MeMe Coin: A Remarkable Journey from Internet Joke to Billions in Market Capitalization

Imagine if your favorite internet meme suddenly became a tradable digital currency; doesn't it feel both absurd and interesting?

They seem to be products of a joke, yet they can occasionally rise to a market capitalization of billions of dollars, leaving many people baffled. The value of these digital assets is largely driven by internet jokes, the popularity on social media, and the consensus within online communities. Doesn't it sound a bit like a grand joke?

But this is MeMe coin, a peculiar phenomenon born from internet humor that can create waves in the financial market. In fact, these seemingly unserious digital things are attracting a large amount of capital and attention at a staggering speed. This article will take you into the wonderful and crazy world of MeMe coin, exploring its origins and the possible future it may lead to.

Originating from "Doge": The Birth of MeMe Coin

MeMe coin, as the name suggests, refers to those cryptocurrencies inspired by internet memes. Their emergence is often filled with mockery and entertainment, which fundamentally distinguishes them from traditional cryptocurrencies that claim to offer disruptive technology or solve real-world problems. You might see various animal avatars, popular memes, or even celebrities printed on these digital currencies, and their existence seems to be aimed at bringing a smile to your face while also seeing if they can create a bit of a stir in the market.

However, it is precisely this seemingly "unserious" trait that has become the unique charm of MeMe coin. They do not have the complex mining mechanisms and total supply limits like Bitcoin, nor do they aim to build a vast decentralized application ecosystem like Ethereum. The value of MeMe coin often comes from community consensus and viral spread on social media. A popular meme, a resonant tweet, or even just a joke can make an obscure MeMe coin instantly famous, and its price can rise dramatically as a result. This phenomenon may seem difficult to understand at first glance, but it reflects the increasing influence of social and cultural factors on financial markets in the digital age. People's curiosity about novel things, their desire for community belonging, and their dreams of quick riches are all manifested to some extent in the world of MeMe coins. This may also indicate that in the future financial landscape, entertainment value, community participation, and viral spread will become an undeniable force, attracting a new generation of investors who may not be interested in traditional financial instruments.

If we talk about the pioneer of MeMe coin, it must be Dogecoin.

This cryptocurrency, created by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer at the end of 2013, was originally intended as a joke. Palmer first publicly mentioned Dogecoin on November 28, 2013, joking on social media, "Invest in Dogecoin, I’m sure this is the next big thing." Its inspiration came from the "Doge" meme that was popular on the internet at the time—a picture of a Shiba Inu dog with colorful text and a humorous inner monologue. Palmer subsequently created the Dogecoin.com website, while Markus completed the development of Dogecoin in just three hours, most of which was spent changing the client’s text to Comic Sans font. The two founders probably never expected that this joke project would quickly gain popularity and attract amazing attention and users in just a few weeks.

In its early days, Dogecoin was mainly used for "tips" on social media platforms, where users could reward creators who posted interesting or valuable content with small amounts of Dogecoin. This lighthearted atmosphere attracted a loyal following, forming a vibrant community. Unexpectedly, the early Dogecoin community also showcased a spirit of charity. For instance, in 2014, they raised $25,000 for the Jamaican bobsled team, which did not have enough funding to participate in the Sochi Winter Olympics, and donated $30,000 to clean water projects in Kenya.

It is worth mentioning that before Dogecoin, Billy Markus also created another cryptocurrency called Bellscoin in 2013, which was inspired by Nintendo's game "Animal Crossing." Dogecoin actually forked from the code of Bellscoin.

In 2021, Elon Musk mentioned DOGE multiple times on social media, propelling it into a global craze, with prices skyrocketing by more than 8000% and market capitalization exceeding $88 billion. This initially joking project gradually accumulated enormous market capitalization and influence in the following years. This fully demonstrates that a seemingly unserious project, if cleverly combined with popular internet culture and forming a strong community consensus, can also achieve unexpected success, laying the foundation for the subsequent emergence of many MeMe coins.

From Pet to President: The Wild Evolution of MeMe Coin

After the unexpected success of Dogecoin, various MeMe coins have emerged like mushrooms after rain, as if the world of cryptocurrency has experienced a "Cambrian explosion of life," with digital currencies themed around cute animals, characters, current events, or popular memes springing up everywhere. Among the most notable is Shiba Inu coin, often referred to as the "Dogecoin killer," which was launched in August 2020. Shiba Inu coin is also themed around Shiba Inu dogs and attempts to replicate the success of Dogecoin, establishing its own large community called the "SHIB Army." Bonk coin on a certain chain is another rapidly rising MeMe coin, launched at the end of 2022, and it is the first dog-themed MeMe coin in that ecosystem. Another highly discussed MeMe coin is Pepe coin, which reignited people's enthusiasm for MeMe coins in 2023, inspired by the famous "Pepe the Frog" meme. Additionally, there are newcomers like dogwifhat, which features a Shiba Inu wearing a pink knitted hat as its logo.

