jakiro
Author: ChainUp Investment
introduce
Meme coins have become a unique and increasingly influential category in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, which are usually driven by technological innovation and financial applications, meme coins are primarily valued by online culture, sense of humor and community participation.These currencies are often inspired by viral memes, online trends or popular figures, attracting crypto enthusiasts and novice users, providing them with convenient and entertaining access to the world of digital assets.This article will explore the rise of meme coins, their impact on the cryptocurrency market, and the factors that contribute to their popularity.From dog-themed currencies (such as $DOGE) to politically rich currencies (such as $PNUT), we will analyze how meme coins reshape how people interact with cryptocurrencies, and also examine these speculations in investment.The challenges and risks posed by sexual assets.
What is meme coins
Meme coins are a unique category of cryptocurrencies, with their identities derived from online memes—these humorous or viral images that are often accompanied by witty titles.Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum that are designed with technical practicality and financial goals, Meme Coin’s main focus is social engagement, entertainment and online culture.Their value is mainly driven by the level of activity and power of the community, rather than any underlying technological innovation or financial application.
Meme coins have a wide range of themes, with the most popular ones including dog-themed currencies such as DOGE, WIF, SHIB, and NEIRO.Other common categories include animal-inspired currencies (such as cat or penguin-themed) and those based on the “Pepe the Frog” meme.In addition, there are currencies related to politicians, celebrities and online subcultures such as WallStreetBets and The Boy’s Club.Recently, the rise of AI and short video content has further boosted the popularity of meme coins inspired by AI agents and viral video culture.
The defining feature of meme coins is its community-driven nature.These currencies often use humor and viral content to build branding and identity.As communities engage in memes through social media, creative content and promotions, the value of these currencies tends to rise.Thanks to its low entry barrier and simple concept, Meme Coin is particularly appealing to cryptocurrency newbies or those seeking fun, speculative.
To increase visibility and attract new investors, Memecoin often adopts bold marketing strategies, such as placing billboards in prominent locations or organizing high-profile events, such as lighting up famous landmarks.For example, the popular meme coin Dogwifhat raises funds for an ambitious event and plans to illuminate the Las Vegas dome.
Despite its relaxed and pleasant nature, Meme Coin has become an important market segment in the cryptocurrency market, with a combined market capitalization of more than $121 billion and a market share of 3.62%.In the following sections, we will introduce some of the most representative meme coins.
Animal Memes: $DOGE
In December 2013, software engineers Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus created Dogecoin as a satirical response to the speculative craze surrounding cryptocurrencies at the time.They drew inspiration from the popular Doge meme, selected their image as a logo and named the cryptocurrency Dogecoin.
Dogecoin’s market cap surged to $8 million in just two weeks after its launch, briefly positioning it as the world’s seventh largest cryptocurrency.The token quickly gathered a loyal online community and built a solid fan base.Dogecoin broke through its $1 billion market cap for the first time in the cryptocurrency bull market in 2017-2018.
Elon Musk has been the core figure driving Dogecoin popularity.Musk first expressed interest in the token in 2018, and his tweets and public support significantly increased its price, giving Dogecoin a place in the cryptocurrency market.In 2021, Musk called himself “Dogefather”, and Dogecoin’s market value reached nearly US$100 billion.However, in 2023, Musk faced charges for involving insider trading on Dogecoin and was accused of causing significant losses to investors.
In 2024, the abbreviation of “DOGE” regained attention when President-elect Donald Trump used the term to refer to the “government efficiency department” he planned to form, and was expected to be made by Musk and Vivek.Leader of Ramaswami.This brought the term “DOGE” to the public focus again, and followed by a rebound in Dogecoin’s market value, reaching about $60 billion.
Animal Memes: $PEPE
Pepe the Frog is a well-known online meme created in 2005 by American cartoonist Matt Furie.The character first appeared in Furie’s comic Boy’s Club, which tells the challenges of a group of friends growing up.Pepe is a green human-shaped frog, initially one of several characters in the comics, but quickly evolved into a prominent web icon.
