PART00, Introduction
Imagine that your favorite online emoticons suddenly become a tradable digital currency. Doesn’t it feel absurd and interesting?
They seem to be the product of a joke, but from time to time they can climb to a market value of billions of dollars, which makes many people say they don’t understand. The value of these digital assets is largely driven by jokes on the Internet, the popularity of social media and the consensus of online communities. Does it sound a bit like a grand joke?
But this is MeMe coin, a strange phenomenon born from Internet humor that can stir up waves in the financial market. In fact, these seemingly unserious digital toys are attracting a lot of money and attention at an astonishing speed. This article will take you into the wonderful and crazy world of MeMe coins, and learn more about their origins and possible future.
PART01. Starting with “Doge”: The Origin of MeMe Coin
MeMe coins, as the name suggests, are cryptocurrencies inspired by Internet memes. They are often born with a sense of humor and entertainment, which is fundamentally different from traditional cryptocurrencies that claim to be disruptive technologies or solve practical problems. You may see all kinds of animal heads, popular memes, and even celebrities printed on these digital currencies. They seem to exist just to make you laugh and see if they can stir up some waves in the market.
However, it is this seemingly "unorthodox" quality that has become the unique charm of MeMe coins. They do not have a complex mining mechanism and total quantity limit like Bitcoin, nor do they try to build a huge decentralized application ecosystem like Ethereum. The value of MeMe coins often comes from the consensus of the community and the viral spread of social media. A popular emoticon, a tweet that resonates, or even just a joke, may make an obscure MeMe coin instantly popular, and the price will rise accordingly. This phenomenon may seem difficult to understand at first glance, but it just reflects that in the digital age, social and cultural factors are increasingly influencing the financial market. People's curiosity about new things, their desire for community belonging, and their dream of getting rich quickly are all reflected to some extent in the world of MeMe coins. This may also indicate that in the future financial field, entertainment, community participation, and viral spread will become a force that cannot be ignored, attracting a new generation of investors who may not be interested in traditional financial instruments.
If we talk about the originator of MeMe coin, it must be Dogecoin.
This cryptocurrency, created by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer in late 2013, was originally created as a joke. Palmer first publicly mentioned Dogecoin on November 28, 2013, jokingly tweeting "Invest in Dogecoin, I'm sure it's the next big thing." The inspiration came from the "Doge" emoticon that was popular on the Internet at the time - a picture of a Shiba Inu head with bright colors and funny fonts and inner monologues. Palmer then created the Dogecoin.com website, and Markus completed the development of Dogecoin in just three hours, most of which was spent on changing the client's text to Comic Sans font. The two founders probably didn't expect that this joke project would quickly become popular and gain amazing attention and users in just a few weeks.
In the early days, Dogecoin was mainly used for "rewards" on social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitter. Users could use a small amount of Dogecoin to reward creators who posted interesting or valuable content. This relaxed and joyful atmosphere attracted a group of loyal followers and formed a vibrant community. Unexpectedly, the early community of Dogecoin also showed a philanthropic spirit. For example, in 2014, they raised $25,000 for the Jamaican bobsleigh team that failed to obtain enough funds to participate in the Sochi Winter Olympics, and donated $30,000 to the clean water project in Kenya.
It is worth mentioning that before Dogecoin, Billy Marcus created another cryptocurrency called Bellscoin in 2013, which was inspired by Nintendo's game Animal Crossing. Dogecoin is actually forked from Bellscoin's code.
In 2021, Elon Musk mentioned DOGE on Twitter many times, pushing it into a global craze. The price once soared by more than 8,000%, and the market value exceeded 88 billion US dollars. This initial joke project has gradually accumulated a huge market value and influence in the following years. This fully demonstrates that a seemingly non-serious project can also achieve unexpected success if it can cleverly combine with popular Internet culture and form a strong community consensus, and also lays the foundation for the emergence of many subsequent MeMe coins.
