Meme coins are on the rise nowadays. Traders and investors buy these coins with a single purpose: to make money on price fluctuations. While they have no intrinsic value at all, these cryptocurrencies have become a kind of culture, and today they have huge communities of holders, all united by the idea of supporting their own memecoin and capitalizing on its growth. By reading this article, you will learn more about memecoins, their history, and the future of this niche. Moreover, you will find our list of top meme coins with their detailed description.

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Key Takeaways

• Meme coins are widely popular in 2025 for their huge potential.
• The history of meme coins shows that only a couple of tokens from thousands of shitcoins survive.
• Memecoins are popular for both hype and cultural phenomena.
• Such coins are widely supported by celebrities, including Elon Musk, Snoop Dogg, Donald and Melania Trump, and others.
• While there are risks of trading meme coins, they are still very attractive and popular among traders. 

Memecoins Basics

A memecoin is a special cryptocurrency that is based on internet memes or popular images. They have humorous traits and are characterized by a playful nature. While the value of traditional cryptocurrencies like ETH or BTC is determined by their utility (this can be speed of transaction, privacy, or some technological solutions), meme coins have nothing to offer to holders but their virality. 

The trick is that even with no technological value inside, these cryptocurrencies based on viral images can be popular and stay in the market for years. The greatest example of the long-term vitality of memecoins is Dogecoin, which started as a joke and managed to build a strong community with huge capitalization. DOGE holds 8th place in the CoinMarketCap table at the moment of writing, with a capitalization exceeding $30 BLN. 

Memecoins History: How Did This Start?

The history of memecoins began in the 2010s, but it would be unfair not to mention the appearance of Bitcoin as an ancestor of all coins based on the blockchain mechanism. Therefore, the first step towards meme coins was made in 2009 with the creation of the genesis block and the first transactions in the Bitcoin blockchain.

It took about four years from the first Bitcoin transaction to the launch of the first memecoin, known as Dogecoin. This fun cryptocurrency managed to reach a capitalization of $60 million in one year, but it was a niche asset that was primarily used to tip content creators on social media platforms.

The next milestone in the memecoins’ history occurred in 2020-2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the interest in cryptocurrencies increased significantly, which pushed retail investors to participate in financial markets. The resurgence of memecoins was widely inspired and supported by Elon Musk, whose tweets about Doge and Bitcoin gave meme coins a second life. 

A true rise of memecoins began in 2021 when a lot of coins of this type were launched. One of the most significant representatives of this niche was  Shiba Inu, a Dogecoin rival. Other celebrities, from famous athletes to musicians, supported various memecoins and helped them reach new highs at this time.

Nowadays, memecoins hold a major share in the cryptocurrency market. They are still popular, and a lot of tokens have made significant growth due to the ongoing trends.

In the early 2020s there were a lot of cases of shitcoins launched from celebrities. Such meme coins were promoted via social media accounts belonging to pop stars, prominent athletes, and even politicians. Kanye West, for instance, shared his story of refusing to promote a coin. He mentioned that a person who contacted the famous US rapper promised to give him $2,000,000. The musician refused to participate in this affair, stating that he didn’t want to deceive his fans. 

In December 2024, Drake’s account on X (former Twitter) was breached to promote the $ANITA token. The capitalization of this token reached $5,000,000 within a short period. It is still not clear whether celebrities participated in such token pumps or their accounts were truly breached by token issuers.

What Is Special About Meme Coins?

Before buying meme coins, traders should understand their value. While these cryptocurrencies seem totally useless, their popularity and existence have some reasons that are described below:

• Cultural phenomena. Meme coins are not only fun coins, but their viral effect is due to the internet culture. The sense of belonging to this culture fuels the demand for these cryptocurrencies.
• Community aspect. Most coins have a strong community behind them, which is another factor supporting their popularity. 
• Trading and investments. Traders and investors consider meme coins as assets that they can buy to make money over time. Due to the ongoing hype, the price of such cryptos can rise significantly, which attracts those looking to capitalize on the price differences.
• Celebrities support. A lot of celebrities, including Elon Musk, Snoop Dogg, and others, support meme coins, which creates additional demand in the financial markets. This serves as a marketing tool and adds value to such cryptocurrencies.
• Experimental ground. Meme coins can be considered an experimental and educational ground for developers and users. For instance, they can be used to test new technologies or even governance mechanisms.

