As the larger crypto caps drift sideways, an unexpected market theme takes center stage: memes. This week, tokens fueled by community creativity and viral marketing are outperforming the more 'sensible' sectors of crypto. With pumpy gains and salty corrections, let's unpack what happened—especially if your PnL caught a case of FOMO.
Retail is chasing small caps like never before. Meme coins and VIBE tokens rose 10-12%+ while mid and large caps went sideways. Twitter chatter led price action. It's meme summer again.
Crypto markets this week were a masterclass in market bipolarity. On one side, we had meme-fueled euphoria lifting obscure tokens with feline branding. On the other, a sharp correction gutted some previously trending names. The contrasts couldn’t be more dramatic: MEW, a meme coin built on narrative momentum and CatGPT-fueled optimism, surged 12.34%, while controversial tokens like KTA and TRUMP tanked over 16% and 14%, respectively. Risk-on bets are back, but they demand reflexes—and memes.
This week’s top performers were all sub-$100M cap assets with strong social traction. MEW led the charge, drenched in cat-themed memes and TikTok cameos, posting a double-digit gain. Following closely were LAYER and DAKU, both up 11.17%, surfing on community endorsements and some strategic whale buys. MOODENG—the meme economy’s emotionally tuned darling—added 9.4%, benefiting from speculative flows and fresh listings on minor exchanges.
BGB, the Bitget exchange token, also rose steadily (+6.55%), signaling that some traders are hedging their degen bets with platform plays. The narrative: Degen with safety nets.
Not everyone got out of May unscathed. Leading the descent was KTA, down 16.3% after a failed partnership announcement fizzled and on-chain volume dried up by midweek. TRUMP, a politically themed token riding on U.S. primary season memes, dropped 14.6%, facing renewed criticism and throttled liquidity amid crypto Twitter backlash.
FRAX (-13.2%) slid on whispers about decreased stablecoin adoption rate post-Fed minutes. BRETT, another heavily memed token, dropped 10.7%, hinting the top might've been in. TEL posted a modest yet consistent decline of 9.6%, continuing its two-week slide as retail unfollows.
The moonboys, bears, and laser-eyed libs of Twitter never sleep. This week the chatter leaned heavily into 'meme season is back' territory. The hashtag #MEWseason trended as influencers like Ansem and crypto Cobie hinted they'd 'loaded bags.' A few pseudonymous whales (👀 0xMilkToast and 0xKittenSink) shared suspicious txs showing MEW scoops just ahead of the price rally.
Meanwhile, Twitter threads speculating the next Degen Flippening are multiplying by the hour. Among the frontrunners tipped via threads? MOODENG and LAYER—both sitting under $50M in FDV, yet pulling volume that challenges midcap DeFi names. Will fundamentals matter later? Let's not ruin the meme party.
From a structural view, this week consolidated the ongoing rotation into small caps and meme assets, fueled by retail inflows and vibes-based narratives. Forgotten altcoins with no marketing budget stood little chance versus tokens with good branding and solid meme game.
Interestingly, the average trade volume on gainers like MEW and MOODENG was up 63% vs last week, according to aggregated DEX screener data. Meanwhile, midcap staples like AAVE, UNI, and COMP barely moved—suggesting a 'sit tight or speculate' mood has gripped the market.
Wallet analytics show MEW was accumulated by over 130 new wallets holding more than 1% of the circulating supply. Most buys clustered within a 24-hour window before the price pump—classic early whale syndicate orchestration. LAYER and DAKU saw slightly steadier inflows, indicating broader base participation rather than mere influencer games.
Social sentiment indexes on LUNARCRUSH placed MEW and MOODENG in the top 10 for engagement, outpacing some long-standing layer-1s. TikTok videos showcasing 'MEW to $1' and MOODENG’s 'vibe-based investing' idea seem to be converting engagement into trades.
From our desks at the high-frequency end, spreads on meme assets widened briefly midweek as volatility rose and liquidity fragmented. It’s a good time for liquidity providers who can eat slippage and arbitrage inter-exchange spreads. Interestingly, our models flagged RETWEET-weighted signals on MEW and LAYER almost 12 hours before significant price movement—social + on-chain early alpha remains valid.
Some mean reversion algos on BRETT and FRAX got stopped out as the downtrend intensified, highlighting the danger of using last week’s liquidity regimes in this absolutely different noise-driven environment. Algorithmic warning? Don't fight the frogs and the cats.
Yes, most of these are meme tokens and yes, the fundamentals are somewhere between unicorn dust and community Discord vibes. But look under the hood and you’ll see a raging machine: one part liquidity, one part social consensus, and a sprinkle of whale manipulation. If you’re navigating this market, keep trades tight, risk light, and vibes curated.
While the majors nap and ETH gas stays manageable, this could be one of those moments where fortunes—and legendary thread content—are quietly made in public.
