#Gate广场创作者新春激励 MEME Coin 2026 Wave: The Frenzy Resurges, But What's Different This Time?

Recently, the most lively corner of the crypto market has been reignited by MEME coins. Trading volume and market capitalization are soaring in tandem, as if overnight, market risk appetite has returned. But is this the start of a new bull market, or just another short-lived "bull trap"?

Recent data shows that the total market cap of the Meme coin sector has surpassed $45.3 billion, achieving significant growth in the short term.

The recent Meme coin frenzy, represented by on-BSC "Laozi" (up over 730 times intraday) and "I’m Coming" (market cap surpassing $20 million), is the result of multiple market forces working together.

To help you quickly grasp the big picture, here is the core framework driving this wave:

1. Market Sentiment Bottoming Out and Rebounding

· Core reason: The market shifted from extreme pessimism to tentative optimism.
· Specific manifestation: By the end of 2025, market liquidity dried up, and Meme coin market caps plummeted over 65%. As the new year approached, funds began seeking high-volatility assets to test risk appetite, with the most battered Meme coins becoming the first choice.

2. Technical Repairs and Sector Rotation

· Core reason: Technical rebound after oversold conditions and the historical pattern of capital rotation.
· Specific manifestation: Major Meme coins like PEPE and DOGE still declined about 80% from their historical highs, leaving room for a rebound. During Bitcoin sideways trading, funds tend to flow first into high-volatility Meme sectors.

3. Leverage and Derivatives Capital Boost

· Core reason: Leveraged funds amplify volatility.
· Specific manifestation: Futures open interest for coins like DOGE and PEPE increased sharply alongside price rises (e.g., up 45.41% and 33.32%, respectively), indicating genuine long leverage entering the market, accelerating the rally.

4. Community Sentiment and Narrative Propagation

· Core reason: Influencer statements and FOMO sentiment ignite the market.
· Specific manifestation: Influential traders issued aggressive bullish forecasts for coins like PEPE, greatly fueling community enthusiasm. Social discussion activity and on-chain trading volume surged simultaneously.

5. Structural Opportunities and Low-Cost Experiments

· Core reason: Chains like BSC offer extremely low issuance and trading costs.
· Specific manifestation: Coins like "Laozi" and "I’m Coming" emerged on BSC, with very low costs enabling numerous speculative experiments. A few successful cases attract massive attention and imitation.

🔥 The Core Drivers of the Frenzy

This wave is a typical "risk appetite testing." After a long downturn, the market’s "smart money" needs a tool to test the waters. Meme coins, with their high volatility, insensitivity to fundamentals, and being entirely driven by sentiment and liquidity, are the perfect tool. They are like a stone thrown into a still lake, with ripples indicating the potential start of broader market activity.

⚠️ The Cold Warning Behind the Frenzy

In the midst of the craze, you must clearly recognize the following points:

· This is a rebound, not necessarily a reversal: Analysis indicates that Meme coins still occupy a low position in the altcoin market cap share, and retail speculative enthusiasm has not fully returned. This is more an early signal of the market emerging from extreme pessimism rather than confirmation of a bull market.
· Leverage is a double-edged sword: Leveraged funds fueling the rally can trigger equally fierce deleveraging crashes and chain liquidations when sentiment reverses.
· "Doge" risk reaches its extreme: Such coins on BSC often experience wild swings. "Laozi" can rise 730 times in a day, but may also go to zero the next day. They are essentially attention games, unrelated to any value creation.

💎 Rational Response Guide

In facing this wave, the rational approach is:

1. Participate with an entertainment mindset: Only invest what you can afford to lose entirely, viewing it as a ticket to "participation," not as an investment.
2. Deeply research contracts and liquidity: If you must participate, check whether the project has locked liquidity pools and revoked contract permissions. This is key to distinguishing scams from "relatively legitimate" Meme coins.
3. Set strict stop-losses: The only rule for surviving volatility is to preset exit points and stick to them.

In summary, this Meme coin wave is a comprehensive product of market sentiment recovery, leverage-driven momentum, and community narrative resonance. It may be a prelude to broader market activity, but it remains one of the riskiest corners of crypto speculation.

$I’m Coming $Laozi