Meme coins are among the most intriguing cryptocurrencies because their price growth is primarily driven by community support rather than traditional market value. While the success of all cryptocurrencies depends on global investor interest, meme coins are unique in that their foundation is based on a meme.
The original meme coin, Dogecoin, found popularity in the crypto industry when Elon Musk supported it through tweets, but the internet culture was already pushing it towards innovation. Therefore, more meme coins appeared on the market, creating a specific sector for investors and developers to explore.
The meme coin market has created a new meaning for these entertaining images, similar to how the Pepe the Frog meme led to the creation of the Pepe coin. The “feels good man” meme has become important to social media influences and is still well-recognized.
There are many meme coins with social implications investors should check out for future references, as their power comes from social responsibility. Let’s analyze the most important of them.
Popcat (POPCAT)
The Popcat meme became popular around 2020, based on the Oatmeal-named cat whose funny face made it an internet sensation. Two years later, the Popcat token was built on the Solana blockchain. The 100% community-owned cryptocurrency increased in value due to engagement.
Even the whitepaper emphasizes the importance of people’s contribution to the popularity of meme coins, and its nature drives investors to add value. Users can acquire POPCAT to diversify their portfolio, and it has been one of the top memecoin performers recently.
Pepecoin (PEPE)
Pepe coin is inspired by the well-known meme “Pepe the Frog” and is based on the Ethereum blockchain. The deflationary token takes advantage of ERC-20 technology, which makes it a safe investment among meme coins. Some of its most interesting features include a redistribution system that incentivizes token holders by allocating 1% of every transaction to a special pool that’s distributed among them.
The Pepe coin also has a unique burning system that sustains scarcity and supports the asset’s increasing value. When a small percentage of tokens are removed from circulation, this pushes the token to popularity and price. The no-tax policy also supports investor interest, as Pepe becomes one of the few coins to be used without additional costs.
Pudgy Penguins (PENGU)
Although initially an NFT collection, the team behind Pudgy Penguins released a token called PENGU. The coin was created on the Solana blockchain and has found massive popularity since its airdrop following its release. The majority of the supply was allocated to the airdrop, but the rest will go to the Solana and Ethereum communities, and some of it will support liquidity.
The PENGU token received a massive positive response due to the popularity of the NFT
collections. It is one of the leading projects by market capitalization in the industry. Therefore, the digital avatar community supported the coin’s launch into the crypto sphere. Since the Pingu movement even reached the fashion sector, with merch in the Igloo shop, we can expect the coin’s price to gain more traction in the future.
Fartcoin (FARTCOIN)
As funny as this cryptocurrency sounds, Fratcoin has been one of the meme coins that surprisingly reached an impressive market capitalization following the president’s acceptance of crypto. After briefly exceeding $1B in 2024, which left crypto experts speechless, the crypto space witnessed how the power of communities can sustain a massive value increase with even the most useless cryptocurrencies out there.
The Solana-based meme coin also brings tremendous popularity to the blockchain, where developers seek faster transactions and less network congestion, making it a better alternative than the Ethereum blockchain. While Fartcoin lacks a website and more media coverage now, popular exchanges listed it following the interest surge.
Gigachad (GIGA)
The Giga Chad meme comes from a digitally altered picture of a fitness model that portrays hyper-masculinity. It is also categorized as the opposite of beta males and soy boys, which, frankly, is a lot to unpack, so let’s focus on cryptocurrency. As the website describes it, GIGA is the essence of tokenized masculinity, with the coin being created on the Ethereum blockchain and zero tax benefits.
The cryptocurrency allows staking for users to earn rewards and sustain the network’s safety, which offers them governance rights. The community has also developed a healthy initiative focused on fitness called Giga Motion and Giga Fitness, through which users are encouraged to maintain their physical appearance and take care of their mental health.
Will meme coins continue to be interesting for users?
Meme coins look appealing at first glance, especially those tied to popular memes, but sometimes it raises questions about their future relevance in the crypto market amid consistent entry of new projects. However, as memes are a lasting part of internet culture, meme coins will likely remain attractive to investors, though their features may evolve.
Coins like Dogecoin and Pepe, initially seen as simple memes, have developed significant roles in the market. Many meme projects also focus on community-driven purposes, including donations, highlighting their potential for adaptability and growth.
Final Thoughts
Meme coins are often viewed as worthless cryptocurrencies, but they actually represent the pinnacle of community engagement and contribute significantly to the crypto market. Their value stems from people’s interest in and affection for memes. Since the introduction of Dogecoin, which was the first meme coin, several culturally-themed coins like Popcat, Fartcoin, and Gigachad have emerged.