Risks of Trading and Investing in Meme Coins

While memecoins may seem very attractive due to some success stories from traders and investors from all over, market participants should consider all risks before putting money in one or several tokens of this type:

• Extreme volatility. Meme coins, especially those that were just launched, may experience extreme volatility that may erode your gains in a matter of seconds. They lack liquidity, which may lead to significant price fluctuations. However, you should remember that in some cases, extreme volatility may bring you quick profits if you are right about the direction.
• Lack of intrinsic value. As was already mentioned, meme coins do not have any intrinsic value, and they do not change the technological landscape. They can’t be used in the real world. However, their cultural phenomena help meme coins to be popular even today.
• Pump and dump schemes. When buying a new coin with low liquidity, you should remember that some groups of traders can pump and dump it (they buy a coin and widely advertise the coin across the internet and attracting as many buyers as possible, and then this group sells the coin). This coordinated strategy can bring a lot of money to those who stand behind it, but for the rest of the traders, this scheme can lead to losses.
• Limited liquidity. When it comes to some new meme coins, their liquidity is too low. This means that you may have difficulties when selling such coins after buying a major share of them.
• Scams. Memecoins have become one of the most popular niches for various scams and doubtful schemes. Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, meme coin creators do not have to explain their value, as there is no intrinsic value at all. What they have to do is just to launch a coin.
• Short-term hype. Most memecoins, especially those created after 2020, are nothing more than short-term hypes. However, even with this in mind, a trader or investor can find a token, buy it, and make money on price fluctuations.
• No institutional investors. Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum, meme coins are of no interest to institutional investors. This leads to a lack of credibility and reduced market stability.

Even with all these risks in mind, meme coins are still attractive for many reasons. Here are some of the key ones.

Why Meme Coins Are Attractive to Traders and Investors?

The meme coins market has transformed significantly over the past 10+ years. While there are a lot of risks of buying them, they are still attractive to millions of traders and investors as they offer a mix of humor, hype, and unpredictability. Here are the main reasons why market participants purchase them:

• Low entry barrier. Most memecoins cost almost nothing at the beginning, which allows market participants to buy thousands and even millions of tokens after the release. If the price makes massive future gains, such first adopters can make millions of dollars.
• Viral potential. Meme coins are promoted by bloggers on the internet. If such bloggers manage to persuade the community, the price may rise significantly.
• Strong communities. Tokens of this type cultivate strong and loyal communities that are ready to hold the coin and even promote it further.
• Speculations. When buying a specific meme coin, you do not know whether it will make significant growth or will be forgotten and abandoned in a few hours. The possibility of making life-changing gains attracts a lot of traders and investors.
• Simplicity. When selecting between meme coins, you don’t need to dive deep into technology and other aspects lying behind such tokens. 

Where to Buy Meme Coins?

Meme coins can be bought directly from DeFi services where they are launched. Some of them are promoted on various social media platforms like X, TikTok, and Reddit. Therefore, if you want to be among the first adopters, you can find more information on these platforms and then simply buy a meme coin. Some memecoins were already listed on various exchanges, including Binance, Kucoin, Cex, and others. 

However, as it was already mentioned, most of such coins are designed for pump and dump schemes. Therefore, if you are looking for investment or trading opportunities in the realm of cryptocurrencies, it is better to invest in more stable and widely recognized cryptos such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others. To do that, you can create an account at Binolla and use its Webtrader platform to trade BTC, ETH, LTC, and other CFDs.

Top Meme Coins to Watch in 2025

The realm of meme coins offers a lot of tokens nowadays. However, not all of them are worth your attention. We have brought together some of the most popular ones, boasting large capitalization and having good prospects in the future.

Dogecoin (DOGE)

Derived from Litecoin, the cryptocurrency was created in 2013 as a satirical token featuring a Shiba Inu dog just for fun. Over the years, it remained beyond radar, and only after 2020 did its price make a significant surge and managed to reach its all-time high. Nowadays, Doge has an active community and is supported by a lot of public figures, including Elon Musk. 

