Altcoins exploded this week—led by meme madness and DeFi darlings. From Popcat to Orca, the market delivered some unexpected winners. Let’s break down who’s pumping, who’s dumping, and what the Twitter alphas are saying.
Altcoins outperforming majors, meme tokens gaining traction, Twitter sentiment turning bullish on DeFi tokens with emission control narratives, increasing Solana DEX activity, retail shifting toward on-chain.
Spring has sprung in the crypto markets—but forget Bitcoin and Ethereum for a second. This week, altcoins and meme tokens ran the show, stealing the limelight with eye-popping gains. SWFTC stormed the charts with a 58.54% gain, followed closely by ORCA, which leapt 55.99%, and the ever-baffling POPCAT, which clawed its way to a 32.75% return. XCN added a hefty 49.58%, while BABY rounded out the freak parade with a 37.68% pop.
Meanwhile, on the shade-side of the market, SAROS slid a painful -10.7%, UXLINK disconnected with -8.93%, and even heavyweights like DEXE weren't immune, dipping -3.61%. Nothing catastrophic, but enough red to remind us that all coins don't float when the tide comes in.
Social media has been lighting up with speculation and alpha-leaks as traders collectively start wondering: is this the start of a new mini-altseason? Twitter chatter suggests that part of the action is coming from coordinated whale rotations targeting lower liquidity assets with high meme appeal—think Popcat, Baby, and a slew of Solana-based assets. While not exactly a back-to-basics bull run, it does have the feel of a coordinated squeeze.
Analysts on CT (Crypto Twitter) are noting increased Smart Money flows into low-cap DeFi projects where tokenomics have tightened and FDVs have normalized. ORCA’s surge, for instance, follows a new LP rewards overhaul and upcoming governance proposal aimed at reducing emissions—just the right kind of narrative for a bored DeFi maxi with itchy fingers.
The “where-did-they-come-from?” coin of the week has to be SWFTC. The token climbed nearly 59%, driven by speculation around a rumored ecosystem revamp and low-float dynamics. While lacking any major public announcements, the coin rode a massive spike in DEX volume, suggesting insider accumulation or coordinated pump activity—don’t @ us, we just look at wallets.
This fits a recurring pattern we’re seeing: forgotten mid-cap tokens from 2021 are getting a new lease on life thanks to Telegram alpha channels reviving old narratives. In a cycle as narrative-driven as crypto, that can be more than enough.
Volume on Solana-based DEXs like Orca and Raydium ticked up 20-30% week-over-week, according to on-chain dashboards. Orca’s price moon mission coincided with both increasing TVL and deeper liquidity in key pools. Meanwhile, declining volumes on centralized exchanges (CEXs) like Binance and OKX for certain low-cap pairs suggest retail is getting more comfortable swapping on-chain—especially with gas fees on Solana being basically free compared to Ethereum.
Contrast this with drops in market cap for DeFi protocols like DEXE, which slid 3.61% amidst stagnating product innovation. Active users are becoming more discerning, moving toward protocols with active governance, upgraded tokenomics, and cheaper UX flows.
If you haven’t heard about Popcat by now, consider this your initiation. What started as another copy-paste meme coin is now firmly in the top gainer category for the week, up 32.75%. Some of this momentum is artificially inflated—low liquidity, viral TikToks, and Discord raiding can do that—but don’t underestimate cultural capital in shortsighted markets. Value accrues in attention, not just fundamentals.
We saw a similar pattern with BABY, a low-cap coin pairing adorable branding with pseudo utility in an NFT mini-verse. Is it innovation, or is it just 2021 cosplay? Answers vary but wallets don’t lie—volume is volume, even if it comes wearing diapers.
Whether this is the beginning of a new altseason or just a spring fling, one thing is clear: retail traders are experimenting. With Bitcoin stuck in a range and ETH feeling sluggish despite Dencun upgrades, the risk appetite has migrated sideways and downward on the market cap ladder.
That said, the strategic plays are worth watching. Smart Money is front-running narratives, not following them. Projects like Orca are proof that tangible changes still matter to price—especially when they come with token emission cuts and regulatory-safe mechanisms.
In short: don’t get caught memeing alone in a room full of whales. The only thing worse than holding the bag is being the exit liquidity for someone else’s 10x.
