{"id":883829,"date":"2026-01-10T06:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/10\/bonk-shib-pepe-and-more-are-memecoins-really-back-in-business\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T06:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:12:11","slug":"bonk-shib-pepe-and-more-are-memecoins-really-back-in-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/10\/bonk-shib-pepe-and-more-are-memecoins-really-back-in-business\/","title":{"rendered":"BONK, SHIB, PEPE, and more \u2013 Are memecoins really back in business?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"BONK,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\"Avatar\"<\/p>\n

Journalist<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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After weeks of silence, memecoins are starting to move again. Capital is quietly finding its way back. In fact, it can be argued that the memecoin market has been seeing a clear shift in momentum over the last 30 days.<\/p>\n

Market capitalization fell steadily through mid-December, sliding from above $42 billion to nearly $36 billion.<\/p>\n

However, sentiment flipped in early January. Capital rushed back in. As a result, market cap surged sharply from around $38 billion to a peak near $48 billion, before cooling to $44.69 billion.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the volume expanded<\/a> aggressively. Trading activity climbed by 17.42% to $4.75 billion, confirming that the move was driven by participation, not thin liquidity.<\/p>\n

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Source: X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Importantly, the acceleration coincided with Solana [SOL]<\/a> memecoins leading flows \u2013 Indicative of renewed risk appetite within the Solana ecosystem.<\/p>\n

The aforementioned rebound suggested that speculative capital might be rotating back into high-beta assets. Moreover, holding Bitcoin [BTC]<\/a> above $90,000 has been lending a supportive macro backdrop too.<\/p>\n

Together, these factors have been contributing to a hike in confidence across crypto markets, with memecoins acting as an early risk-on indicators rather than isolated hype.<\/p>\n

Top memecoins gain, smaller tokens chase momentum<\/h2>\n

CoinMarketCap data<\/a> revealed gains concentrated among the market\u2019s largest memecoins, reinforcing the sector\u2019s broader rebound. Bonk [BONK]<\/a> seemed to be leading this move, at press time. It jumped by 27.78% over seven days while recording $131 million in daily volume.<\/p>\n

Such a pairing alludes to conviction, not thin liquidity pumps. In this particular case, traders showed up and stayed active.<\/p>\n

For its part, Shiba Inu [SHIB]<\/a> climbed by 15.31% over the same period. Its $5.1 billion market cap lent weight to the move. Capital rotated in steadily too, pointing to accumulation rather than short-term speculation.<\/p>\n

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Source: CoinMarketCap<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, Pepe [PEPE]<\/a> gained by 17.10%, supported by a heavy $621 million in daily volume. That level of activity seemed to confirm strong trader engagement.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, memecoin momentum spilled into smaller names. Dogwifhat [WIF]<\/a> rose by 28.86%, Fartcoin [FARTCOIN]<\/a> surged by 38.64%, and Pudgy Penguins [PENGU]<\/a> added 19.84% to its value.<\/p>\n

Their rallies came on the back of a broader market rebound too. Bitcoin [BTC]<\/a> stayed above $90,000, lifting risk appetite and fueling flows into high-beta assets. After 2025\u2019s slump, retail investors have returned, driven by post-holiday optimism, tax-loss effects, social media hype, and Solana\u2019s low-fee ecosystem.<\/p>\n

However, their lower market caps also imply higher volatility. To put it simply, while top memecoins have been exhibiting conviction-led strength, mid-tier tokens have been seeing short-lived hype driven by momentum chasing.<\/p>\n

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Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n