The rise of meme coins has once again taken center stage in the crypto world—and this time, PEPE is leading the charge. With Binance announcing its listing of Pepe (PEPE) in the Innovation Zone, the internet-famous frog meme has officially entered the mainstream. Trading pairs PEPE/USDT and PEPE/TUSD went live at 24:00 Beijing time, sending shockwaves through the market. Within just one hour of the announcement, PEPE surged over 25%.
This sudden momentum isn’t isolated. In recent days, a wave of new meme coins has flooded the ecosystem, drawing comparisons to past speculative frenzies like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. Dozens of new tokens have launched with double-, triple-, or even thousand-fold gains, creating both wealth legends and widespread FOMO (fear of missing out). But amid the hype, it's crucial to understand the landscape, recognize emerging trends, and stay alert to potential risks.
The Rise of Meme Coin Categories
Meme coins are no longer just jokes—they’ve evolved into distinct categories with unique mechanics, communities, and strategies. Here’s a breakdown of the most prominent types currently shaping the market.
1. Iconic Meme Derivatives
These tokens are built around globally recognized internet memes, leveraging nostalgia and virality for rapid adoption.
PEPE – The Frog That Conquered Crypto
Inspired by the infamous "Pepe the Frog" meme, PEPE launched on April 15 without presale, taxes, or minting permissions. Its total supply? A cheeky 420.69 trillion—clearly a nod to internet culture.
From near-zero value, PEPE skyrocketed in value. According to Lookonchain data, one early investor bought 5.9 trillion PEPE tokens for just 0.125 ETH ($251) on April 15. By April 19, that investment was worth $1.14 million—an astonishing return of over 4,500x.
Today, PEPE ranks among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap (hovering around #61), surpassing $800 million in valuation. It boasts over 93,000 unique holders and has seen a 600% surge in the past week alone. Traded on major platforms like OKX, Uniswap, Gate.io, and Huobi, PEPE’s Binance listing marks a pivotal moment in its journey.
👉 Discover how meme coins like PEPE turn viral moments into massive gains.
WOJAK – The Feels Guy Joins the Party
Following PEPE’s success, WOJAK entered the scene—a bald, emotionally raw character symbolizing existential fatigue. Launched on April 18 with a total supply of 69.42 billion tokens, WOJAK quickly gained traction.
Backed by memecoin analytics tools and promoted by figures like Beeple, WOJAK achieved a market cap exceeding $60 million. With a weekly gain of over 1,000% and $70 million in daily trading volume, it's clear that emotional resonance sells in crypto.
CHAD – The Overconfident Challenger
"Chad" represents the archetype of toxic masculinity online—smug, overly confident, and impossible to ignore. The CHAD token launched on April 18 with a supply of 235 trillion and exploded with a staggering 79,202% increase shortly after launch.
Despite a sharp correction from its peak (down more than 50%), CHAD still maintains strong momentum with a $4.3 million market cap and $5.5 million in daily volume across exchanges like Huobi and Bitget.
POGAI – The Panda-Headed Contender
POGAI stands out as a China-originated meme coin featuring a panda-headed caricature popular in domestic meme culture. Launched on May 4 with no private sale or presale, POGAI adopted aggressive marketing tactics including influencer campaigns and airdrop incentives.
With a supply of 100 billion tokens, POGAI saw a 75% spike within 24 hours and now trades over $24 million daily. Over 42,000 addresses hold the token, listed on Gate.io, Bitget, and Uniswap.
2. Airdrop-Driven Hype Machines
Some meme projects use strategic airdrops to bootstrap user acquisition and create instant community engagement.
AIDOGE – Arbitrum’s Airdrop Gambit
AIDOGE positions itself as an experimental token within the Arbitrum ecosystem. With a total supply of 2.1 trillion, it rewards early ARB airdrop-eligible wallets with up to 95% of tokens—distributed on a decreasing scale based on claim timing.
Its economic model includes a 15% transaction tax:
- 3% funds ecosystem growth
- 1% burned permanently
- 2% rewards LP providers
- 3% buys back ARB for protocol subsidies
- 3% goes to staking rewards
- 3% fuels a “lucky drop” pool paid in ARB
With over $157 million in daily volume and more than 130,000 holders, AIDOGE proves that clever incentive design can drive massive participation—even without intrinsic utility.