Crypto markets this week were a masterclass in market bipolarity. On one side, we had meme-fueled euphoria lifting obscure tokens with feline branding. On the other, a sharp correction gutted some previously trending names. The contrasts couldn’t be more dramatic: MEW, a meme coin built on narrative momentum and CatGPT-fueled optimism, surged 12.34%, while controversial tokens like KTA and TRUMP tanked over 16% and 14%, respectively. Risk-on bets are back, but they demand reflexes—and memes.
This week’s top performers were all sub-$100M cap assets with strong social traction. MEW led the charge, drenched in cat-themed memes and TikTok cameos, posting a double-digit gain. Following closely were LAYER and DAKU, both up 11.17%, surfing on community endorsements and some strategic whale buys. MOODENG—the meme economy’s emotionally tuned darling—added 9.4%, benefiting from speculative flows and fresh listings on minor exchanges.
BGB, the Bitget exchange token, also rose steadily (+6.55%), signaling that some traders are hedging their degen bets with platform plays. The narrative: Degen with safety nets.
Not everyone got out of May unscathed. Leading the descent was KTA, down 16.3% after a failed partnership announcement fizzled and on-chain volume dried up by midweek. TRUMP, a politically themed token riding on U.S. primary season memes, dropped 14.6%, facing renewed criticism and throttled liquidity amid crypto Twitter backlash.
FRAX (-13.2%) slid on whispers about decreased stablecoin adoption rate post-Fed minutes. BRETT, another heavily memed token, dropped 10.7%, hinting the top might've been in. TEL posted a modest yet consistent decline of 9.6%, continuing its two-week slide as retail unfollows.
The moonboys, bears, and laser-eyed libs of Twitter never sleep. This week the chatter leaned heavily into 'meme season is back' territory. The hashtag #MEWseason trended as influencers like Ansem and crypto Cobie hinted they'd 'loaded bags.' A few pseudonymous whales (👀 0xMilkToast and 0xKittenSink) shared suspicious txs showing MEW scoops just ahead of the price rally.
Meanwhile, Twitter threads speculating the next Degen Flippening are multiplying by the hour. Among the frontrunners tipped via threads? MOODENG and LAYER—both sitting under $50M in FDV, yet pulling volume that challenges midcap DeFi names. Will fundamentals matter later? Let's not ruin the meme party.
From a structural view, this week consolidated the ongoing rotation into small caps and meme assets, fueled by retail inflows and vibes-based narratives. Forgotten altcoins with no marketing budget stood little chance versus tokens with good branding and solid meme game.
Interestingly, the average trade volume on gainers like MEW and MOODENG was up 63% vs last week, according to aggregated DEX screener data. Meanwhile, midcap staples like AAVE, UNI, and COMP barely moved—suggesting a 'sit tight or speculate' mood has gripped the market.
Wallet analytics show MEW was accumulated by over 130 new wallets holding more than 1% of the circulating supply. Most buys clustered within a 24-hour window before the price pump—classic early whale syndicate orchestration. LAYER and DAKU saw slightly steadier inflows, indicating broader base participation rather than mere influencer games.
Social sentiment indexes on LUNARCRUSH placed MEW and MOODENG in the top 10 for engagement, outpacing some long-standing layer-1s. TikTok videos showcasing 'MEW to $1' and MOODENG’s 'vibe-based investing' idea seem to be converting engagement into trades.
From our desks at the high-frequency end, spreads on meme assets widened briefly midweek as volatility rose and liquidity fragmented. It’s a good time for liquidity providers who can eat slippage and arbitrage inter-exchange spreads. Interestingly, our models flagged RETWEET-weighted signals on MEW and LAYER almost 12 hours before significant price movement—social + on-chain early alpha remains valid.
Some mean reversion algos on BRETT and FRAX got stopped out as the downtrend intensified, highlighting the danger of using last week’s liquidity regimes in this absolutely different noise-driven environment. Algorithmic warning? Don't fight the frogs and the cats.
Yes, most of these are meme tokens and yes, the fundamentals are somewhere between unicorn dust and community Discord vibes. But look under the hood and you’ll see a raging machine: one part liquidity, one part social consensus, and a sprinkle of whale manipulation. If you’re navigating this market, keep trades tight, risk light, and vibes curated.
While the majors nap and ETH gas stays manageable, this could be one of those moments where fortunes—and legendary thread content—are quietly made in public.
MEW trended on Twitter with over 60k mentions in 48 hours. BGB's steady uptick, contrasted with TRUMP and KTA's crashes, hints at capital flowing into perceived safer microcaps with actual exchange integrations.
Watch for tokens with sudden wallet distribution increases and TikTok virality. Pair social sentiment heatmaps with midweek DEX volume breakouts.
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