In addition to these "old-school" powerhouses, the world of MeMe coins continues to see new participants emerging, with inspirations that are increasingly diverse. For example, cat-themed MeMe coins like "Popcat" and various zoo coins such as "MEW". Political figures are also getting involved in the MeMe coin space, with the $TRUMP coin officially announced by Donald Trump, whose market capitalization once soared to $14.5 billion but plummeted after he took office. Melania Trump also launched her own MeMe coin, $Melania, which by February 2025 had lost 90% of its value. Other MeMe coins related to political figures, such as $BODEN, $LIBRA, and $CAR, introduce a new dimension with political figures participating in the issuance of MeMe coins, blurring the lines between political movements, internet culture, and financial speculation, creating "unique risks" and opportunities. Additionally, there are MeMe coins inspired by artificial intelligence, like Dawgz AI. In October 2021, only 124 MeMe coins were circulating in the market, whereas by February 2025, millions of MeMe coins had emerged on certain platforms.

How does Digital Happy Coin work?

Although MeMe coins may seem like a joke, they still rely on the solid foundation of blockchain technology. Simply put, blockchain is like a shared digital ledger that securely and transparently records every transaction. Most MeMe coins operate as tokens on existing blockchains, such as Ethereum (, following the ERC-20 standard ). This allows for faster development and the ability to leverage the existing blockchain infrastructure.

Although some MeMe coins may claim to possess certain unique technical characteristics, their value and popularity are primarily driven by social and cultural factors rather than technological innovation or practical application. Unlike cryptocurrency projects that are dedicated to developing new technologies or solving real-world problems, MeMe coins are more like a social phenomenon, with their value stemming from community consensus and market sentiment. Therefore, when evaluating MeMe coins, technical analysis often appears less important, while focusing on the community power and network heat behind them is more critical.

"Tokenomics" is also key to understanding how MeMe coins operate. It mainly includes the supply of tokens, which is usually very large or even has no upper limit, for example, Dogecoin mines 10,000 new coins every minute with no total supply limit, distribution methods, such as airdrops for free distribution to community members, like Bonk coin, or through presales, and any unique mechanisms, such as token burn, to increase scarcity by reducing circulation, as seen with PePe coin and Shiba Inu coin. For MeMe coins like Dogecoin, mining is still the way to generate new coins. It uses the Scrypt algorithm's proof-of-work mechanism, which has lower energy consumption compared to Bitcoin's SHA-256 algorithm. The various token economic models showcase different approaches to managing inflation and perceived value.

It is worth noting that the barrier to creating MeMe coins is very low, with many tools and platforms allowing anyone to easily issue their own MeMe coins by simply entering a name, code, and image. This extremely low barrier explains the large number of MeMe coins in the market. While this ease of creation fosters innovation and allows for rapid experimentation of new ideas, it also makes the market susceptible to a large number of low-quality tokens and potential scams, as there is usually almost no review process.

The Growth and Explosion of MeMe: A Certain Blockchain

The rise of Meme coins is attributed to social media hype, community-driven support, and their appeal as a low-barrier investment for new crypto enthusiasts. Certain blockchain platforms for Meme coin projects have played a key role in this growth, providing the technological infrastructure needed for the mass creation and trading of these tokens.

Although Ethereum is the birthplace of many early meme coins such as Shiba Inu Coin, the high gas fees and congestion of the network often pose significant challenges for developers and investors. A certain blockchain, as a high-performance blockchain, has become a game changer for meme coin projects. The most remarkable advantage of this blockchain is its lightning-fast transaction speed, reaching up to 65,000 transactions per second, with transaction fees extremely low, usually less than a cent. This efficiency has attracted a wave of developers and investors, leading to a surge in meme coin activity based on this blockchain. As a result, this blockchain is dominating the meme coin market, making it the preferred choice for both new and old crypto projects aiming to capitalize on this growth trend.

You can liken this blockchain to a budget airline in the crypto world—fast, low-cost, and very suitable for those quick, impulsive decisions. This makes the blockchain very suitable for the high trading volume and high-risk trading characteristics of Meme coins. Additionally, some credit goes to the token launch platform, which has facilitated the deployment of over 8 million tokens since its launch in early 2024.

However, in February of this year, the LIBRA token scandal triggered by Argentine President Javier Milei affected other core protocols on the fast and cost-effective blockchain, leading to a sharp decline in the status of other meme leaders on the blockchain in recent months, with their token prices dropping from a peak of 298 to 123 dollars.