BONK, SHIB, PEPE, and more – Are memecoins really making a comeback?

After a long period of silence, the memecoin market has started to pick up again. Capital is quietly flowing back, showing a clear shift in momentum over the past 30 days.

The total market capitalization of memecoin has continuously decreased since mid-December, dropping from over $42 billion to nearly $36 billion. However, at the beginning of January, investor sentiment has reversed strongly. Capital inflows have driven the market capitalization sharply up from around $38 billion to a peak near $48 billion, before a slight correction down to $44.69 billion.

At the same time, trading volume has also grown significantly. Buying and selling activity increased by 17.42%, reaching $4.75 billion, confirming that this recovery is driven by active participation rather than low liquidity.

Source: X Particularly, this upward trend coincides with memecoins on the Solana ecosystem (SOL) leading the capital flow, reflecting investors’ new risk appetite within this ecosystem.

The recent recovery indicates that speculative capital is tending to return to high-volatility assets. Additionally, Bitcoin (BTC) maintaining above $90,000 also creates a positive macroeconomic foundation supporting the market.

All these factors together help reinforce confidence in the cryptocurrency market, with memecoin serving as an early indicator of risk acceptance trends, rather than just temporary hype.

Major memecoins lead the rally, smaller tokens follow the trend

According to data from CoinMarketCap, the gains are mainly concentrated in the largest memecoins, strengthening the overall sector’s recovery. Bonk (BONK) stands out with a 27.78% increase over a week, with daily trading volume reaching $131 million.

The combination of strong price increases and high liquidity indicates genuine investor confidence, rather than unsustainable “pump and dump” schemes. Active traders are participating actively and maintaining continuous activity.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) also recorded a 15.31% increase during the same period, with a market cap of $5.1 billion, supporting a sustainable accumulation trend rather than short-term speculation.

Source: CoinMarketCap Pepe (PEPE) increased by 17.10%, supported by a trading volume of up to $621 million daily, reflecting strong community interest among traders.

Furthermore, market momentum is spreading to smaller memecoins. Dogwifhat (WIF) increased by 28.86%, Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) rose by 38.64%, and Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) increased by 19.84%.

These price surges are driven by the overall market recovery, as Bitcoin (BTC) remains above $90,000, igniting risk appetite and attracting capital into high-volatility assets. After the downturn in 2025, retail investors have returned, motivated by optimistic sentiment after the holiday season, tax reduction effects, social media buzz, and Solana’s low transaction fees.

However, low market cap also means higher volatility. In other words, while top memecoins demonstrate strength based on solid confidence, mid-tier and smaller tokens mainly increase in value due to short-term “trend-following” effects, lacking long-term stability.

Mr. Teacher