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. But meme tokens, dead? They’ve obtained extra lives than a cat on caffeine.
Regardless of the chaos, memecoins have 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 yr’s finish.
Some name it irrational. Others name it degeneracy. But when has that ever stopped anybody in crypto?
Down dangerous, but not useless but
Positive, 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 faux that is the first time memecoins have been pronounced useless. Each time the world writes them off, they someway claw their approach again — typically with an much more absurd rally than earlier than.
In any case, logic has by no means been crypto’s robust go well with. If it have been, we wouldn’t have seen billion-dollar valuations for fart-themed tokens in the first place. And if human nature tells us something, it’s that individuals will all the time chase the subsequent 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. But useless? 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 ultimately goes approach again up — usually in the most surprising, meme-fueled methods.
Higher advertising than severe 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 number of weeks, it could possibly be sitting at a $50-million market cap. In the meantime, official tasks spend years growing merchandise, hiring builders and elevating funds, solely to observe their tokens battle to realize traction.
Current: Solana revenue slumps 93% from January high after memecoin bubble bursts
For memecoins, group is every little thing. The greater it’s, the higher the pump. It’s not simply the sort that retweets venture updates 10 instances every day, but 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 as the so-called Dogecoin (DOGE) killer. It by no means killed DOGE, but it advanced right into a $9-billion token with its personal blockchain. Others took a good weirder strategy. 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 total trade.
The components is apparent: The extra absurd the identify, the greater the hype. Generally, “it’s humorous” is the solely funding thesis you want.
Positive, the crash worn out some beneficial properties, but 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 the most ridiculous property alive.
Memecoins are a rebel in opposition to conventional finance
Individuals are investing cash in Dogecoin as a substitute of Apple inventory, and for good purpose. Effectively, type of. Crypto has turn out 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 little thing. No middlemen. No guidelines. Simply vibes.
The similar 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 subsequent 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 changing into extra centralized, restrictive and managed, memecoins provide an anarchic various. They signify the monetary Wild West, the place something goes; even the most absurd property 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 severely till Elon Musk obtained concerned and have become its unofficial CEO.
That very same yr, Buttcoin was born from a YouTube video. It wasn’t a token again then, only a meme. But 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 could possibly be the subsequent 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 severe tasks.
So long as folks love memes, memecoins can have a spot in crypto. It’s web tradition that has changed into an asset class.
Are memecoins right here to remain?
Most memecoins begin as a joke, but some have discovered precise use circumstances. DOGE is already accepted for funds by Tesla, AMC and GameStop. SHIB holders can store at Gucci, Nordstrom and Complete Meals. Even newer tasks like Solcat are launching video games to broaden 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. But let’s deal with the apparent: The latest 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 all the time resurfacing. Buyers ought to brace for extra chaos as a result of these tokens are as risky as ever.
Memecoins is probably not operating the present proper now, but let’s be trustworthy: The subsequent 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 info functions and isn’t meant to be and shouldn’t be taken as authorized or funding recommendation. The views, ideas, and opinions expressed listed here are the writer’s alone and don’t essentially replicate or signify the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