Spring has sprung in the crypto markets—but forget Bitcoin and Ethereum for a second. This week, altcoins and meme tokens ran the show, stealing the limelight with eye-popping gains. SWFTC stormed the charts with a 58.54% gain, followed closely by ORCA, which leapt 55.99%, and the ever-baffling POPCAT, which clawed its way to a 32.75% return. XCN added a hefty 49.58%, while BABY rounded out the freak parade with a 37.68% pop.
Meanwhile, on the shade-side of the market, SAROS slid a painful -10.7%, UXLINK disconnected with -8.93%, and even heavyweights like DEXE weren't immune, dipping -3.61%. Nothing catastrophic, but enough red to remind us that all coins don't float when the tide comes in.
Social media has been lighting up with speculation and alpha-leaks as traders collectively start wondering: is this the start of a new mini-altseason? Twitter chatter suggests that part of the action is coming from coordinated whale rotations targeting lower liquidity assets with high meme appeal—think Popcat, Baby, and a slew of Solana-based assets. While not exactly a back-to-basics bull run, it does have the feel of a coordinated squeeze.
Analysts on CT (Crypto Twitter) are noting increased Smart Money flows into low-cap DeFi projects where tokenomics have tightened and FDVs have normalized. ORCA’s surge, for instance, follows a new LP rewards overhaul and upcoming governance proposal aimed at reducing emissions—just the right kind of narrative for a bored DeFi maxi with itchy fingers.
The “where-did-they-come-from?” coin of the week has to be SWFTC. The token climbed nearly 59%, driven by speculation around a rumored ecosystem revamp and low-float dynamics. While lacking any major public announcements, the coin rode a massive spike in DEX volume, suggesting insider accumulation or coordinated pump activity—don’t @ us, we just look at wallets.
This fits a recurring pattern we’re seeing: forgotten mid-cap tokens from 2021 are getting a new lease on life thanks to Telegram alpha channels reviving old narratives. In a cycle as narrative-driven as crypto, that can be more than enough.
Volume on Solana-based DEXs like Orca and Raydium ticked up 20-30% week-over-week, according to on-chain dashboards. Orca’s price moon mission coincided with both increasing TVL and deeper liquidity in key pools. Meanwhile, declining volumes on centralized exchanges (CEXs) like Binance and OKX for certain low-cap pairs suggest retail is getting more comfortable swapping on-chain—especially with gas fees on Solana being basically free compared to Ethereum.
Contrast this with drops in market cap for DeFi protocols like DEXE, which slid 3.61% amidst stagnating product innovation. Active users are becoming more discerning, moving toward protocols with active governance, upgraded tokenomics, and cheaper UX flows.
If you haven’t heard about Popcat by now, consider this your initiation. What started as another copy-paste meme coin is now firmly in the top gainer category for the week, up 32.75%. Some of this momentum is artificially inflated—low liquidity, viral TikToks, and Discord raiding can do that—but don’t underestimate cultural capital in shortsighted markets. Value accrues in attention, not just fundamentals.
We saw a similar pattern with BABY, a low-cap coin pairing adorable branding with pseudo utility in an NFT mini-verse. Is it innovation, or is it just 2021 cosplay? Answers vary but wallets don’t lie—volume is volume, even if it comes wearing diapers.
Whether this is the beginning of a new altseason or just a spring fling, one thing is clear: retail traders are experimenting. With Bitcoin stuck in a range and ETH feeling sluggish despite Dencun upgrades, the risk appetite has migrated sideways and downward on the market cap ladder.
That said, the strategic plays are worth watching. Smart Money is front-running narratives, not following them. Projects like Orca are proof that tangible changes still matter to price—especially when they come with token emission cuts and regulatory-safe mechanisms.
In short: don’t get caught memeing alone in a room full of whales. The only thing worse than holding the bag is being the exit liquidity for someone else’s 10x.
Popcat’s 32% rise despite no fundamentals shows once again the power of community-driven momentum. Orca's reward restructuring coinciding with a price pump hints at a larger DeFi rotation in play.
Watch for older mid-cap tokens with recent governance proposals or tokenomic updates—they're the new favorites of rotating capital and alpha group momentum.
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