Cryptocurrencies (or crypto) have existed since 2009, when Bitcoin was launched. However, it was only during the last few years that meme crypto coins rose in popularity. They started as a joke since nobody thought they could grab people’s attention. But, their effect was the opposite; meme coins captured the imagination of a whole generation, take Dogecoin as an example, and have inspired countless revolutionary new projects, like Memeinator, that continue to peak the interests of many. This article will explore the thrilling history and playful evolution of meme coins, the current sensations of the crypto world!
What is a Meme Coin?
Memes are ideas, behaviors, or styles that spread by means of imitation from person to person within a culture. They often carry symbolic meaning, representing a particular phenomenon or theme. On the Web, they typically amount to familiar in-jokes within online communities. Hence, a meme coin is a humorous cryptocurrency based on online memes. They focus heavily on their exuberant community and provide a comfortable place for online users to use crypto and feel part of a collective.
Some famous meme coins include Dogecoin, Floki, and Pepe. The entire meme coin list category extends to currencies such as Shiba Inu or Dogelon Mars. Like other cryptocurrencies, meme coins require blockchain technology, a distributed database working as the backbone to track digital assets such as cryptos and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
While traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum serve as decentralized forms of digital currency, meme coins take a unique approach by leveraging viral internet content to gain popularity and establish value, typically displaying satirical topics to embody the spirit of the internet and culture.
Meme coins caught the current trend by turning popular images into financial instruments. Therefore, most meme coins behave as pure trading instruments, unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other utility currencies tied to specific advanced blockchain features.
In addition, meme coins possess several distinct characteristics that set them apart from traditional cryptocurrencies. They are often created as tokens on existing blockchain networks like Ethereum. This allows for faster and more cost-effective crypto development than building a whole new blockchain. Additionally, meme coins typically have ample total supplies with lower individual coin values. This high supply and community-driven marketing efforts create the illusion of accessibility and affordability.
Advantages of Meme Coins
Some of their benefits include the following:
- High Potential for Profit: some meme coins increase by thousands of percentage points, meaning that investing in them can yield higher returns.
- Easy Accessibility: Unlike traditional investments like stocks and bonds, meme coins are easily accessible to anyone using an internet connection and a crypto wallet. Therefore, investors don’t have to go through brokers or intermediaries, reducing transaction costs.
- Community Support: Meme coins have an enthusiastic and passionate community of investors who support them, promoting a sense of community and social proof, thus contributing to the coin’s growth and value.
However, these coins also have drawbacks, including:
- High Risk: They are highly speculative and volatile. Their value can skyrocket in a short time, and it can also fall just as fast.
- Lack of Regulation: Meme coins are not fully regulated by any governmental or financial body, meaning investors have no oversight or protection.
- Short-term Focused: They are short-term focused, with investors searching for a quick profit and moving on.
The First Meme Coin
Dogecoin (DOGE) was the first meme coin created by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer in 2013, with a Shiba Inu dog as a meme logo. The idea behind it was to create a cryptocurrency that was fun and easy to use.
The Dogecoin community has always been a pioneer and has a playful character. They sponsored a Jamaican bobsled team and a NASCAR race car. Even the ironic and entertaining tweets from public personalities like Elon Musk and Mark Cuban made Dogecoin’s value soar by 23,000%, making headlines worldwide.
Thus, Dogecoin quickly became popular, with its market cap reaching $2 billion in May 2021. However, Dogecoin’s popularity also brought a lot of volatility, with the coin’s value fluctuating tremendously.
At times when society did not openly accept crypto and many only looked at it as a simple joke or scam, Dogecoin became a cultural movement. It symbolized the integration of investment, community, and good humor. Dogecoin also helped bridge the gap between accessibility and entertainment, setting the stage for a new era of trust, digital dreams, and creativity within the cryptosphere.
After all, Dogecoin users and enthusiasts realized that a crypto project involving an enjoyable coin that brings online users together is enough, as its success relies on its community or tribe, a family that memes together, its passion, and shared dreams.
Evolution of Meme Coins
The success of Dogecoin led to many other meme coins, such as Shiba Inu, SafeMoon, Akita Inu, etc. They were further created to take full advantage of the popularity of Dogecoin. Today, there are several hundred meme coins, each with unique characteristics and purposes.
One of the most notable trends in the evolution of meme coins is the rise of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) coins. They are built on decentralized blockchain platforms like Ethereum, allowing investors to earn returns by participating in DeFi protocols. One such coin is SafeMoon.
Another trend is community-driven meme coins. They are created by communities of investors who are passionate about a particular cause, purpose, or idea. Hoge Finance is one example. Another meme coin project worth mentioning is Chimpzee, an eco-friendly initiative allowing holders of CMPZ tokens to receive passive income while saving wildlife, nature, and the environment.
Best Meme Coins to Keep an Eye on
Meme coins have been one of the crypto markets’ real success stories in recent years. Valued at almost zero in 2020, they have exploded into the public consciousness to grow to an overall market cap of around $15 billion at the time of writing.
Indeed, CoinMarketCap has more than 570 meme coins listed on its site. With such a rich diversity of meme coins flooding the market, ranging from exciting and high quality to low-value and essentially useless, it can take time for investors to select the best.
To shed some light, the following list of three meme coins that could go viral this year should help find the gems among them. With market potential, community engagement, and virality in mind, some of the most exciting new meme coins to consider adding to your portfolio this year include.
- Memeinator (MMTR)
- Shiba Memu (SHMU)
- Milady Meme Coin (LADYS)
These meme coins were selected due to their well-established online presence and ongoing viral hype; brand-new coins with a unique use case were also included.
