meme coin development process: from grassroots carnival to ecological reconstruction

Meme coin, as one of the most unique existences in the cryptocurrency field, combines cultural attributes and financial characteristics. Looking back at its development history, it can be divided into three key stages:

1. Breaking Ground/Expanding Foundation (2013-2016)

This period witnessed the original innovative journey of meme coins from zero to one, presenting a unique ecology where barbaric growth coexists with natural selection. Starting with the birth of DOGE in December 2013 and ending with the maturity of Ethereum smart contract technology in 2016, it constitutes the purest "Genesis Era" in the history of meme coin development.

Main features:

• The technical layer is mostly based on the code forks of Bitcoin or Litecoin.
• The average active cycle is only 11.7 months, but survivors like DOGE show amazing vitality.
• Established the innovative gene and rebellious spirit of meme coin.

Typical case:

Ephemeral type

• Mooncoin: Promising to "land on the moon", but lacking practical applications, ultimately fading away.
• Fedoracoin(TIPS): Targeted at the Reddit subculture group, but difficult to break through the niche positioning.
• Nyancoin: the first officially authorized cryptocurrency, but its cultural influence is not as strong as DOGE.

General of Eternal Victory Type

• Dogecoin(DOGE): From a parody of Bitcoin to a phenomenon-level meme coin, continuously maintaining a leading market value.

2. Hibernation/Outburst(2017-2021)

The past five years have witnessed the transformation of meme coins from niche subcultures to mainstream financial assets. The maturity of smart contracts has restructured the issuance logic of meme coins, giving rise to the craze of "everything can be a meme."

Main features:

• Most adopt the ERC-20 standard, significantly reducing issuance costs
• The overall market value of meme coins has repeatedly reached new highs, with leading projects like DOGE entering the mainstream.
• Value cognition reconstruction, transforming network attention into liquidity premium.

Typical case:

Meteor Shining Type

• Useless Ethereum Token(UET): The most honest "scam", rapidly disappearing after a short-term surge.
• Hoge Finance(HOGE): Deflationary model experiment, failed to break through speculative limitations

Stellar Luminous Type

• Shiba Inu(SHIB): From imitating DOGE to building an ecosystem, successfully ranked among the top.

transformation breakthrough type

• Floki Inu(FLOKI): Attempting to transition to the metaverse, but progress is slow.
• Samoyedcoin(SAMO): Bind to the Solana public chain, subject to ecological development.

3. Precipitation/Reconstruction (2022-2025)

The meme coin market is beginning to shift from frenzy to rational adjustment. New projects are increasingly relying on public chain ecosystems, and new narratives such as political finance and AI are emerging.

Main features:

• The market value of top projects has shrunk, but their rankings remain stable.
• 97% of meme coin projects have died, but the survivors show stronger vitality.
• Technological innovation ( such as AI ) and community building have become key factors.

Typical case:

short-term speculative

• Trump(TRUMP): Political themed coin, highly volatile

eco-driven

• Dogwifhat(WIF): A popular product in the Solana ecosystem, setting multiple records.
• BONK: Known as the "savior dog" of Solana, actively expanding application scenarios.

Narrative Innovation Type

• Goatseus Maximus(GOAT): AI-driven meme coin experiment

cultural symbol type

• MOODENG: Based on the influencer Hippo IP, it faces transformation after a rapid rise.

Future Outlook

• Technological Innovation: New paradigms like AI+meme, DeFAI are expected to bring breakthroughs
• Community-driven: The integration of celebrity effects and meme culture will continue.
• Regulatory challenges: Agencies like the SEC are strengthening their scrutiny, which may reshape the industry landscape.

Meme coin is undergoing a transformation from wild growth to rational development, and in the future, the market may be dominated by projects that can balance speculation and substance.