PART02. From cute pet to president: the wild evolution of MeMe coin
After the unexpected success of Dogecoin, a variety of MeMe coins have sprung up, as if the cryptocurrency world has experienced a "Cambrian explosion of life", with various digital currencies themed on cute animals, characters, current events or popular memes emerging one after another. The most notable ones include Shiba Inu (SHIB), which is often called the "Dogecoin killer" and was launched in August 2020. Shiba Inu is also themed with Shiba Inu, trying to replicate the success of Dogecoin and building its own large community "SHIB Army". Bonk (BONK) on the Solana chain is another rapidly rising MeMe coin. It was launched in late 2022 and is the first dog-themed MeMe coin in the Solana ecosystem. Another MeMe coin that has attracted much attention is Pepe (PEPE), which reignited people's enthusiasm for MeMe coins in 2023 and is inspired by the famous "Pepe Frog" emoji. In addition, there are newcomers like dogwifhat (WIF), whose logo is a Shiba Inu wearing a pink knitted hat.
In addition to these "old" powerhouses, new players are constantly emerging in the world of MeMe coins, and their sources of inspiration are becoming more diverse. For example, cat-themed MeMe coins "Popcat" and various zoo coins such as "MEW". Politicians have also entered the MeMe coin field. The market value of $TRUMP, officially announced by Donald Trump, once soared to $14.5 billion, but plummeted after he took office. Melania Trump also launched her own MeMe coin $Melania, which has fallen by 90% in value by February 2025. Other MeMe coins related to politicians, such as $BODEN, $LIBRA, and $CAR, introduce a new dimension to the issuance of MeMe coins by politicians. The currencies created and promoted by politicians blur the boundaries between political movements, Internet culture, and financial speculation, creating "unique risks" and opportunities. In addition, there are MeMe coins inspired by artificial intelligence, such as Dawgz AI. In October 2021, there were only 124 MeMe coins in circulation on the market, but by February 2025, millions of MeMe coins had emerged on platforms such as Pump.fun alone.
PART03. How does Digital Happy Coin work?
Although MeMe coins look like a joke, they still rely on the solid foundation of blockchain technology. In simple terms, blockchain is like a shared digital ledger that records every transaction securely and transparently. Most MeMe coins run as tokens on existing blockchains, such as Ethereum (following the ERC-20 standard) and Solana (following the SPL token standard). This allows them to be developed more quickly and leverage the infrastructure of existing blockchains.
Although some MeMe coins may claim to have certain unique technical features, their value and popularity are mainly driven by social and cultural factors rather than technological innovation or practical applications. Unlike crypto projects that are committed to developing new technologies or solving practical problems, MeMe coins are more like a social phenomenon, and their value comes from community consensus and market sentiment. Therefore, when evaluating MeMe coins, technical analysis often seems less important, and it is more critical to focus on the community power and network popularity behind them.
“Token economics” is also key to understanding how MeMe coins work, and includes the supply of tokens (usually large or even unlimited, such as Dogecoin, which mines 10,000 new coins per minute and has no total limit), the distribution method (such as free distribution to community members through airdrops, like Bonk, or through pre-sales, etc.), and any unique mechanisms , such as token burning (increasing scarcity by reducing the circulation, such as PePe and Shiba Inu). For MeMe coins like Dogecoin, mining is still the way to generate new coins (it uses the Scrypt algorithm's proof of work mechanism, which is less energy-intensive than Bitcoin's SHA-256 algorithm). A variety of token economic models show different ways to manage inflation and perceived value.
It is worth noting that the barrier to entry for creating a MeMe coin is very low, and many tools and platforms, such as Pump.fun and Moonshot on Solana, make it easy for anyone to issue their own MeMe coin by entering a name, code, and picture. This extremely low barrier to entry explains the huge number of MeMe coins on the market. While this ease of creation promotes innovation and allows for rapid experimentation with new ideas, it also makes the market vulnerable to a large number of low-quality tokens and potential scams, as there is usually little to no audit process.
PART04. MeMe’s growth and explosion: Solana
The rise of meme coins has been fueled by social media hype, community-driven support, and their appeal as low-barrier investments for new crypto enthusiasts. Meme coin project platforms like Solana or Ethereum have played a key role in this growth, providing the technical infrastructure needed to create and trade these tokens at scale.
