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Meme coin: From Internet jokes to the peculiar power in the crypto market
MeMe Coin: A Unique Force from Internet Jokes to the Crypto Assets Market
Imagine if your favorite internet meme suddenly became a tradeable digital currency. Doesn't it feel both absurd and interesting?
They seem to be the product of jokes, yet occasionally they can rise to a market value of billions of dollars, leaving many people baffled. The value of these digital assets is largely driven by jokes on the internet, the popularity on social media, and the consensus of online communities. Doesn't it sound a bit like a grand joke?
But this is MeMe coin, a peculiar phenomenon born from internet humor that can stir waves in the financial market. In fact, these seemingly unserious digital artifacts are attracting a massive influx of funds and attention at a staggering speed. This article will take you into the wonderful and crazy world of MeMe coin, providing an in-depth understanding of their origins and the possible future they may lead to.
Origin of "Doge": The Origin of MeMe Coin
MeMe coin, as the name suggests, refers to those Crypto Assets inspired by internet memes. Their birth is often filled with mockery and entertainment, which fundamentally distinguishes them from traditional Crypto Assets that claim to have disruptive technology or solve real problems. You may see various animal avatars, popular memes, or even celebrities printed on these digital currencies, as their existence seems to be aimed at making people laugh and seeing if they can stir up a little wave in the market.
However, it is this seemingly "unserious" trait that has become the unique charm of MeMe coin. Unlike Bitcoin, which has a complex mining mechanism and total supply limit, or Ethereum, which attempts to build a vast decentralized application ecosystem, the value of MeMe coin often comes from community consensus and the viral spread on social media. A popular meme, a tweet that resonates, or even just a joke can cause an obscure MeMe coin to suddenly gain popularity, and its price can rise correspondingly. This phenomenon may seem difficult to understand at first glance, but it precisely reflects the increasing influence of social and cultural factors on financial markets in the digital age. People's curiosity about novelty, their desire for community belonging, and their dreams of quick wealth are all somewhat reflected in the world of MeMe coins. This may also signal that, in the future financial landscape, 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 pioneer of MeMe coin, it must be the Dogecoin.
This cryptocurrency, created at the end of 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, was originally intended as a joke. Palmer first publicly mentioned Dogecoin on November 28, 2013, joking on Twitter, "Invest in Dogecoin, I'm sure this is the next big thing." Its inspiration came from the viral "Doge" meme that was popular on the Internet at the time—a picture featuring a Shiba Inu's face, accompanied by colorful text in a humorous font expressing inner thoughts. Palmer then created the Dogecoin.com website, while Markus completed the development of Dogecoin in just three hours, most of which was spent changing the client text to Comic Sans font. The two founders likely never imagined that this joke project would quickly become a sensation, gaining astonishing attention and users in just a few weeks.
In its early days, Dogecoin was primarily used for "tips" on social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter, where users could reward creators who posted interesting or valuable content with a small amount of Dogecoin. This lighthearted atmosphere attracted a loyal following and formed a vibrant community. Unexpectedly, the early Dogecoin community also demonstrated a spirit of charity; for example, in 2014, they raised $25,000 for the Jamaican bobsled team, which had not received enough funding to participate in the Sochi Winter Olympics, and donated $30,000 to clean water projects in Kenya.
It is worth mentioning that before Dogecoin, Billy Markus also created another crypto asset called Bellscoin in 2013, inspired by Nintendo's game "Animal Crossing". Dogecoin is actually a fork of the Bellscoin code.
In 2021, Elon Musk frequently mentioned DOGE on Twitter, propelling it into a global craze, with the price surging over 8000% at one point and its market capitalization exceeding 88 billion USD. This initially joking project surprisingly accumulated enormous market value and influence in the following years. This fully illustrates that a seemingly unserious project, if cleverly combined with popular online culture and forming a strong community consensus, can also achieve unexpected success, laying the foundation for the subsequent emergence of numerous Meme coins.
From Pet to President: The Wild Evolution of MeMe Coin
After the unexpected success of Dogecoin, various MeMe coins have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, as if the world of Crypto Assets has experienced a "Cambrian explosion of life," with numerous digital currencies themed around cute animals, characters, current events, or popular memes emerging continuously. Among the most eye-catching is Shiba Inu coin, often referred to as the "Dogecoin killer," which was launched in August 2020. Shiba Inu coin is also themed around Shiba Inu dogs, attempting to replicate the success of Dogecoin and has established its own large community known as the "SHIB Army." Another rapidly rising MeMe coin on a certain chain is Bonk coin, which was launched at the end of 2022 and is the first dog-themed MeMe coin in its ecosystem. Another much-discussed MeMe coin is Pepe coin, which reignited people's enthusiasm for MeMe coins in 2023, inspired by the famous "Pepe the Frog" meme. Additionally, there are newcomers like dogwifhat, symbolized by a Shiba Inu wearing a pink knitted hat.
