Learn how to navigate the world of meme coin investments in 2025. Get to know why investing in them can be beneficial, and how to distinguish genuine meme coins from sh*tcoins.
The crypto ecosystem is home to many different coins and tokens, serving a lot of use cases. Memecoins are some of the most popular ones, although at first sight, it might seem like they’re not serious projects.
Dogecoin was the first memecoin launched in 2013. But in the last couple of years, plenty of alternatives have launched, and a lot of them have gained prominent spaces in the market. Dogecoin, for example, is the eighth most valuable asset in coin aggregators. As of today, Dogecoin is priced at approximately $0.32 per coin.
In the recent bull run, memecoins have been among the top earners, surpassing more solid coins like BTC, ETH, or SOL. That’s reason enough to take a look at them and consider them as serious investments.
Why Investing in Memecoins Is a Good Idea
Ten years ago, memecoins were a light joke among crypto investors. Some could own a few, but they weren’t seen as a serious asset. However, this changed a couple of years ago when DOGE and others started climbing the market rankings. As of now, there are four memecoins among the top 50 coins by market capitalization. But why are they valuable?
- Accessibility and affordability: The price of memecoins is significantly lower than that of BTC, ETH, or similar coins, so new investors can get a larger share of the supply with a lower investment. While they could theoretically invest the same amount in BTC, as it’s possible to buy fractions of a coin, the potential gains would be lower this way. If you already have Bitcoin in your crypto wallet, you can easily Swap BTC to USDT[1] [2] [3] to purchase memecoins.
- Portfolio diversification: Any smart investment strategy advises diversifying the capital across different assets. This exposes the portfolio to greater gains while reducing the risk in case one or two assets lose their value.
- Market momentum: Even if an investor thinks that memecoins are NGMI (check the NGMI meaning here), they can still make a profit from their short-term gains. Memecoins are known to be highly volatile, and these price swings can be productive for day traders.
How to Separate Memecoins From Sh*tcoins
Some figures in the crypto ecosystem, who may not be too fond of memecoins, might dismiss them as sh*tcoins. But, what are sh*tcoins? This is a popular name given to cryptocurrencies that offer no real value, and usually end up being scams. Although, indeed, most memecoins don’t offer a clear, distinct value, like Bitcoin or Ethereum, not all of them are sh*tcoins. It’s important to separate the two and learn to distinguish them by following some key differences.
- Community engagement: There are dozens of new memecoins hitting the market each day. But very few get to garner a solid community around them. The advantage of DOGE and similar valuable projects is the fact that there are a lot of investors following the project and supporting it. If a project lacks a following community, it isn’t likely to succeed.
- White paper and roadmap: Although the goal of memecoins is to create a fun project, it’s important to check the fundamentals. Even if they just state that they have no value. Sometimes, this honesty is more trustworthy than a project that claims to solve issues it is not able to solve.
- Transparency: A common problem around sh*tcoins is the danger of scams and pull rugs. In this case, investors need to verify if the creators are transparent about the use of the tokens. Are investments being used for development? Are there planned token burns? Answering these questions can protect investors from scams and shitcoins.
Factors to Consider Before Investing in Memecoins
Not all memecoins are sh*tcoins, but even the honest ones aren’t always likely to succeed. Some factors can help investors figure out which tokens will have a bright future in the market.
- Security: The first factor to take into consideration is how secure the project is. A good way to know this is by checking where the token is built. Does it use a solid blockchain like Solana or Ethereum? Did it create its own blockchain?
- Support by key figures: Some memecoins have experienced rapid growth thanks to support from prominent figures in the market. For example, the popularity of DOGE reached new heights after Elon Musk showed public support for the project.
- Marketability: The core of memecoins is their ability to attract new audiences. They won’t overcome Bitcoin or Ethereum as a store of value, means of payment, or smart contracts platform. But they will grow in the market if they have a fun image, an attractive message, and a solid platform. If the concept of the meme is not marketable, it’s not likely to succeed.
Besides Dogecoin, the most valuable coin in the market, there are other coins with a clear proposal and a positive performance. Shiba Inu, ranked 12th by market value, was launched in 2020. It operates on the Ethereum network and allows holders to stake the coins or develop DApps.
Pepe, a coin launched in 2023 based on the popular frog meme, quickly conquered the markets and now ranks 25th. Its only intended goal is to be “the most memeable memecoin in existence.” It also runs on the Ethereum blockchain.
Dogwifhat, on the other hand, is ranked 44th and runs on the Solana blockchain. Similar to Pepe, its goal is to be a fun coin, representing “literally a dog wif a hat.”
Bottom Line
Memecoins are not the future of the market, but they aren’t useless either. These tokens have rightfully gained their space in the crypto ecosystem. In the future, we can expect at least a few of them to continue, while the weaker ones will fade away. The task for any investor is to analyze each project, check their fundamentals, and bet on the ones they see as more valuable.