While Ethereum was the birthplace of many early meme coins like Shiba Inu, the network’s high gas fees and congestion often posed significant challenges for developers and investors. Solana, as a high-performance blockchain, has become a game-changer for meme coin projects. Solana’s most notable advantage is its lightning-fast transaction speeds of up to 65,000 transactions per second and extremely low transaction fees, typically less than a cent. This efficiency has attracted a wave of developers and investors, leading to a surge in Solana-based meme coin activity. As a result, Solana is dominating the meme coin market, making it a top choice for both new and established crypto projects aiming to capitalize on this growing trend.
You can compare Solana to the budget airlines of the crypto world - fast, low cost, and perfect for quick, impulsive decisions. This makes Solana a perfect fit for the high-volume, high-risk trading characteristics of meme coins. In addition, it is also partly thanks to the token launch platform Pump.fun, which has facilitated the deployment of more than 8 million tokens since its launch in early 2024.
But the LIBRA token scandal sparked by Argentine President Javier Milei in February affected other core protocols on the fast, cost-effective blockchain, causing the status of other Solana meme leaders to decline sharply in recent months, with its token price falling from a peak of $298 to $123.
Despite this, some traders believe that the end of MeMe has come, but Pump.fun's trading and token issuance platform still maintains more than 150,000 daily active addresses.
In addition to Solana, BSC is also actively embracing MeMe. Recently, with the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund MGX injecting $2 billion into Binance, the influence of Changpeng Zhao, and the integration of the Alpha section on the Binance main site, BSC's Meme ecosystem has become popular.
PART05: Community is king: social media and MeMe coin craze
In the world of MeMe Coin, the power of online communities is also very strong. Active communities on platforms such as Twitter (now X), Reddit (Dogecoin has more than 1.6 million subscribers), Discord and Telegram are crucial to the success of MeMe Coin. Shiba Inu Coin has more than 3.9 million followers on Twitter, Pepe Coin has more than 766,000, Bonk Coin has quickly accumulated more than 500,000 followers, and Floki Inu has more than 475,000. It is these vibrant communities that have driven the popularity and value of MeMe Coin by constantly creating and sharing MeMe Coin-related memes and viral content.
The value of MeMe Coin relies heavily on the collective belief and enthusiasm of its online community. Social media platforms are hotbeds of hype, where viral memes and collaborative efforts can quickly drive up prices. This community-driven valuation is in stark contrast to traditional financial assets, where value is often tied to fundamentals and real utility. In addition, the fear of missing out (FOMO) is also an important factor driving people to invest in MeMe Coin .
When the price of a MeMe coin rises rapidly, many people will buy blindly for fear of missing out, even if they do not have a deep understanding of the project itself. Influencers and opinion leaders on social media often become boosters of the MeMe coin craze. Their tweets, videos, or even just an emoticon may attract a lot of attention and purchases in a short period of time, thus significantly affecting the price trend of MeMe coins.
"Diamond Hands" is a popular term in the MeMe Coin community, referring to investors who hold on to their assets even when prices fall. This "never give up" spirit has created a strong social pressure within the community, encouraging members to keep their faith and not sell easily.
However, this reliance on social sentiment also makes MeMe coins extremely vulnerable to sudden changes in public opinion. In essence, the community becomes the “currency” that determines the value of these digital assets.
PART06. Celebrity Effect: When Celebrities and Presidents Post “Endorsements”
The price of MeMe coins is often driven by virality on social media, with celebrity endorsements as catalysts. Studies have shown that high-profile celebrities can quickly attract a lot of attention through X posts, especially among fan groups, many of whom are new to cryptocurrencies and are prone to buying related coins due to FOMO, leading to significant price increases in the short term.
Elon Musk: As a tech superstar, Musk's X posts have had a profound impact on MeMe coin. In February 2021, he changed his X profile to "DogeCoin CEO," and the price of Dogecoin soared by more than 1,000% that week, from $0.007 to $0.087. However, he also faced a class-action lawsuit from investors for promoting Dogecoin, questioning his conflict of interest.
Snoop Dogg: Rapper Snoop Dogg's association with MeMe coin includes supporting Dogecoin and launching related projects, such as Thug Life coin in 2023, which attracted nearly $50,000 in investment. His X posts often spark community discussions and drive short-term price increases.
