Cryptocurrencies have evolved in multiple ways. We witnessed a financial revolution through the introduction of Bitcoin. Then there was Ethereum with its smart contract functionality. Now technology isn’t even a thing.

It’s all about community—the way we interact with each other and understand memes. Don’t be mistaken; memes can disappear as fast as they show up. It’s a financial rollercoaster with memories since the communities are usually supportive and want the project to succeed. Let’s dive into the world of memecoins and see why it’s such a talked-about topic.

What are memecoins?

Memecoins are inspired by internet memes and what makes us laugh. Contrary to Bitcoin or Ethereum, which try to actually solve complex problems, memecoins are all about their community and are often created as jokes or experiments. Their utility is close to zero, but there doesn’t have to be any.

Dogecoin is a prime example. It was created in 2013 as a joke by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer; even the founders admitted it. Their mascot was a Shiba Inu dog from the “Doge” meme. It quickly became popular thanks to Elon Musk’s endorsements, and right now it’s the largest memecoin, whose market capitalization is higher than Porsche’s.

Based on popular culture and prevailing sentiment of the market, memecoins are the place to be. We are now living in the digital age, and cultural context is very important. Ideas are exchanged through jokes these days. What started as nothing more than a joke can get more use cases as time passes and the community gets bigger. 

Why are memecoins popular?

The immense power of community is one of the key takeaways from learning about memecoins. There is no utility, because in crypto, community is everything.

Affordable

Affordability is another thing that makes retail buy them. As an example, for one thousand dollars you can buy around 0.01 BTC, and your potential for price discovery is minimal. Whereas when it comes to memecoins, you can get millions, if not billions, of coins, which can go up by hundreds of thousands of percent.

Viral

Virality and celebrity endorsements can convince you to buy a token. After all, celebrities should be people that are centered on their fans’ good, right? Well, it’s not always the case. Fact-check everything and trust nobody—that’s the golden rule.

Reckless

FOMO stands for “Fear of Missing Out.". It’s usually when the coin is pumping that you feel the urge to place a trade. Emotional decisions are usually what you regret the most. Focus and stay sharp—the opportunity will eventually present itself.

Memecoins are the essence of chaos in the cryptocurrency space.

What you should know about memecoins

While exciting and providing massive opportunities, it’s key to highlight important information.

Financial roller coaster

Memecoins feel like a financial roller coaster. One day prices may skyrocket overnight and come down just as quickly. Remember to take profits and gamble responsibly in order to be considered the king of speculation and not be left with nothing.

No utility, none

Memecoins don’t really do anything; they just are. So if you’re looking for a solid investment that will be there in a few years time, you may just close this blog post and move on. However, if you’re here to chase these life-changing profits, you are welcome to look around.

Insider trading

Memecoins are prone to market manipulation and insider trading. Team members can likely “snipe” a coin, which basically means buying early and then selling for a heavy profit. One thing can make a certain memecoin go up significantly or crash to zero. So remember—trade responsibly.

Pumps and dumps

Memecoins are home to a large amount of scams. New tokens are being launched every second. Pump and dump schemes are notorious in this space. That’s precisely why you should ensure you exercise caution when doing research.

The bright side of memecoins

Despite multiple downsides, memecoins have their moments to shine, too.

They mainly act as an onboarding tool. When people enter the crypto world, they are not looking for a stable investment—they want to make as much money as possible in the shortest period of time. That’s precisely why they choose memecoins. It’s a powerful tool that can speed up the mass adoption process.

If you’ve always wanted to belong somewhere and talk to like-minded people, memecoins are your way to go. You can experience genuine community interactions and make friends in the digital world.

Even when you don’t see it at the beginning, memecoins can sometimes evolve and create surprising use cases. Take Dogecoin as an example, which is used for tipping and charity donations.

Most popular memecoins in 2025

Not every memecoin is created equal, because some achieve success in the end. Here are the most popular memecoins in 2024.

Dogecoin (DOGE): it was launched as a humorous alternative to Bitcoin featuring the popular Doge meme. It quickly gained traction and is accepted by various merchants in the crypto space. If you want to get your hands on the largest memecoins, you can buy them via Swapped right here.

Shiba Inu (SHIB): started as a Dogecoin rival on the Ethereum chain and rapidly gained use cases when it launched ShibaSwap (a decentralized exchange) and developed its layer 2 blockchain called Shibarium.

Pepe (PEPE): inspired by the meme about “Pepe the Frog.” After the launch in April 2023, it achieved a market capitalization of over $1 billion within three weeks.

Bonk (BONK): a memecoin based on Solana aiming to be adopted across different Web3 protocols. Its goal is to provide different services to the community—from DeFi to games.

dogwifhat (WIF): based on an image of a dog wearing a hat, it’s one of the largest memecoins on the Solana blockchain. Its allure? “Literally just a dog with a hat.”.

These are the largest memecoins in existence as of today. The larger the market cap, the smaller the potential for gains. Not always, but generally as the market cap shrinks, the risk increases.

Memecoins can take off really fast and many are left sidelined.

The future of memecoins

Memecoin mania shows no signs of slowing down. Especially on Solana, which has been the largest den of memecoins. While most memecoins eventually fade, some, like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, are here to stay and show the power of community.

With the rise of awareness in many countries, regulations will shape the destiny of memes. Many platforms allowing users to launch and trade memecoins can be targeted. An app such as Pump Fun, where their live streaming feature isn’t moderated, could potentially cause issues in the foreseeable future. 

Closing thoughts

Perhaps it may seem like a dream; the most successful memecoins serve as a symbol of status and hope to those who are stuck chasing the next big thing. While many take memecoins with a grain of salt, they will prevail as long as the bull market lasts since they tend to thrive in the risk-off environment. 

Bear in mind that the music can always unexpectedly stop and the bubble eventually bursts. When the market turns around, you don’t want to be caught off guard and become a bagholder of something that does not possess any intrinsic value. Are you ready to explore the next chapter in the history of crypto?