What's a Meme Coin?

What's a meme coin, fam?

Meme coins are basically crypto's comedy show 😂, born from memes, internet craziness, and chaotic vibes. 💥

They go viral when folks online start hyping 'em like there's no tomorrow. Utility? Nah! Just toss in a doggo or froggo meme, and boom—you're rich! 🤑

To get what a meme coin is, you gotta understand memes first. 🐸

What's a meme?

The word “meme” was coined in 1976 by this smart dude, British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, in his book The Selfish Gene. 📚

He wanted a dope word to explain the concept of the spread of an idea, playing around with the Greek word “mimeme,” meaning copying. But he fancied a shorter word like “gene” and came up with “meme." Genius, right? 😎

Nowadays, a meme is a funny pic, video, or text that gets copied with random tweaks and spreads like wildfire through social networks.

In short, a meme is an online joke. 😂

So, a meme coin is a cryptocurrency based on an online joke. 🎉

Some peeps might even say a meme coin is more like, an online joke disguised as a crypto. 🤣

Meme coins were mostly created to crack up the crypto squad. A better name might be “joke coins” ’cause they’re meant to be hilarious and pretty much useless, technically worth nada. 🚫🤑

But if you snagged some early, you might be laughing your way to the bank 'cause you'd be rolling in the dough.

What are popular meme coins?

The crypto crowd seems to be big on doggos because top meme coins are all about dogs. 🐕

Dogecoin (DOGE)

Dogecoin (DOGE) is the OG meme coin. It’s based on the “doge” meme, which started with a pic of a Shibu Inu pupper. 🐶

Created by Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus back in 2013, it was a total gag mocking the crypto boom at the time. They took Litecoin’s code, switched it up a bit, and rebranded it as “Dogecoin.”

Initially, Dogecoin’s supply was capped at 100 bil coins but then went infinite. ♾️

The hilarious part is people soon took it seriously as real crypto, and a whole squad, the Dogecoin Army, sprouted around it. Now there's over 2.3 million Dogecoin fans on Reddit. 😮

The Dogecoin Army even celebrates “Doge Day.” 🥳

Dogecoin’s fame got a mega boost when billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Cuban tweeted about DOGE. 🌟 Thanks to all the buzz, Dogecoin’s value skyrocketed, joining the top ten cryptos!

Shiba Inu (SHIB)

With Dogecoin on the rise, the copycats came rolling in. While Dogecoin (DOGE) started the meme coin revolution, other dog-themed cryptos popped up for a shot at the crown. 🏆

Dogecoin’s biggest contender is Shiba Inu (SHIB).

Launched in August 2020 by some mysterious ninja(s) called “Ryoshi,” SHIB was designed to take on DOGE, calling itself the “dogecoin-killer.” 😅

SHIB is an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain, different from DOGE’s standalone chain. Built on Ethereum, SHIB has mad potential for use cases, kinda like Bitcoin for jokesters. 😂

Shiba Inu blew up in popularity when Elon Musk tweeted about his dog, saying, “My Shiba Inu will be named Floki.” 🚀

SHIB even dethroned DOGE as top dog for a hot minute in October 2021. 🐶

Other meme coins to check out:

• Pepe (PEPE): Inspired by Pepe the Frog, this coin grabbed eyeballs due to its link with the legendary meme. 🐸
• Bonk (BONK): Launching on Solana in December 2022, Bonk became the first meme coin on that web, amping up the community’s love for doge coins. 🐕
• Floki Inu (FLOKI): Named after Elon Musk’s Shiba Inu, Floki Inu means business, mixing memes with projects like NFT markets and decentralized apps.​ 🔥
• Dogwifhat (WIF): Another Solana debut, Dogwifhat’s caught some eyes in the crypto space, though its origin story is a bit lacking.​ 💼
• Fartcoin (FART): Born in 2024 on Solana, Fartcoin is a giggle-filled crypto with a unique "Gas Fee" gig where each trade triggers a digital fart sound. 🤯
• $TRUMP: Rolled out by US Prez Donald Trump three days before re-inauguration, $TRUMP had a wild cap rise before hitting turbulence.​ 😬
• $LIBRA: Pushed by Argentine Prez Javier Milei in 2025, $LIBRA meant to boost the Argentine economy but faced drama and a quick value drop post-spike.​ 🌍
• $CAR: Announced by Central African Republic’s Prez, $CAR as the country's official meme coin, experienced a nosedive soon after launch.

How meme coins and cryptocurrencies are different?

Meme coins are still cryptocurrencies. What sets 'em apart is the celeb and influencer hype train behind them, getting all the eyes. 👀

They also have intense and hype-driven communities backing them, kinda like a global sports squad. Fans prove that you should never underestimate diamond hands with that loyal crew! 💎🙌

DOGE (Dogecoin) and SHIB (Shiba Inu) are the top dogs, no cap. More meme coins like PEPE, FLOKI, and TRUMP keep popping up on CoinMarketCap, over 200 in all.

Shared traits of meme coins:

• They flex a massive circulating supply—like, in the quadrillions. In crypto, “circulating supply” is the coin count floating in the market. 🌐
• Because supply is so massive, meme coins tend to be ultra cheap, way under $1, even in tiny decimal form. SHIB's price? $0.00002692!
• This low-cost hype makes meme coins appealing to traders. You can own millions of them and hope they moon, aiming to get 1,000x returns or more! 🚀💰

The low price per coin makes them super catchy. Logic here: “Cop 10 mil coins at $0.000001, and if it hits a buck, a millionaire you'll be!” 🚢💸

Sounds like fun, huh? That's the magic (and risk) of the dream.

Don't be fooled by the millionaire dreams. Meme coin prices are highly volatile and can nosedive by 90% or more, especially if they’re just “shitcoins.” 🏴‍☠️

Some sneaky peeps create coins and hoard most or all the supply.

They hype the coin online with memes and advertising, pulling in buyers, then dump their stash on the unsuspecting squad. Classic pump-and-dump game. 😭

TL;DR:

Meme coins = internet culture meets crypto.

They can make you feel like a genius or a yacht owner whose ship sank instantly. Yikes! 🚤

So, do your homework, curb your FOMO, and always remember: if it sounds too lit, it might just be a rug pull slow lurking! 🎭