Shiba Inu (SHIB)

This token, launched as a competitor of Dogecoin, was created in 2020. Shiba Inu is based on the ERC-20 standard, which is popular in the cryptocurrency community. Apart from being a meme coin, it has expanded into various projects, including the Metaverse and ShibaSwap.

Pepe (PEPE)

The third meme coin on our list is Pepe (PEPE), which was launched on ERC-20 in 2023. The idea revolves around Pepe the Frog, a famous meme boasting a large community of fans. Active community and humorous branding attracted a lot of attention to this coin. 

Official Trump (TRUMP)

The coin was launched in 2025, just a couple of days prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration. The price peaked at almost $100, and then it plunged to $10+. The meme coin was issued by the current US President on the Solana Blockchain. The token faced scrutiny for potential conflicts of interest and ethical issues. It should be mentioned that about 80% of the total token emission is controlled by organizations and companies related to Trump. This may lead to a conflict of interest in the future.

Dogwhifhat (WIF)

This meme coin was launched in 2023 on the Solana blockchain. It has gained popularity due to unique branding and promo campaigns as well as efforts by the community. The price peaked at almost $5 but later moved below $1. Even if it has no utility, the capitalization reached almost $3 BLN in 2024. The community collected about $700,000 to put the mascot on the Las Vegas Sphere.

Pudgy Penguins

The token was launched in 2023 on the Ethereum blockchain (ERC-20 standard). It was inspired by a chunny penguin. Before the launch of the coin, an NFT collection was launched. It allowed the community to know about the token in advance. The meme coin reached almost six cents before plunging to $0.01 later. The token is integrated with NFT. 

Notcoin (NOT)

This satirical meme is based on the idea that the coin is not a coin. The meme token was launched in 2024 on the Ton blockchain. The humorous approach was among the main reasons for the community to adopt the token. 

Fartcoin (FARTCOIN)

This fun token was launched in 2024 on the Solana blockchain. It is based on crude humor and internet culture. The price was above $2.5 at its peak, but moved below $2 later, where it has stayed in 2025.Each transaction is accompanied with a “fart” sound, which pinpoints its meme nature.

Is It Worth Trading Meme Coins?

Various meme coins have already become very popular among traders. They prove that even a joke can become a profitable asset for trading and investment. However, the question still remains: is it worth putting money in them now?

To answer this question, the trader must consider the following points:

• Potential for short-term profit. Some coins managed to make hundreds of percent in a relatively short period, offering substantial gains to market participants. 
• Low-cost entry. You don’t need to have much money in your balance to trade or invest in meme coins, even in 2025. New altcoins of this type can cost almost 0, but the potential is huge if the coin is supported by the community.
• Sentiment trading. Traders who follow new and analyze market sentiment often buy memecoins as they heavily rely on the community opinion.
• Traders and investors can learn more about trading with such coins. While they are not obliged to invest heavily and have much money to buy tokens, they can start with smaller capital and delve into trading step by step.

Conclusion

Memecoins attract traders and investors’ attention by the possibility of huge gains that they may offer if they are widely adopted by the community. While they have no intrinsic value and do not bring any innovations to the world of cryptocurrencies, they depend on the market sentiment, which may bring one token to the moon, while another will remain at its starting point or even below it. Shitcoin trading may look like a lottery, but if you manage to find a gem in the pile of other tokens, you will be rewarded with significant gains.

FAQ

Which Coins Are Memecoins?

Coins that are based on various internet memes and culture are known as memecoins. They have no intrinsic value, but they often have a strong community, which supports their price and even pushes it higher.

Is Meme Coin a Good Investment?

Meme coin can be a good investment if you manage to predict its price. While there are no fundamental factors that you can use to analyze a particular token of this type, you can still watch the community’s market sentiment to try to forecast future price fluctuations.

Can Meme Coin Reach $1?

Some memecoins cost even more than one dollar. Trump coin, for instance, reached almost $100 at its peak, but even after a significant downtrend, it remains above $1.

Do Meme Coins Have a Future?

Meme coins have been with us for more than 10 years already, which is long enough to say that they are likely to stay here for longer. However, you should check internet trends from time to time to see whether they are still popular or not.