Opinion by: Igor Zemtsov, chief know-how officer at TBCC
Following “Libragate,” memecoin costs crashed, with their market cap falling practically 60% from 2025’s highs. However meme tokens, lifeless? They’ve obtained extra lives than a cat on caffeine.
Regardless of the chaos, memecoins had been nonetheless holding a $47.9-billion market cap as of March 10. It’s not precisely spare change. In the meantime, degens are nonetheless out right here “shopping for the dip” prefer it’s a Black Friday sale, satisfied that absurdly named tokens like Unicorn Fart Mud, Fartcoin and Buttcoin will print them a 100x revenue earlier than 12 months’s finish.
Some name it irrational. Others name it degeneracy. However when has that ever stopped anybody in crypto?
Down dangerous, however not lifeless but
Certain, memecoins aren’t precisely outshining Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) or Solana (SOL) proper now. They’ve been getting completely obliterated. Costs have tanked, liquidity has dried up, and merchants who thought they’d be sipping cocktails on a yacht by now are busy coping in Telegram teams.
Let’s not fake that is the primary time memecoins have been pronounced lifeless. Each time the world writes them off, they someway claw their approach again — typically with an much more absurd rally than earlier than.
In spite of everything, logic has by no means been crypto’s robust go well with. If it had been, we wouldn’t have seen billion-dollar valuations for fart-themed tokens within the first place. And if human nature tells us something, it’s that individuals will at all times chase the following massive hype cycle — particularly when it comes wrapped in humor and the promise of in a single day riches.
Memecoins are down dangerous proper now. However lifeless? Not an opportunity. The second one other ridiculous development takes maintain, the cash will come flooding again. As a result of in crypto, what goes down finally goes approach again up — typically in essentially the most sudden, meme-fueled methods.
Higher advertising than critical crypto startups
Overlook white papers, roadmaps or safety audits. Memecoins don’t want any of that. All it takes is a viral meme on X, a 10-minute token launch, and inside a couple of weeks, it may very well be sitting at a $50-million market cap. In the meantime, professional initiatives spend years growing merchandise, hiring builders and elevating funds, solely to look at their tokens wrestle to achieve traction.
Latest: Solana income slumps 93% from January excessive after memecoin bubble bursts
For memecoins, group is every thing. The larger it’s, the higher the pump. It’s not simply the type that retweets mission updates 10 occasions every day, however one which absolutely embraces the joke. These communities don’t simply speculate — they imagine. And when sufficient folks purchase the meme, the token pumps.
Shiba Inu (SHIB) constructed a cult following because the so-called Dogecoin (DOGE) killer. It by no means killed DOGE, however it developed right into a $9-billion token with its personal blockchain. Others took a good weirder method. Fartcoin turned flatulence into finance. Unicorn Fart Mud captured the magic of fully nonsensical branding. And Buttcoin, a 2013 meme mocking Bitcoin, made a comeback to troll the complete trade.
The method is apparent: The extra absurd the identify, the larger the hype. Generally, “it’s humorous” is the one funding thesis you want.
Certain, the crash worn out some positive aspects, however let’s not act like memecoins vanished. They didn’t go to zero, which, in crypto phrases, makes them survivors. A powerful group, relentless memes and top-tier shitposting can hold even essentially the most ridiculous belongings alive.
Memecoins are a riot towards conventional finance
Individuals are investing cash in Dogecoin as an alternative of Apple inventory, and for good cause. Properly, kind of. Crypto has grow to be the go-to escape hatch for these fed up with conventional finance. Banks freeze accounts. Regulators add extra purple tape. Insider buying and selling runs rampant. In the meantime, memecoins are a free-for-all, the place anybody can win massive or lose every thing. No middlemen. No guidelines. Simply vibes.
The identical Buttcoin proves that individuals will pump something only for enjoyable. What began as a joke now has a devoted group making an attempt to make it the following Bitcoin. It’s full madness, which is exactly why it really works.
If the world has gone mad, why not revenue from the chaos? With monetary markets turning into extra centralized, restrictive and managed, memecoins provide an anarchic different. They signify the monetary Wild West, the place something goes; even essentially the most absurd belongings can see billion-dollar valuations.
Memecoins as web tradition
Memecoins have been round since 2013, when Dogecoin launched as a joke about speculative buying and selling. Nobody — not even its creators — took it critically till Elon Musk obtained concerned and have become its unofficial CEO.
That very same 12 months, Buttcoin was born from a YouTube video. It wasn’t a token again then, only a meme. However years later, the group determined to show the joke into an precise cryptocurrency. It exploded as a result of folks love jokes — and a few imagine it may very well be the following Bitcoin.
Every new wave of memecoins pushes the absurdity even additional — first DOGE, then Shiba, then Bonk (BONK). Now we have now a complete market of tokens impressed by farts, crap and butts. And someway, they hold outperforming critical initiatives.
So long as folks love memes, memecoins can have a spot in crypto. It’s web tradition that has was an asset class.
Are memecoins right here to remain?
Most memecoins begin as a joke, however some have discovered precise use instances. DOGE is already accepted for funds by Tesla, AMC and GameStop. SHIB holders can store at Gucci, Nordstrom and Entire Meals. Even newer initiatives like Solcat are launching video games to increase their ecosystems.
Memecoins aren’t simply memes anymore. They’re shaping a brand new monetary actuality the place virality, hypothesis and web tradition outline worth. However let’s handle the plain: The current crash has slashed valuations, leaving many questioning what’s subsequent.
Are they right here to remain, or are we watching them fade into irrelevance? If historical past tells us something, it’s that memecoins are like cockroaches — resilient, unpredictable and at all times resurfacing. Buyers ought to brace for extra chaos as a result of these tokens are as risky as ever.
Memecoins will not be working the present proper now, however let’s be trustworthy: The following massive meme token might be already brewing in a Telegram group, simply ready for its second to blow up (or implode).
Opinion by: Igor Zemtsov, chief know-how officer at TBCC.
This text is for common data functions and isn’t meant to be and shouldn’t be taken as authorized or funding recommendation. The views, ideas, and opinions expressed listed below are the creator’s alone and don’t essentially mirror or signify the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
