Do Meme Coins Have A Future In 2025?
What started out as a light-hearted joke at Bitcoin’s expense has become a significant sector within the cryptocurrency industry. Meme coins, led by their progenitor, Dogecoin, have seen significant growth over the past couple of years, especially in the last few months.
Although nothing is guaranteed in the cryptocurrency industry, it looks likely that these unique coins will enjoy another solid year in 2025, especially as the crypto market as a whole is expected to have a very bullish 12 months.
Meme Coins
Dogecoin is not only the coin that launched the meme coin market, but it also heads the list of meme coins by market cap. According to crypto and fintech writer Sal Miah, meme coins are popular due to their potential to make substantial gains, although this is offset somewhat by the potential losses that can be experienced.
Arguably, meme coins are the only cryptocurrencies that were established for investment. Bitcoin, and its many offshoots, were originally meant as actual currencies, i.e. a means of transferring value from one user to another.
In other words, Ether, Solana, Ripple, and other major currencies are utility coins, which means they are primarily meant as a means of paying gas, or network fees, for the use of their respective blockchains.
Even stablecoins, which are pegged to the value of real-world assets, typically fiat currencies, were devised as a stable store of value, rather than for straight investment.
While investors do now use all of these coins for investment, that isn’t necessarily the reason they were introduced.
Meme coins, on the other hand, were created as a bit of a joke, using popular memes or online jokes. They aimed to get the attention of crypto enthusiasts who would buy the coins and pump up their value. This did lead to pump-and-dump schemes that ultimately saw a lot of speculators lose vast sums, but get in and out at the right times, and meme coins can make you a lot of money.
Meme Coin Performance
In November this year, meme coins amassed a total market capitalization of $120 billion. A large part of that came from the increased popularity of established coins like Doge and Pepe, but it was boosted by the launch of hundreds of new coins.
While Bitcoin has enjoyed a stellar year, increasing 131% since January 1, some meme coins have eclipsed this performance. Doge has seen a 373% increase with Shiba posting a 180% year-to-date increase. Pepe’s price has increased an incredible 1,500%, but even this was surpassed by Dogwifhat, which has posted more than 2,000% gains since the beginning of the year.
2024 is widely considered to have been the year of the meme coin, and the market doesn’t look likely to slow in 2025. Solana has proven to be a very popular network for new meme tokens, offering low fees for new projects. But the launch of a new layer-2 blockchain, Pepe Unchained, will further increase options for those who want to set up their own coins.
The Future Of Meme Coins
On the face of it, Pepe Unchained is a meme coin and it has the bright, green frog logo to prove it. But, it’s more than that. It is a layer 2 blockchain network, which means it incorporates its own protocols, built on the Pepe blockchain.
It will act as a bridge between Ether and Pepe, enabling easier transfers between the two. And it promises faster, cheaper transactions. It has also announced Pepe’s Pump Pad.
The Pump Pad is a launchpad that will enable users to set up their own meme coins in just a few clicks. And, having already reached $64 million in presale investment, PEPU has caught the attention of a lot of crypto speculators. The project is also set to launch a decentralized exchange and an in-depth analytics platform.
It is serious about meme coins, and considering the amount of attention it has already gained, it not only looks set to get its own listings on centralized exchanges soon, but it could help shape the future of the meme coin market.
The Trump Effect
We also need to consider the Donald Trump effect, and the Elon Musk effect on top of that. The pair stood shoulder to shoulder during Trump’s recent election campaign and espoused the benefits of cryptocurrency.
In particular, Trump talked up the use of Bitcoin as a national strategic reserve, while Musk reverted to form by promoting Doge. Trump’s victory at the election not only saw cryptocurrency prices increase on the promise of a crypto-friendly President but also saw the establishment of the D.O.G.E. department.
While D.O.G.E. will not have any direct links to the meme coin of the same name, but it also hints at greater acceptance and possible regulatory changes for the whole cryptocurrency market in the coming months and years.
Meme Coins In 2025
It’s difficult to predict exactly where meme coins are going to go. It seems highly likely that the biggest coins, like Doge, Shiba Inu, Pepe, and Floki, are going to continue to see substantial gains in the next 12 months.
Pepe Unchained may well join them, considering its combination of meme coin appeal and genuine utility, but even PEPU has its detractors. But, it is also likely that a lot of the coins that launch on PEPU and continue to launch on Solana will go the way of most other meme coin projects. They will become ghost coins.
Doing Some Extra Research
Investors who are interested in buying meme coins need to do their homework to avoid potential pump-and-dump schemes. Avoid projects that do not have whitepapers. Check out the tokenomics of the project – this details the ratio of coins that are sold, those that will be held by the team behind the project, and how the rest of the proposed coins will be used.
Research the team, too. Anybody can set up a meme coin using launch pads, and it only costs a few hundred dollars on networks like Solana. While this presents great opportunities for legitimate projects, it also attracts scammers.
Bearing in mind that meme coins rise and fall according to their communities, you should also research projects on sites like Reddit. Try and get involved in the coin’s Telegram and Discord chats, and look for evidence that the project is real and has strong support. This is especially true when looking at brand new coins, or those going through presale periods.
Pepe Unchained has been audited, it has a lot of plans with good details in its roadmap, and it has gained the support of a lot of prominent cryptocurrency figures. Other coins can be severely lacking in these areas, and investing in them can leave a serious hole in a cryptocurrency wallet.
Joshua White is a passionate and experienced website article writer with a keen eye for detail and a knack for crafting engaging content. With a background in journalism and digital marketing, Joshua brings a unique perspective to his writing, ensuring that each piece resonates with readers. His dedication to delivering high-quality, informative, and captivating articles has earned him a reputation for excellence in the industry. When he’s not writing, Joshua enjoys exploring new topics and staying up-to-date with the latest trends in content creation.
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