Meme · crypto slang

By Deimos EMK · Published Oct 2, 2026 · Updated Oct 2, 2026 · 5 min read · AI-drafted, source-checked

Via GIPHY (@mamebnb)

• StatusMainstream
• Typenoun
• First seen2013
• Categorycrypto slang
• LaneMemes

What the meme is

A memecoin is a cryptocurrency whose entire identity is built around an internet meme, a viral character, a public figure, or an online joke. Unlike Bitcoin, which leans on a fixed supply and a scarcity narrative, most memecoins have a huge or even unlimited supply and don't introduce any unique functionality beyond their meme-based branding.

They're typically built on existing blockchains like Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Solana, and Tron, which provide the infrastructure for token creation while the coin itself is mostly vibes, community, and a ticker symbol. The branding is the product: the name, the logo, and the shared in-joke create a sense of community and identity that drives hype and, in turn, price.

In practice, the word carries a specific tone depending on who's saying it. Among traders on crypto Twitter, 'memecoins' is a neutral-to-affectionate category label, people talk about 'trading memecoins,' 'aping into random memecoins,' or hunting 'the next 100x' the way you'd talk about a hobby you know is basically gambling.

Posts brag about turning $150 into $500,000 off one memecoin, or clearing $360,000 in a month, and the same feeds warn newcomers about what to avoid.

Among critics and regulators, the same word is closer to a red flag: coverage of California's AB 2409 describes memecoins as attention assets whose issuers hold an information and timing edge over everyone who buys after the first wave, pointing to the $TRUMP token, where a forensic analysis found 813,294 wallets lost $2 billion while creators collected hundreds of millions in fees.

The term is often confused with 'altcoin' or 'shitcoin,' but it's narrower: a memecoin is specifically defined by its meme or cultural hook, not just by being small or speculative. The definition can be deliberately wide, California's law defines a meme coin as a token tied to internet memes, public figures, celebrities, fictional characters, current events, or online humor.

Simplified launch tools like pump.fun on Solana have made it so anyone can spin one up, which is why the category has such high turnover: thousands of tiny tokens ranked around 900 on CoinGecko post the biggest percentage gains on any given day, while the market's Fear and Greed Index sits in the fear zone. [1][2][3][4]

Seen in use

People using “memecoins” in their own posts, each linked to the post itself. These are examples of use, not sources.

Every quote above passed the same verification gate this site publishes under: real source, real date, copied verbatim. See the editorial policy.

Origin

First seen: 2013

The memecoin category traces back to Dogecoin (DOGE), launched in 2013 as a lighthearted joke based on the Shiba Inu 'Doge' meme. Dogecoin is widely considered the first memecoin, and it went on to become one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, paving the way for countless other meme-inspired tokens.

Later waves followed the same template: Shiba Inu (SHIB) launched in August 2020 around the same dog breed, Pepe Coin (PEPE) launched in April 2023 around the Pepe the Frog meme and passed a $1 billion market cap within weeks, and Official Trump (TRUMP) launched on January 17, 2025, days before the inauguration, hitting a market cap near $13 billion within 24 hours. [1][2][3][4]

How it spread

Memecoins are everywhere right now because they keep producing the two storylines the internet can't resist: absurd wealth and absurd losses. On September 22, when total crypto market cap moved back above $3 trillion for the first time since January, memecoins led the rally, PEPE rose 32%, BONK 16%, and DOGE 18% in a single day.

Daily digests track movers like MOIN jumping roughly 3,929% in 24 hours, and social feeds are full of people claiming they retired off one coin. New infrastructure keeps feeding the cycle, too: the Robinhood Chain, which debuted July 1, became a testing ground for memecoins combined with tokenized stocks, with roughly $1.71 billion in 24-hour volume even as prices slid.

The term is also trending because it's now a political and legal story, not just a trading one. The Official Trump token launched on Solana days before the January 2025 inauguration, with 80% of supply held by Trump-owned entities; from inauguration day through the end of November 2025, $TRUMP was down 86% and $MELANIA was down 99%.

California responded with AB 2409, the first U.S. state law banning public officials from issuing memecoins, passed unanimously, 78-0 in the Assembly and 40-0 in the Senate. Meanwhile the space keeps professionalizing: Canary Capital filed an S-1 for a spot PEPE ETF, a first for a pure meme coin, and projects now launch with exchanges, bridges, and audits attached.

The joke asset class is now big enough to write laws about.

Variants & examples

Standard crypto-Twitter vocabulary, fine in finance and internet-culture contexts; using it earnestly as investment advice is the cringe move.

• “Me aping into random memecoins to find next 100x.”Crypto Twitter post joking about degenerate trading
• “This guy just retired off one memecoin, $150 turned into $500,000. Memecoins are insane.”Reacting to a viral trading win on X
• “Don't buy random memecoins. Buy ones with a story and rewards.”Advice thread in a crypto community
• “Stop finding memecoins on trending, start finding them from what's actually going viral across normie accounts.”Trading strategy discussion on X
• “California just banned public officials from launching memecoins, and the vote was unanimous.”News discussion about crypto regulation

Frequently asked