MONG – NFT-Backed Meme Legacy
MONG takes a hybrid approach by linking its token to an existing NFT collection—MONGS NFTs (6,943 unique meerkat-themed NFTs launched in January 2022). Holders receive MONG token airdrops, creating built-in demand.
Launched on April 23 with strong social traction (including viral U.S. political references), MONG reached $24 million in daily trading volume and maintains over 10,000 holders—all trading exclusively on Uniswap V2 so far.
3. Social Experiments & FOMO Games
These projects gamify speculation using psychological triggers like scarcity, competition, and forced turnover.
CLIPS – The Ad Space Auction Game
CLIPS introduces a novel mechanism: users mint tokens to bid for prime ad space on its homepage. Each new bid must exceed the previous by 1.5x; failed bids burn tokens. Winners earn rewards if no higher bid arrives within seven days.
With a total supply of 220 billion and rapid price appreciation (+88% in 24h), CLIPS exemplifies how game-like mechanics can fuel virality.
RG – The Self-Destructing Token
RG claims its smart contract was entirely generated by ChatGPT—a bold statement in itself. Its gimmick? Any wallet holding RG for more than nine days sees its balance automatically wiped. To preserve holdings, users must transfer tokens before the deadline.
This forced circulation model drives constant transactions—and high gas usage—resulting in $2.4 million in daily volume and a jaw-dropping +170% daily gain.
Red Flags: When Memes Turn Into Scams
Not all that glitters is gold. Recent weeks have seen multiple high-profile rug pulls:
- XIRTAM: Raised over $844,000 across two rounds before crashing from $0.045 to $0.0018 within hours of listing on SushiSwap.
- SHIBERA: A zkSync-based project that disappeared overnight—its Twitter account deleted and renamed “你好” before vanishing completely.
ZachXBT uncovered evidence linking over 114 fraudulent meme coins to a single wallet address—proof that organized fraud is thriving in this space.
👉 Learn how to spot red flags before investing in trending meme coins.
Ethereum: The Silent Winner?
While traders chase quick profits, Ethereum quietly benefits from every transaction surge. Gas fees have consistently exceeded 100 Gwei as meme trading floods decentralized exchanges.
Why? Small liquidity pools mean high slippage, prompting traders to set aggressive slippage tolerances—perfect conditions for MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) bots to exploit. The result? More transactions, higher fees, and increased ETH burning.
In fact, Ethereum’s deflationary trend continues:
- Over 32,242 ETH burned in the past 7 days
- Annualized deflation rate: ~1.398%
- Total ETH burned since The Merge: ~560,000 ETH
Meme mania isn’t just entertainment—it’s powering network economics.
👉 See real-time ETH burn stats and track meme coin gas impact here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is PEPE a good investment?
A: PEPE has strong community momentum and exchange backing, but lacks utility or fundamentals. Treat it as high-risk speculative exposure—not long-term value storage.
Q: How do I avoid meme coin scams?
A: Always verify contract ownership renouncement, LP lock status, audit reports (if any), and community sentiment. Avoid tokens with anonymous teams or excessive influencer shilling.
Q: Why are meme coins causing high gas fees?
A: Due to small liquidity pools and rapid trading volume spikes on DEXs like Uniswap, users increase slippage tolerance—inviting MEV bots that congest the network.
Q: Can I make money from meme coins?
A: Yes—but timing is critical. Early entry with strict exit strategies works best. Most meme coins follow a “pump and dump” cycle; few survive long-term.
Q: Are meme coins here to stay?
A: As long as internet culture thrives and speculation exists, meme coins will remain part of crypto’s fabric—but only a few will achieve lasting relevance.
Q: What’s next after PEPE?
A: Watch for cross-chain expansions (especially Arbitrum, zkSync), NFT integrations, and AI-generated projects. The next big winner may already be live—but flying under the radar.
Core Keywords: meme coin, PEPE, Binance listing, cryptocurrency trends, AIDOGE, decentralized exchange, Ethereum gas fees, rug pull risks