling and finite-element analysis to maximize torque and acoustic streaming. The proposed STRAW-based platform showed over 95% lysis efficiency within 30 s for MC3T3-E1 mammalian cells, Gram-negative <i>Escherichia coli</i>, and Gram-positive <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. Thus, the developed design enables additive-free, structurally straightforward acoustic lysis with demonstrated compatibility across the tested cell types. Beyond basic lysis, this universal platform can be used in point-of-care diagnostics and food and environmental safety monitoring. This work illustrates how fluid structure–wave interactions may inform fluid mechanics and applied physics within a high-performance, low-complexity microfluidic system, paving the way for the widespread integration of STRAW-induced acoustic streaming in diagnostics, industry, and research.</p>