Pepe’s rise to become a meme started in 2008 when it began to gain attention on major online platforms, including Myspace, Gaia Online and 4chan.By 2015, Pepe became one of the most common memes, especially on platforms like 4chan and Tumblr.Over time, various versions of Pepe have appeared, including “Sad Frog”.In addition, since 2014, the concept of “rare Pepe” has emerged, and digital Pepe images have begun to be traded as part of the online “meme market”, similar to exchanging cards.
Initially, Pepe was a neutral, politically unpopular character.However, from 2015 to 2016, it was borrowed by certain extreme groups, especially the far-right movement, and linked to controversial political messages.Still, Pepe maintains its diversity and widespread use on social media platforms such as 4chan, Twitch, Reddit, and Discord, and users often customize the character to various emoji and meme formats.This lasting popularity makes Pepe an important and evolving symbol in online culture.
$PEPE, launched in mid-April 2023, is based on the Ethereum blockchain meme coin.The token was created to pay tribute to the popular “PEPE the Frog” meme, and there is no formal team or roadmap, and the creator remains anonymous.Instead of following typical issuance methods such as ICOs or airdrops, the coin relies on the popularity of memes to attract investors.$PEPE adopts a deflation mechanism, by burning LP and abandoning contract ownership, every transaction is equivalent to destroying a small number of tokens.This process reduces the total supply over time, thereby promoting scarcity and potentially increasing the value of the remaining tokens as the supply decreases.
In 2024, the price of $PEPE soared 20 times, with a current market value of about $8.5 billion, and ranks 19th in the market.
Political Memes: $PNUT
$PNUT is a meme coin inspired by the web red squirrel Peanut.Peanut, an Oriental Grey Squirrel, was found and rescued by Mark Longo in New York City in 2017, when his mother died in a car accident.Longo breastfeeded Peanut for eight months and tried to release him into the wild.However, when Peanut returns, half his tail is bitten off and then lives with Longo.Longo created an Instagram account for Peanut, and the account has received a lot of attention and has had over 910,000 followers by November 2024.
Unfortunately, on October 30, 2024, Peanut was seized by the New York State Department of Environmental Protection (NYSDEC) because an investigation found that it bit a staff member.After rabies testing, Peanut was euthanized.His death sparked widespread outrage on social media, condemned by lawmakers and prompted the introduction of a bill designed to prevent similar incidents.
With the high focus of the 2024 U.S. election, Peanut unexpectedly became the focus of political debate.Supporters of figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk have supported the “Fight for Justice for Peanut” campaign and criticized the administration’s actions as abuse of power.A petition called “For Justice and NYSDEC Reform for Peanut Squirrels” quickly gained a lot of support and had raised about $200,000 by November 13, 2024.
The emotional reaction triggered by the Peanut story gave birth to the meme coins based on the Solana chain, Peanut the Squirrel ($PNUT).After Binance went public and gaining attention from figures like Elon Musk, $PNUT surged rapidly, reaching its highest market value of $2.5 billion in just two weeks of listing.Currently, $PNUT has a market capitalization of approximately $1.1 billion.
AI Meme: $GOAT
Truth Terminal is a semi-automated AI robot developed by Andy Ayrey as part of an experimental project called “Meme Engineering”.The original design aims to interact with the web culture and generate independent content, the robot was finely tuned by the OPUS Large Language Model (LLM) and trained on data from platforms such as Reddit and 4chan.Its purpose is to promote discussion on AI-generating belief systems, and combine content from online subcultures, which are often described as “degenerate” or “delusional.”
As Truth Terminal continues to interact with the community, it begins to generate what is called the Gospel of Goatse, a mesmerizing and irreverent tone of religions such as Buddhism and Gnosticism.Content presented.These sometimes unstable and vulgar communications have attracted widespread attention from niche online communities, especially on platforms such as Twitter.An anonymous developer observed Truth Terminal’s activity on social media and launched the $GOAT token on the Pump.fun platform and named it “Goatseus Maximus” to pay tribute to the legends related to Goatse memes.The Twitter account marked Truth Terminal prompted the bot to comment and promote the token.Although Truth Terminal did not create the token, it significantly increased the visibility of $GOAT through the endorsement of the tweet, sparking more interest and trading activities.The interactions also sparked a rumor that $GOAT was created automatically by AI, further igniting speculation and driving the investment boom.
