Are Meme Coins Staging a Comeback in 2026? Key Market Signals to Watch

Jakarta, Pintu News – After a tumultuous 2025, meme coins are starting 2026 on a stronger footing. The total market capitalization in the sector has increased by more than 30% since the beginning of the year, marking a sharp reversal from the weakness that occurred last year.

These large gains indicate a renewed speculative interest and could be a sign of the return of retail investors after a lull during the holiday season.

Market Data Highlights: Meme Coin Shows Superior Performance

The meme coin sector started 2026 with a strong surge. According to market data, the total market capitalization of meme coins reached over $47 billion as of January 5, up 7% in just 24 hours. Trading volume in the sector touched $9.2 billion, indicating high activity among various meme coins.

Read also PEPE Meme Coin Price Soars! Next Upside Target at $0.0000080

This performance stands out when compared to the crypto market in general. The TOTAL3 index – which excludes Bitcoin and Ethereum – is up only 7.5% since January 1. Meanwhile, meme coins have recorded gains of more than 30%, indicating a significant shift to community-based speculative assets.

“Memecoin is surging again. The total market capitalization of memecoin increased by $12 billion in 4 days. Once again, people are realizing that memes are superior to altcoins. This could be the start of a crazy rally,” wrote one analyst.

Furthermore, several major meme coins showed impressive returns in the past week. Data from CoinGecko shows that Dogecoin rose 20%, Shiba Inu (SHIB) increased 18.9%, while Pepe surged by 65.6%.

These gains were not just limited to the biggest meme coins. Other coins in the sector also recorded double-digit gains, with some of them making the list of top gainers on CoinGecko.

Why are Coin Memes Surging?

The rise of meme coins is striking, especially considering the sector’s weak performance throughout 2025. Analysts suggest that this renewed strength may signal the return of retail investors with fresh capital after months of caution and waiting on the sidelines.

Data supports this change in sentiment. According to Santiment, the recovery began shortly after fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) among retail traders spiked in late December.

Read also: Meme Coins Surges in Early 2026: Start of Resurgence or Market Trap?

At the same time, Google Trends data shows a steady increase in search interest for the term “meme coin” since January 1, indicating increased attention and curiosity from retail investors.

Some analysts also highlighted the taxation factor as one of the drivers. Market watcher Tervelix noted that in the traditional market, investors who sold stocks at a loss in December to reduce their tax burden would be hit by the IRS’s “wash sale” rule, which requires a 30-day waiting period before repurchasing the same asset. If purchased earlier, the tax deduction is canceled.

However, crypto falls under different rules. The IRS classifies digital assets as property, not securities, so the 30-day “wash sale” rule does not apply.

This means that investors can sell their positions at the end of the year and re-enter the market in January, potentially reinforcing the early-year price momentum of meme coins.

“That’s why in the first week of every new year (except bear market 2022) we see a massive price reset. Whales and large funds wash their portfolios to clear taxes, then re-enter the market to capture the first quarter narrative,” a post read.

As the performance of meme coins continues to attract market attention, Darkfost analysts note that this could be the beginning of a renaissance for meme coins. However, he also added that it is still too early to draw any definitive conclusions.

“For more speculative investors, this could be an interesting signal – provided they remain cautious and manage their risk properly,” Darkfost said.

In the next few weeks, the market will determine whether this surge in meme coins can continue or if it is just a temporary rally.

That’s the latest information about crypto. Follow us on Google News to get the latest crypto news about crypto projects and blockchain technology. Also, learn crypto from scratch with complete discussion through Pintu Academy and stay up-to-date with the latest crypto market such as bitcoin price today, xrp coin price today, dogecoin and other crypto asset prices through Pintu Market.

Enjoy an easy and secure crypto trading experience by downloading Pintu crypto app via Google Play Store or App Store now. Also, get a web trading experience with various advanced trading tools such as pro charting, various types of order types, and portfolio tracker only at Pintu Pro.

*Disclaimer

This content aims to enrich readers’ information. Pintu collects this information from various relevant sources and is not influenced by outside parties. Note that an asset’s past performance does not determine its projected future performance. Crypto trading activities have high risk and volatility, always do your own research and use cold cash before investing. All activities of buying and selling bitcoin and other crypto asset investments are the responsibility of the reader.

Reference:

• BeInCrypto. Are Meme Coins Making a Comeback? Here’s What Market Signals Reveal. Accessed on January 5, 2026