From Memecoin Mania to Market Meltdown: A Hilarious Decline

by

Markets

What to know:

  • Memecoins, once riding high at a staggering $150 billion by the end of 2024, have taken a nosedive to a mere $47 billion by November. Talk about a dramatic plot twist! 🎢
  • Dogecoin and its merry band of tokens now account for more than half of this dwindling memecoin market cap-who knew dogs could be so financially savvy? 🐶
  • Interest in these digital jesters plummeted over 80% in 2025, as trading volumes and engagement took a significant hit. Guess people prefer their memes without a price tag! 💔

Once the darlings of the internet, memecoins soared to a dizzying $150.6 billion market value before embarking on what can only be described as an unceremonious retreat. The rise and fall of these crypto tokens-born from jokes and social media whimsy-captures the essence of our times: fleeting fame and fortune. 🌟

In late 2024, they hit their peak, only to tumble almost 70% to a paltry $47 billion by November, according to CoinGecko’s riveting State of Memecoins Report 2025. Who knew that the thrill of speculation could evaporate faster than a poorly made meme? 🤷‍♂️

The trading volumes tell a tale of woe, too: daily memecoin transactions plummeted to just under $5 billion earlier this month, compared to a staggering $87 billion in 2024. Apparently, listing tokens like WIF and PEPE was not the ticket to everlasting glory after all. 📉

Shiba Inu (INU), Trump (TRUMP), and Pepe (PEPE) together account for a cool $6 billion-proving that if you want to make it big in memecoins, just attach yourself to a viral dog or a controversial figure. 🐕‍🦺💰

Themes that formed, but didn’t last

The meteoric growth of 2024 was fueled by easy liquidity and viral platforms like those Solana-based token factories-Pump.fun, anyone?-that created a vibrant, albeit divisive, conversation around the U.S. election cycle. Politics and meme tokens: a match made in speculative heaven! 🙌

As we approached 2025, AI- and politics-linked memecoins captured everyone’s attention, peaking with high-profile launches like TRUMP. Alas, most of these tokens have since retreated faster than a politician facing tough questions-reinforcing the cycle of rapid distribution and fragile demand. 🏃‍♂️💨

Geographically, the U.S. was where the action was, accounting for about 30% of memecoin-related traffic by November 2025. But even there, interest waned as the year wore on, suggesting that regulatory clarity did little to stoke the fires of speculation. 🔍

Launchpads might have lowered the entry barriers, but they certainly didn’t improve the odds of survival. Tokens minted through platforms like Pump.fun briefly captured over 20% of the memecoin market cap, yet the “independent” tokens still dominate, claiming over 86% of the sector. It seems the allure of independent creation often trumps the allure of mass production. 🍻

Read More

2025-12-17 14:14