Gene Simmons: KISS lead singer Simmons calls himself the "God of Dogecoin". In February 2021, he posted a post claiming to have purchased a large amount of Dogecoin, and the price immediately rose by 55%, reaching a historical high of $0.084. He has also invested in other crypto assets such as Cardano's ADA.
The participation of politicians also introduces a new dimension to MeMe Coin, blurring the boundaries between political movements, Internet culture, and financial speculation. Their X posts often leverage their existing public recognition and supporter base to quickly attract attention, but also bring high risks.
Donald Trump: On January 17, 2025, Trump announced the $TRUMP coin on X and Truth Social, with the logo of a fist raised after the assassination attempt in July 2024. The price on the first day soared from $6.50 to $74.27, and the market value once reached $27 billion. However, the price collapsed after taking office, falling to $11.74 on March 17, 2025, with a market value of about $2.35 billion. Ethics experts criticized his conflict of interest, calling it a "presidential conflict of interest."
Javier Milei: On February 14, 2025, Milei promoted $LIBRA in a post titled X, claiming to support Argentine entrepreneurs. The price rose from $0.216 to $5.54, with a market value of $4.56 billion. However, Milei deleted the tweet hours later, causing a 94% plunge, with investors losing more than $250 million. On March 17, 2025, the price fell to $0.08, with a market value of only $21.62 million. The incident was called "Cryptogate," triggering legal investigations and calls for impeachment.
Melania Trump: $Melania coin was launched on January 20, 2025, and the price rose from $7 to $13 on the first day, but fell to $0.68 on March 17, 2025, with a market value of only $369 million. Its volatility is similar to that of $TRUMP, showing the high risk of political MeMe coins.
It can be seen that celebrities' X posts can quickly ignite the market, but the impact is usually short-lived, and the price fluctuations are like a roller coaster. The possible conflicts of interest and lack of transparency behind celebrity endorsements have also caused people's concerns. Research shows that some celebrities may profit through "pump and dump" operations, that is, selling at a high price and leaving retail investors to "take over". Investors should be cautious.
In March 2025, Arkham Intelligence's KOL tag provided a new tool for transparency, tracking the wallet activities of influencers with more than 100,000 followers, covering 950 addresses, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Trump. However, it will take time to verify whether it can effectively reduce risks. In the future, regulation and community supervision may become the key to balancing the celebrity effect.
The following is a comparison of the price changes of some MeMe coins before and after celebrity endorsements (as of March 17, 2025):
PART07, Crazy Roller Coaster: Price Fluctuations and Speculative Appeal of MeMe Coin
The world's crazy fascination with MEME coins has puzzled many financial experts, who have struggled to find a logical explanation: Why do so many investors support assets that are deliberately created to embody Internet jokes and wacky trends, which often have no real use? In fact, one of the biggest advantages of meme coins is their low barrier to entry . Unlike established giants such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, the unit price of these tokens is usually very low. This affordability makes it an ideal gateway for beginners to enter the world of cryptocurrency and allows for large-scale purchases. This, in turn, creates a domino effect: high trading volume pushes up prices, further increasing demand.
Another key factor is their speculative appeal . By their very nature, memecoins are highly sensitive to market sentiment and are known for achieving huge short-term gains. Some memecoins start out at pennies or even fractions of a penny, but after various hypes, celebrities or headlines, the price soars 10x, 100x or even 1,000x. However, this extreme volatility works both ways. This cycle of boom and crash is what makes it so attractive to savvy traders looking for quick profits. MEME coins that soar during bull markets often struggle in bear market conditions. However, for those who can spot the signs of an impending bull run and act early, these tokens may represent a major opportunity.
At the heart of their success lies the power of their community. Ultimately, viral ideas fuel their rise. The success of a memecoin depends on how well its underlying meme or trend resonates with people. From there, word of mouth from loyal fans on social media can snowball their popularity. Some memecoins have also attracted the attention of influential figures, amplifying their reach, which also adds to their appeal.