Memeinator (MMTR)
Memeinator is the new sensation, merging themes of The Terminator film with AI technology to create a revolutionary meme that is here to stay and dominate its competitors. Memeinator returned from 2077 with a mission to capture and destroy the weakest meme coins so that it would improve the quality of meme culture for future generations.
Memeinator is the light beacon to improve the quality of meme coins and intends to build a massive community of investors, supporters, and enthusiasts working together as domination becomes imminent towards a $1 billion market cap.
Investors in this new meme coin can enjoy playing the Meme Warfare online game, embodying Memeinator itself, seeking and destroying weak meme coins. The game will also use AI to gather information about new and existing meme coin projects that deserve elimination and feed them into the AI Meme Scanner Database.
Investors can engage in a battle as unpredictable as it is hilarious, fighting for victory and the essence of internet culture while unleashing a meme storm like never before.
Memeinator announced its crypto presale on 29th August, or Judgment Day in The Terminator film. This started a 29-day countdown to the 29-stage MMTR token presale launch, which opened on 27th September. The ICO launched at $0.01 and will increase to $0.49 by the end, driving home an incredible 390% return for investors involved at the earliest opportunity. Also, 7.5% of the ICO token supply was allocated to a competition pool, with its first prize being the trip into space with Virgin Galactic!
Memeinator made it to the top of the list because of its cult-classic fan base and focus on having fun while improving the quality of the meme coin market; MMTR price is expected to explode once listed on crypto exchanges like BitMart. More information on how to buy MMTR can be found on their official website.
Shiba Memu (SHMU)
Following the trend of AI + meme coins, Shiba Memu is a new meme coin project using artificial intelligence technology to market itself online instead of relying on marketing hype driven by humans. It employs natural language processing (NLP), sentiment analysis, and predictive analytics.
As NLP scans social media platforms, internet forums, and online conversations to identify specific content about itself, sentiment analysis can automatically assess the tone of the discussions. This information is fed into the predictive analytics engines, which search for past trends to predict future market movements.
For example, suppose a potential investor mentions Shiba Memu on a social thread with a negative comment. In that case, Shiba Memu uses its AI technology to help alter this sentiment more positively with an immediate response. Shiba Memu looks to self-improve by continuously evaluating its interactions and making necessary adjustments.
Shiba Memu is almost finished with its presale period, having already generated $3.7 million since its launch in July. This is possible due to how its token presale is managed, with daily price increases of $0.000225 since its release at $0.011125.
The SHMU token presale has been extended for another 60 days until 31st October, as day-one investors look forward to gaining 240% returns on their initial investment. However, with 2.43% still available, money must be made before SHMU is released on the BitMart exchange.
With a groundbreaking application of AI technology, significant presale momentum still growing, and its clear intention to redefine the meme landscape, Shiba Memu is one of the best meme coins right now, and it is the one to watch during the final quarter of this year and into 2024.
Milady Meme Coins (LADYS)
Another exciting and new meme coin that joined the market in May 2023 is the Milady Meme Coin, representing a popular NFT collection called Miladys. This collection is already a recognized brand on social media, and its community focuses on the large following of its members.
The LADYS token was created following the same branding as Milady NFTs, with the token created as a fungible alternative to the famous NFT artwork. This project is about adopting the tokenization model to maximize the impact of meme capital. LADYS built a $120 million valuation within a week of launching, caused by its friendly community.
Each Milady NFT is unique and is given a limited edition status. The ecosystem includes applications and events in the real world, including face-to-face meetings and a server, allowing collaboration within the community on topics such as virtual reality and creating a virtual world.
Some brand names, including the Prada bucket hat, have joined the Milady ecosystem. Another NFT collection called Remilios also joined, representing Milady’s younger brother. LADYS is one of the top meme coins this year and will likely explode soon due to its superior branding, high-level backers, and strong community support.
These three meme coins mentioned above were determined using token availability, market capitalization, and long-term utility. Although meme coins are known for their inherent lack of utility, these three coins are outside the norm. Memeinator brings AI and blockchain gaming together, Shiba Memu uses AI to drive its marketing campaigns across the internet, and LADYS has a high volume of NFTs in its ecosystem.
Where do Meme Coins Stand now?
Meme coins have evolved significantly since the first creation of Dogecoin. Today, there are a few hundred meme coins with unique features and purposes. While meme coins are often viewed as a joke, they have also become a significant part of the crypto market since their communities transcend the traditional boundaries of investment groups. They include artists, enthusiasts, dabblers, and dreamers who happily share a part of their lives, humor, and worldview.
Meme coins have changed how people invest, connect, express, and enjoy being part of something fun and novel. It’s a celebration of our crypto age and the power of collective consciousness, creativity, and enthusiasm.
However, the future of meme coins is unclear since they depend on internet culture and social media hype to gain popularity while often having little underlying value. While they have caught the attention of an enormous audience, they still need to provide the necessary substance and utility to lead the long-term crypto adoption.
As the crypto industry keeps evolving and the market reaches new maturity levels, the spotlight is on crypto projects offering much more than a catchy name and meme-worthy mascot.
On the other hand, many investors see meme coins as a way to diversify their portfolios and participate in new and exciting projects. However, investors should be cautious when investing in meme coins, as their value is highly volatile.
The three most recommended new meme coins to get involved with this year include Memeinator, Shiba Memu, and Milady Meme Coins. And if there had to be a first choice, it would probably be Memeinator. With a project that benefits its community and the more expansive meme coin space. Its recently launched ICO represents possibly the best opportunity to go viral for the next two years.
Whether you’re a crypto veteran or brand new to the space, meme coins are in a very interesting place right now. And who knows, they could even be standout buys ahead of the next crypto bull run.
Source: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/the-evolution-of-meme-coins-a-journey-through-a-cryptocurrencys-playful-revolution/