The pivotal moment of the $GOAT story takes place when Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) venture capital firm, noted Truth Terminal’s unique event.He saw the potential of the project, offering the AI a $50,000 Bitcoin sponsorship to support its development.This investment has greatly promoted the rapid growth of $GOAT.$GOAT’s market value once reached $1.2 billion, becoming the first AI meme token with a market value of more than $1 billion.
Truth Terminal’s involvement in the $GOAT story sets a precedent for AI’s role in the future digital asset and speculative financial ecosystem.Currently, $GOAT has a market capitalization of approximately $838 million.
AI Meme: $ACT
Act I: The AI Prophecy Project (ACT), referred to as Act I, is an open source, decentralized platform designed to promote innovative interaction between AI systems and human users.The project aims to create an “ecosystem” where various AI technologies powered by native token $ACT can collaborate to generate new forms of AI-driven interaction.Act I hopes to promote the boundaries of AI in the field of AI, especially in the field of AI chatbots, and promote the development of algorithms by promoting collaboration between different AI models such as text and image generation.
Originally co-founded by AmplifiedAmp (Amp), Act I aims to promote a decentralized, community-driven ecosystem.$ACT tokens were introduced as a funding mechanism, with 6% of the total supply being allocated to Amp.However, as the project evolved, Amp began selling $ACT tokens, eventually liquidating all quotas.Amp’s sudden exit made many members of the community feel disillusioned and betrayed.
Nevertheless, Amp’s exit became a catalyst for the community to control the $ACT project.Act I’s focus has shifted to rebuilding the platform to build it into a truly decentralized AI community with the mission of popularizing AI knowledge and allowing more people to access and understand AI.Through community-driven initiatives, resources and educational content, $ACT is committed to lowering the barriers to understanding AI, promoting ethical discussions about AI, and supporting research and development in the field.
The $ACT token has experienced significant growth since it went public on Binance on November 11, 2024.After the listing announcement was issued, the market value increased sharply 10 times in one hour, quickly reaching $300 million, and then peaked at $950 million.Currently, $ACT has a market capitalization of approximately $490 million.
Art Memes: $BAN
In 2019, the installation work of “Comedian” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan attracted great attention in the art world.The work shows a banana that is tapered to the wall, causing widespread controversy over its artistic value.Although the work seems simple on the surface, it sparks heated discussions among artists, critics and the public, questioning whether this can really be regarded as art or just a visual presentation of humor.The controversy ended with the work being sold at Sotheby’s Auction for a sky-high price of $120,000.
In October 2024, Comedian made headlines again, with Sotheby’s announcing that the work will be auctioned at the upcoming New York indicator auction.The news quickly attracted the attention of the art and cryptocurrency community.Sotheby’s vice president Michael Bouhanna anonymously released a meme coin name inspired by the artwork $BAN.In just two days, $BAN’s market cap surged to $60 million.
Rumors of internal trading and market manipulation began to surging as Bouhanna’s identity as the founder of $BAN became public.In response, Bouhanna denied the allegations on X (formerly Twitter) and eased public concerns by destroying 3.7% of the total $BAN supply.The action triggered a brief rebound, with the price of $BAN rising by more than 80%.
The momentum of $BAN continues to grow, especially on November 18, 2024, Binance Futures announced the launch of the $BANUSDT perpetual contract, offering up to 75x leverage trading.After the announcement, speculative attention in the market increased, pushing the $BAN price to an all-time high of $0.5361 and a market cap of $536 million.
On November 21, 2024, TRON founder and HTX owner Justin Sun made headlines, who bought Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial work Comedian for $6.2 million and ate it.However, speculative excitement surrounding $BAN meme coins quickly began to fade.By November 29, 2024, $BAN’s market cap had dropped sharply to $134 million, showing changes in investor sentiment and the possible saturation of the narrative surrounding the coin.