The most notable feature of MeMe coins is their extreme price volatility. Analysts have pointed out that the volatility of MeMe coins is 50 times that of Bitcoin. Its price is often driven by speculation and market sentiment rather than fundamental value, making it a high-risk, high-return asset class. For example, Dogecoin soared nearly 300% in 72 hours in 2013, but then quickly plummeted 80%. And $TRUMP coins also fell sharply after reaching a peak of $75. The movements of "whales" who hold a large number of MeMe coins can often influence prices. In addition, market manipulation further exacerbates this risk, including "pump-and-dump" and "rug pull" phenomena are also common in the MeMe coin field. Similar incidents have occurred in SQUID coins and BALD coins, making it imperative for investors to be extremely cautious and conduct thorough due diligence.
The history of MeMe coins is a mixture of success stories of early investors making huge gains, as well as cautionary tales of those who bought in at the top and suffered significant losses. Rapid and often unpredictable price movements create a high-risk, high-reward environment where fortunes can be made or lost quickly in a short period of time. Platforms like Pump.fun have lowered the barrier to entry, resulting in a constant stream of new MeMe coins, which increases both the chances of finding the next hot coin and the risk of investing in a short-lived trend or scam.
PART08, Risks and opportunities coexist: the "dangers" and "opportunities" of investing in MeMe
MeMe Coin's high volatility can present short-term high-return opportunities, but also presents significant risks.
The lure of getting rich overnight: Success stories of early investors making millions of dollars fuel the appeal of MeMe Coin. Wild price fluctuations create opportunities for savvy traders to buy low and sell high, but the risks are extremely high.
Risk of scams: MeMe coin is susceptible to pump and dump and run scams, where developers abandon a project and run out of funds. The New York State Legislature introduced a bill in 2025 to impose criminal penalties for scams. Red flags include anonymous developers, lack of utility, excessive hype, unrealistic promises, low liquidity, and sudden price spikes. Tools such as RugCheck and SolScan can help verify liquidity locks.
Expert Tip: Only invest money you can afford to lose, research the team, whitepaper, roadmap, and community, check token allocation and liquidity lockup, be wary of hype, use on-chain analysis tools to track transactions, manage your positions well, and set stops to limit losses.
In the exciting but also dangerous field of MeMe coin, in addition to mastering some "dog-beating" skills, investors also need to prioritize risk management and thorough research rather than chasing quick returns. Here are some tips and experiences that can help you identify potential risks and avoid becoming a "leek":
Be wary of promises of excessive returns: Any project that promises to earn "100x" or "1,000x" returns in a short period of time is very likely a scam. Real projects will not make such unrealistic guarantees.
Anonymous teams and vague project details: Teams and projects that lack transparency are usually red flags. A credible project should have public and verifiable team members and provide a clear project white paper and development roadmap.
Start with a small investment: If you decide to invest in MeMe Coin, try investing a small amount of money first and never invest more than you can afford.
Check if liquidity is locked: Make sure the project’s liquidity pool is locked in a reputable escrow service or locked for a period of time via a smart contract to prevent developers from suddenly withdrawing funds (“Rug”).
Review token holder distribution: Avoid investing in projects where tokens are highly concentrated in a small number of wallets, which increases the risk of market manipulation.
Pay attention to the security of smart contracts: If you have the technical ability, you can review the smart contract code, or look for projects that have been audited by a reputable third-party agency.
Beware of the “pump and dump” pattern: Observe the candlestick chart. If there is a sudden surge followed by a rapid decline, it is likely a “pump and dump” scam.
Don’t be FOMO: When the price of a MeMe coin rises rapidly, don’t buy it blindly for fear of missing out. Always think and judge independently.
Pay attention to the authenticity and activity of the community: Analyze the participation of community platforms such as Discord, Telegram, and Twitter. If there are a large number of members but few interactions, or if it is filled with a large number of newly registered accounts and robots, this may mean that the community is falsely prosperous.
PART08. How to discover the next popular MeMe coin?
If you want to join the Meme coin frenzy, you need to consider multiple factors to find the next popular Meme coin. Here is a detailed analysis:
Timing: This is the first factor to keep in mind. Look for coins that are starting to gain momentum in the community but haven’t been widely noticed yet. This can be judged by the popularity of X, Reddit discussions, and be prepared for the upcoming bull run so that the market sentiment is favorable.