In addition to these "established" powerhouses, the world of MeMe coin is constantly emerging with new participants, whose inspirations are also becoming more diverse. For example, there are cat-themed MeMe coins like "Popcat" and various zoo coins such as "MEW". Political figures have also entered the MeMe coin space, with the $TRUMP coin officially announced by Donald Trump, which once saw its market value soar to $14.5 billion, but plummeted after he took office. Melania Trump also launched her own MeMe coin, $Melania, which had dropped in value by 90% by February 2025. Other MeMe coins associated with political figures, such as $BODEN, $LIBRA, and $CAR, introduce a new dimension with the involvement of politicians in issuing MeMe coins, blurring the lines between political movements, internet culture, and financial speculation, creating "unique risks" and opportunities. Additionally, there are AI-inspired MeMe coins, such as Dawgz AI. In October 2021, there were only 124 types of MeMe coins circulating in the market, but by February 2025, millions of MeMe coins had emerged on certain platforms.
How does Digital Happy Coin work?
Although MeMe coins may seem like a joke, they still rely on the solid foundation of blockchain technology. Simply put, blockchain is like a shared digital ledger that securely and transparently records every transaction. Most MeMe coins operate as tokens on existing blockchains, such as Ethereum and some other chains. This allows for faster development and the ability to leverage the infrastructure of existing blockchains.
Although some MeMe coins may claim to possess certain unique technological features, their value and popularity are primarily driven by social and cultural factors rather than technological innovation or practical applications. Unlike crypto projects that are dedicated to developing new technologies or solving real-world problems, MeMe coins are more like a social phenomenon, with their value stemming from community consensus and market sentiment. Therefore, when evaluating MeMe coins, technical analysis often appears less important, while focusing on the community power and network heat behind them is more crucial.
"Tokenomics" is also key to understanding how MeMe coins operate. It mainly includes the supply of tokens, which is usually very large or even unlimited, such as Dogecoin, which mines 10,000 new coins every minute with no total supply limit, allocation methods, for example, free distribution to community members through airdrops, like Bonk coin, or through presales, and any unique mechanisms, such as token burns to increase scarcity by reducing circulation, as seen with PePe coin and Shiba Inu coin. For MeMe coins like Dogecoin, mining remains the way to generate new coins. It employs a proof-of-work mechanism using the Scrypt algorithm, which is less energy-intensive compared to Bitcoin's SHA-256 algorithm. The variety of token economic models showcases different ways to manage inflation and perceived value.
It is important to note that the threshold for creating MeMe coins is very low, with many tools and platforms, such as certain platforms on a certain chain, allowing anyone to easily issue their own MeMe coins by simply entering a name, code, and image. This extremely low threshold explains the large number of MeMe coins in the market. Although this ease of creation promotes innovation and allows for rapid experimentation with new ideas, it also makes the market susceptible to a large number of low-quality tokens and potential scams, as there is usually almost no review process.
The Growth and Explosion of MeMe
The rise of Meme coins is attributed to social media hype, community-driven support, and their appeal as a low-barrier investment for new crypto enthusiasts. Certain blockchain platforms have played a key role in this growth, providing the technological infrastructure necessary for the mass creation and trading of these tokens.
Although Ethereum is the birthplace of many early meme coin projects such as Shiba Inu coin, the high gas fees and congestion of the network often pose significant challenges for developers and investors. A certain high-performance blockchain has become a game changer for meme coin projects. The most striking advantage of this chain is its lightning-fast transaction speed, reaching up to 65,000 transactions per second, and its extremely low transaction fees, usually less than a cent. This efficiency has attracted a wave of developers and investors, leading to a surge in meme coin activities based on this chain. As a result, this chain is dominating the meme coin market, making it the preferred choice for new and old crypto projects aiming to capitalize on this growth trend.
You can think of this chain as the low-cost airline of the Crypto Assets world—fast, low-cost, and very suitable for those quick and impulsive decisions. This makes the chain very suitable for the high trading volume and high-risk trading characteristics of Meme coins. Additionally, a certain degree of credit goes to the token launch platform, which has facilitated the deployment of over 8 million tokens since its launch in early 2024.
However, in February this year, a scandal involving a certain president regarding the LIBRA token affected other core protocols on the fast and cost-effective blockchain, leading to a sharp decline in the status of other meme leaders on the chain in recent months, with their token prices dropping from a peak of 298 to 123 dollars.
Nevertheless, some traders believe that the end of MeMe has come, but the trading and token issuance on a certain platform are still ongoing.