Introduction
Memcoins have gone from internet jokes to full-fledged players in the crypto market. In 2025, these projects have not just remained popular – they have become an important part of the cryptoecosystem.
What are memcoins?
Memcoins are cryptocurrency tokens that have gained popularity thanks to internet memes and viral marketing. They are often created as a joke and have no real fundamental value, making them highly volatile and risky to invest in.
Some of the properties of cryptocurrency are independence from financial institutions and accessibility. Tens of thousands of tokens are created every day in various blockchains around the world and are available to anyone. Memcoin can both be made and bought by anyone, but the success of each particular coin is highly dependent on the meme itself and the activity of the community around it.
Memcoins backed by active communities spread rapidly through social media, most notably Twitter and TikTok. Information about them can go viral in a matter of hours, which provokes bursts of discussion, information goes beyond the Internet to traditional media and attracts more new investors. The most important role in the growth of confidence in a particular coin is played by celebrities and Influencers who support it.
Top 5 US Memcoins 2025
1. Dogwifhat (WIF)
The project launched in November 2023 as an anonymous initiative in the Solana ecosystem. It is based on a popular 2018 internet meme with an image of a dog wearing a knitted hat. In a year and a half, WIF has become one of the top 5 memcoins in terms of capitalization, which in May 2025 exceeded $8 billion.
The success of WIF can be explained by several factors:
- Community activism (they organized the collection of $650 thousand for advertising in Las Vegas)
- Support of Influencers (Ansem, Cobie, etc.)
- Integration into the Solana ecosystem with its low commissions
- Listings on Binance, OKX and other major exchanges
2. Pepe (PEPE)
PEPE token was launched in April 2023 by an anonymous team of developers on the Ethereum blockchain. It is based on the image of Pepe the Frog, a popular internet meme that appeared back in 2005. Unlike many other memcoins, PEPE was initially positioned as a decentralized project with no commissions on purchases or sales.
As of May 2025:
- Market capitalization exceeds $12 billion
- The token is among the top 30 in terms of capitalization among all cryptoassets
- Daily trading volume reaches $1.5 billion
The popularity of the memcoin is explained by the following factors:
- Cult status: the image of Pepe the Frog has been recognizable in Internet culture for more than 15 years
- Community support: an active community organizes meme campaigns.
- Celebrity endorsements such as Ilon Musk, Cobie, MoonOverlord
- Listings: available on all major exchanges
- Use in DeFi: integrated into major protocols as a collateral asset.
The further fate of the token depends on the developers’ ability to expand its functionality and maintain the interest of the community. In 2025, the team announced plans to integrate with NFT platforms, which may give the project a new impetus for development.
3. BOOK OF MEME (BOME)
The project was launched in March 2024 by renowned digital artist Darkfarms, who created the iconic NFT collection “Pepe”. Unlike traditional memcoins, BOME was originally conceived as an interactive platform for creating and storing memes on the Solana blockchain.
As of May 2025:
- Market capitalization is $3.5 billion
- The project is among the top 5 most capitalized memcoins
- Daily trading volume exceeds $300 million
- More than 2 million unique memes have been created in the ecosystem
Popularity factors
- Author’s brand: reputation of Darkfarms creator in NFT community
- Technological basis: using Solana’s capabilities to store media
- Cultural phenomenon: the project has become an archive of Internet culture
- Listing on Coinbase in April 2025
In 2025, the developers announced plans to integrate with artificial intelligence to generate memes, which could be the next stage of the project’s development. BOME demonstrates how niche internet cultures are creating independent economic models in Web3.
4. Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin (DOGE) continues to surprise with its stability. Created as a joke in 2013, this asset maintains its position in the top 20 by capitalization in 2025, demonstrating a unique phenomenon of longevity in a volatile crypto market.