Pop Culture Memes: $CHILLGUY
“Chill Guy”, also known as “My New Character”, is a digital art work and online meme created by artist Phillip Banks.The image shows an anthropomorphic dog wearing a gray sweater, blue jeans and red sneakers, with a relaxed expression and hands in his pockets.Originally released on Twitter on October 4, 2023, the work attracted some attention at the time, but in August 2024, the work quickly became popular after a TikTok user edited it with other popular memes..Its widespread popularity stems from its “relaxation” attitude that is close to people’s hearts and advocates a stress-free and casual lifestyle.
The meme quickly gained a lot of attention on social media and attracted the favor of major brands, including the AMC Cinema and the Atlanta Hawks, who included it in their promotional campaigns.This character, often paired with “Unchill Gal,” sparked a fan-driven movement and created a wide range of Cosplay, fan art and memes on platforms like TikTok.
In November 2024, the meme hit a wave of climax once again with the founding of $CHILLGUY, a meme based on the Solana blockchain.By November 29, 2024, $CHILLGUY has a market cap of about $700 million, partly due to viral tweets from high-profile figures like El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.Despite the commercial success of this meme, Banks did not agree with the currency or its commercial use and launched legal action on unauthorized goods and tokens to demand removal in order to protect its intellectual property rights.However, $CHILLGUY remains one of the most popular and well-known memes in the current digital field.
The rise of meme super cycle
According to Artemis’ index benchmark, the meme sector has grown at 273.8% since the beginning of 2024, making it one of the fastest growing asset classes in this market cycle.The meme trend has also attracted a large number of new entrants to the cryptocurrency market.According to Google Trends, meme-related search volume surged nearly a hundredfold in 2024.Additionally, Solana Wallet Phantom ranked 48th in the Apple App Store, surpassing Coinbase, which ranked 55th.There is no doubt about the popularity of meme.
The popularity of memes can be explained well by cryptocurrency analyst Murad Mahmudov’s “meme hypercycle” theory.He believes the meme currency market is in its early stages and has the potential to exceed the $1 trillion market capitalization.The so-called “meme hypercycle” is a major and sustained trend in the cryptocurrency market, driven by multiple internal and external factors, highlighting the unique appeal of meme coins and its growing dominance.status.
In terms of internal factors, one of the main driving forces is insufficient innovation and overproduction of tokens.Unlike previous cycles, this rebound was not triggered by clear innovation, but was driven by Bitcoin ETFs and institutions.There was no single disruptive development, only signs of optimism and infrastructure maturity.
Meanwhile, the growing number of assets in the cryptocurrency sector has made the overall industry more difficult to grow.In 2024 alone, more than 600,000 new tokens were listed before April, with more than 5,000 new tokens entering the market every day.Centralized exchanges often list these alternatives at high valuations, resulting in retail investors becoming the exit liquidity of already profitable private equity participants.To exacerbate this problem, most alternative tokens lack real value, and 99% of tokens rely more on speculation than actual revenue generation.Binance’s research shows that $155 billion in tokens will be unlocked in the next five years, posing a major challenge for these tokens.Meme coins, however, are different, they are usually in full circulation and do not face the burden of future unlocking.Their potential proves to be another internal factor driving the hypercycle.
In terms of external factors, global challenges such as inflation, rising costs, AI-driven employment threats and wealth inequality make alternative investments like Meme Coin even more attractive.Interest in memes has been further fueled by social factors such as loneliness, mental health issues and a decline in trust in traditional institutions.The success story of large returns has also inspired strong market momentum and attracted investors’ continued attention to Meme Coin.
In addition, meme infrastructure like Pump.fun and Telegram trading bots lower the barrier to entry for memes.Pump.fun is a Solana-based marketplace that allows users to easily create and trade meme coins.It uses a joint curve pricing model to ensure a fair trading environment.The platform has received widespread attention, with more than 3.85 million meme coins being created and deployed as of November 2024 (about 70% of daily token issuances on Solana) and creating more than $227 millionincome.The platform has simple meme coin creation (low fees are around 0.02 SOL), low handling fees, and includes safeguards to prevent market manipulation.Many famous meme coins such as $ACT, $PNUT, and $MOODENG are created by Pump.fun.