Tracking new coin listings: Tracking new coin listings on decentralized exchanges (DEX) is like panning for gold. Pay attention to announcements on launchpads and join some effective cryptocurrency communities to get early information.
KOL tool monitoring: GMGN KOL/VC monitoring, DeBot AI signal, chain.fm KOL channel. By establishing a KOL influence matrix, we focus on KOLs that meet the requirements of "high fan stickiness + narrative ability + real-time verification" and comprehensively consider the popularity of Meme.
Data tool combination : GMGN, chain.fm, DeBot, ave.ai, lock in unusual projects through the 5-minute popularity list → search for contract addresses on Twitter (focus on monitoring narrative integrity and KOL interaction density) → combine developer holding ratios and social media activity for comprehensive analysis.
Address monitoring and copy trading: GMGN, chain.fm, DeBot, ave.ai, tracking the "Diamond Hand" address verified by the market. For the targets that are optimistic, hold the position until the market value breaks through the key milestone and then gradually reduce the position; for the short-term gaming targets, adopt the "double the capital + gradual reduction of positions" double insurance mechanism.
Exchange Listing and Market Accessibility: Even the most promising memecoin won’t thrive if it struggles to get listed. Make sure the tokens you’re eyeing are tradable on major exchanges like Binance or OKX.
Scarcity and fair token economics: A fair launch is one of the best ways to pave the way for organic growth and prevent insider selling. Look for meme tokens with no unlock periods or VC overhang and ample circulating supply.
Cultural and emotional relevance: Not all meme coins are created equally with strong idea drivers. Meme coins with viral potential are able to capture the zeitgeist and inspire emotions and desires in their audience. They not only seem likely to succeed, but feel inevitable.
Celebrity endorsements: For better or worse, the support of influential figures has a huge impact on the success of a memecoin. If a celebrity is talking about it — chances are, it will go viral.
Innovation and utility: While this isn’t as important for meme coins as it is for other cryptocurrencies, it’s still a solid indicator of longevity. If you want to discover meme coins that may soon become popular, check out those that are more focused on partnerships and integrations to build lasting value.
PART09: Looking forward to the future of MeMe
There are currently very different views on the future of MeMe Coin. Some supporters believe that MeMe Coin may develop practical uses beyond speculation in the future, such as becoming a governance token for a specific community or a tool for rewarding users. Critics believe that MeMe Coin essentially lacks intrinsic value and is extremely susceptible to market manipulation such as "pump and dump", and will eventually die out.
Most MeMe coins generally have low long-term investment prospects due to lack of fundamental value and high volatility. However, coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have established significant market capitalizations and loyal communities, suggesting they may have longevity. Their role in driving community engagement and attracting new users to the cryptocurrency space may also contribute to their continued existence. Additionally, Shiba Inu and its DeFi ecosystem are trying to integrate more utility. Dogecoin has been accepted as a payment method by some companies.
While most MeMe coins may not be a long-term investment option, some established players with strong communities and potential utility may maintain their position in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. As the MeMe coin space continues to develop, new trends such as AI-driven and political themes continue to emerge, reflecting the dynamic nature of Internet culture and its intersection with finance. The continuous emergence of new MeMe coins shows that people continue to be interested in this type of asset and are willing to try new themes and technologies.
In the future, MeMe coins may be more deeply integrated with emerging technologies or fields such as NFT and the Metaverse, creating new application scenarios and possibilities. For example, a MeMe coin can be used as a pass to enter a specific Metaverse community, or used to purchase digital artworks related to the meme. However, at the same time, regulators may pay more attention to the MeMe coin market, and more regulatory measures may be introduced in the future to protect investors from fraud and market manipulation. In the long run, whether a market driven mainly by hype and social sentiment can continue to exist remains an unknown.
MeMe Coin's crypto journey, from an internet joke to an important market participant, is full of fascinating colors. They bring both the temptation of getting rich quickly and huge risks. The power of the community, the influence of social media, and the ever-changing market environment jointly shape the world of MeMe Coin. Although the future is full of uncertainty, MeMe Coin, with its unique cultural genes and strong community foundation, may be able to find its place in the broader financial world and continue to write its legendary story full of "confuses" and "enlightenment".