DOGE was launched in December 2013 by programmers Billy Marcus and Jackson Palmer as a parody of the crypto boom. The popular meme with a dog of the Shiba Inu breed was taken as a basis. Unexpectedly for the creators, the project gained millions of fans.
Current indicators as of May 2025:
- Capitalization: $25+ billion
- Daily trading volume: $2-3 billion
- Number of holders: exceeded 10 million addresses
The stable demand for Dogecoin in the crypto market is explained by three key aspects:
1. Support of Ilon Musk
The head of Tesla and SpaceX remains the main popularizer of DOGE. His regular mentions on Twitter/X (especially in 2021-2023) repeatedly caused sharp rate hikes. The businessman didn’t limit himself to publications – in 2022 Tesla started accepting DOGE for merch, and in 2024 integration with the X Payments service was discussed.
2. Practical utility
Unlike many cryptocurrencies, DOGE has found a real use:
- Accepting payments at 400+ companies including Dallas Mavericks and Newegg
- Low fees
- High transaction processing speed (30 seconds)
3. Cult status
DOGE maintains a unique position in digital culture:
- Most recognizable memcoin with 78% recognition
- Huge community (3 million+ members on Reddit)
- Traditional annual events (DogeDay on April 20)
This combination of technological, economic and social factors makes Dogecoin a unique phenomenon in the crypto market, where most projects quickly lose relevance.
In 2025, the developers announced a protocol update to improve scalability, which could strengthen DOGE’s position as the “digital dollar for the internet”. However, it should be taken into account that 85% of DOGE supply is controlled by 2% of wallets, which creates risks of manipulation.
5. Brett (BRETT)
BRETT was launched in February 2024 as an anonymous project on the Base blockchain. The token’s character, an anthropomorphic blue dog, refers to the “Boy’s Club” comic strip popular in 2000s internet culture. Unlike many memcoins, BRETT was initially positioned as the “official mascot” of the Base ecosystem.
As of May 2025:
- Capitalization: $2+ billion
- Daily trading volume: $150-200 million
- Number of holders: exceeded 500 thousand addresses
Memcoin maintains its popularity due to the following factors:
- Support for the Base ecosystem
- Use of a recognizable character
- Active community
- Viral Challenges in social networks
- Compatibility with Ethereum tools
- Support for NFT collections
In 2025, the team has announced a new memcoin to be launched in the future. However, experts warn: 60% of BRETT’s supply is concentrated with early investors, which creates volatility risks.
How memcoins are impacting Solana and Base ecosystems.
In Solana and Base, the WIF, BOME and BRETT projects have created a new economic reality. Three key aspects of their impact are discussed below.
1. User influx
Data from analytics platforms shows a dramatic increase in activity in ecosystems supporting memcoins:
- Solana saw a 300% increase in daily active wallets after Dogwifhat (WIF) listing, reaching 2.5 million
- Total blocked funds (TVL) in Solana’s decentralized finance grew from 1.5bn to 9bn
- Base ecosystem attracted 1.2 million new users during the quarter thanks to BRETT token
2. Technological development
Memcoins have become a “stress test” for networks:
- Solana accelerated transaction processing to 3,000 TPS after an influx of users
- Base implemented optimizations to reduce commissions (up to $0.0001 in peak periods)
- Both ecosystems added tools for token creators:
- Solana – “memcoin constructor” SPL Generator
- Base – embedded minter in Coinbase Wallet
3. Changing economic models
- NFT hybrids: BOME on Solana combined memcoins with digital art (2 million NFT memes)
- Collateral system: 30% of liquidity pools in Base use BRETT as a collateral
- Content monetization: WIF and BRETT communities make money from merch and streaming.
Conclusion
When deciding to invest in cryptocurrency, it is important to scrutinize the idea behind the coin, as it is the main driver of the asset’s value. In the case of meme tokens, the situation is ambiguous: if they have already passed the peak of popularity, they are likely to remain interesting only to a small circle of enthusiasts and speculators who are trying to capitalize on their volatility.