Telegram trading bots also facilitate trading of memes.These robots significantly increase transaction speeds, allowing users to perform exchanges faster than manual DEX connections, which is especially important in the highly volatile meme coins market, as quick action can bring considerable benefits.Telegram’s popular and community-driven environment supports these robots, making them easy to use and widely adopted.In addition, various features such as BONKbot’s “buy and destroy” mechanism, Trojan’s copy transactions, Shuriken’s multi-chain support and Sonic Sniper BOT’s real-time coin data meet various transaction needs and enhance their reach to a wide range of usersGroup attraction.
The significance of meme coins is not only reflected in market performance.They are seen as a counterattack on overvalued cryptotech tokens, embodying the spirit of the 2017 ICO wave.Retail investors are particularly attracted to meme coins because they are able to combine financial opportunities with elements of entertainment, identity and community.Meme coins are not just tokens, they represent tokenized communities symbolized by mystery, emphasizing people and culture rather than technology.
Choose your meme coin
Centralized exchange listing effect
On September 16, Binance officially announced that it will “release First Neiro on Ethereum ($NEIRO), Turbo ($TURBO) and Baby Doge Coin ($1MBABYDOGE) and add new seed labels for it.”$NEIRO’s market cap rose rapidly in just a few hours, surged from $20 million to more than $120 million.After Binance announced the listing, $NEIRO’s market value reached US$1.25 billion, an increase of about 80 times.
Coincidentally, on November 11, Binance announced the launch of spot trading of $ACT and $PNUT, followed by $PNUT up 250% in one day, $ACT rose 2000% in a few hours, and its market value soared from $20 million to$300 million.
In fact, Binance accounts for about 50% of CEX trading volume.When a Meme coin is listed on Binance, this means that the secondary market will have huge liquidity.From a statistical point of view, the market value of Meme coins listed on Binance is usually greater than US$500 million.Those Meme coins that have announced that they will be listed on Binance and have a market value of less than $500 million are worth paying attention.2024 Binance Memes’ currency time and market value growth:
In fact, the currency listing effect also exists on CEXs such as Upbit and Bybit.Meme coins with good token distribution, reasonable market capitalization, strong community consensus and unique narrative are more likely to be listed.
Integer psychological disorder effect
Since most Meme coins lack actual basic value, the integer psychological barrier effect exists for most Meme coins.For example, Pump.fun’s token issuance is 1 billion, so the market value of $1 billion is the upper limit for most Meme coins.Doge once reached a price of $0.74 in 2021, with a market cap of $98.47 billion at the time, but was limited by a $100 billion market cap.Investors can refer to this effect to judge the rise potential of Meme coins.
Public chain capital multiplier effect
Choose a public chain with high TVL (total locked value) and high popularity.The rise in token prices of public chains will attract funds to enter the chain.Only when TVL grows can you create a meme coin with a higher market capitalization.Token price growth and ecological activity in public chains such as Solana, Base and Sui have prompted the birth of many meme tokens, and their value has increased by hundreds of times.Since August 2024, Sui’s token price has tripled, and TVL has also tripled.Various water-related meme coins are emerging, with $SUDENG having a market capitalization of more than $200 million.
Take the Meme Market Value/Public Chain TVL as a reference.The ratios of Solana, Sui and Base were 181.4%, 25.5%, and 93.2%, respectively.The higher the ratio, the higher the popularity of the memes of the corresponding blockchain, and the greater the probability of high-market value meme coins appearing.
Based on this theory, Messari proposed a high-return meme investment method: when the tokens on the public chain rise, buy the corresponding meme; when the meme goes down, convert it into cash.This investment strategy started in January 2021 and achieved a return of 13,000% over a three-year period.
Analyze the origin and purpose of the project
It is crucial to understand the basic purpose of launching Meme Coin.Some projects are for satirical purposes or as a reflection of contemporary social or political phenomena, aiming to create a positive and interactive community.Projects with clear and easy-to-understand purposes tend to have a more promising basis, as their appeal often resonates more deeply with the audience.
Assessing community engagement and ecosystems
Evaluating the activity and engagement of the project community on major social media platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, and Telegram is a must.This includes looking at metrics such as the number of active members, frequency of discussions, and overall engagement.A strong and active community can not only drive exposure of projects, but also promote its growth and sustainable development.In addition, it is also necessary to track whether the community is working with prestigious projects, brands or influencers, as such collaboration can enhance the credibility and market positioning of the project.
Monitor price performance and technical analysis
Analyzing the historical price trends of Meme Coin can provide insights into its market acceptance and investor sentiment.A token that shows steady volatility and can resist sharp declines may indicate a growing market recognition and stability.Conversely, tokens with strong price fluctuations may indicate speculation.In addition, tracking the coin’s popularity, through search volume trends and market rankings, helps to measure the long-term potential of a wider market interest and project.
Using intelligent monitoring and trading robots
There are many robots that can help investors invest in Meme coins.For example, GMGN.ai is a platform designed for traders to analyze and track Meme tokens at higher speeds and efficiency.It provides real-time transaction signals by observing the flow of funds and token activity of smart wallet addresses, covering multiple blockchain networks such as Ethereum, Solana and Blast.It also provides on-chain sniper tools, cross-chain exchange, intelligent fund tracking and technical analysis integration functions.
Indirect investment
In addition, investing in decentralized exchanges (DEXs) with active Meme trading, such as Solana’s Raydium and Base’s Aerodrome is also a good choice.
Risks of investing in memes
Although the meme coin has significant appeal, it also poses considerable risks:
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High volatility vs. low liquidity: Prices may soar or plummet rapidly, resulting in significant losses.Most meme coins have low trading volume and poor liquidity.
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Raising shipment risks: Developers withdraw liquidity remains a problem, which emphasizes the need for adequate research on projects.
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Money laundering transaction risk: Money laundering transactions refer to investors (usually the same person or group) buying and selling the same assets at the same time to create the illusion of active transactions.Here are the key points to identify signs of money laundering transactions:
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The trading volume of Meme coins suddenly increased significantly, but there was no major news, technical updates or community events, and there was no reasonable continuity thereafter.
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Prices fluctuate rapidly and irregularly over a short period of time (for example within a few minutes or hours), and this fluctuation is not based on normal supply and demand relationships in the market.
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If the size and frequency of the buy and sell orders are similar and appear alternately, it is like a stylized operation, this may be a sign of money laundering transactions.
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If you find that there is a high correlation between multiple wallet addresses, such as frequent transfer of funds in a short period of time, or their transaction behavior is highly similar (such as buying and selling the same number of Meme coins at the same time), money laundering transactions may occur.
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Content and Platform Abuse: Pump.fun’s live broadcast feature was used to publish bad content, causing the feature to be disabled and raised ethical concerns and exploitation issues about NSFW (not suitable for the work environment).
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Regulatory Challenges: Lack of age verification and speculation can violate regulatory norms and facilitate unhealthy gambling.
The survival rate of memes is extremely low. According to Pump.fun, the probability of a meme coin reaching a market value of $10 million is only one in a hundred thousand, and only 3% of users make more than $1,000.Before investing in meme coins, be sure to do your own research (DYOR).
in conclusion
Meme coins have proven that they are more than just a temporary popularity in the cryptocurrency market.They represent a unique intersection of Internet culture, financial speculation and community-driven participation, providing entertainment and investment opportunities.As the meme field continues to grow, driven by factors such as AI popularity, social media virality and bold marketing strategies, meme coins have attracted the attention of retail investors, media and even large financial institutions.However, their success is not without risks, including high volatility, speculative behavior and regulatory uncertainty.Investors must carefully consider market sentiment, project background and community participation before investing in meme coins.As the meme hypercycle continues to develop, it will be worth paying attention to whether meme coins can maintain their momentum or whether the market will turn to projects with more fundamental support.Regardless of their future, meme coins undeniably occupy a place in the cryptocurrency space and reshape how people perceive and trade digital assets.
