ZBCN’s breakout is more than just a pump—it’s a sign of the market’s evolving priorities. Today’s top performers are utility-rich, while memecoins take a nosedive. Let’s break it down: what moved, why it moved, and which headlines mattered.
Utility is making a comeback. AMP, TEL, and SKR are reminding the market that fundamentals still matter. Memecoins are losing steam as social mentions and capital rotate elsewhere.
If today’s crypto market were a person, it’d be wearing both designer shades and clown makeup. The spotlight is squarely on ZBCN, which pulled off a jaw-dropping 27.22% run-up, dragging a pack of altcoins in its wake. ZBCN wasn’t alone—tokens B (+23.31%), SKR (+23.04%), AMP (+22.38%), and TEL (+21.00%) also had their moment in the sun. It’s not every day you get a synchronized alt rally of this scale amidst a cautious broader market.
But while these rockets launched, others crash-landed. APEPE, one of the headline memecoins of the last few weeks, is facing a harsh return to Earth with a -15.9% drop. STABLE (-12.8%) and TWT (-10.2%) also found themselves stuck in the red tape of crypto volatility. If Q4 of 2025 is anything to go by, sentiment is shifting rapidly—and memecoins may be heading for the exit ramp.
Social media reveals another divide in crypto’s social DNA: hype coins vs infrastructure plays. Following ZBCN’s breakout, crypto Twitter lit up with speculation about upcoming protocol upgrades, whispered exchange listings, and a possibly leaked VC round tied to a well-known name (we won’t name names, but 🐳 and 🦈 were tweeted aggressively).
Meanwhile, AMP and TEL—two tokens often categorized as “boring but useful”—have seen renewed support from dev-centric Twitter. Posts highlighting AMP’s growing use in payment integrations and TEL's cross-border microtransaction pilot gave the perception of solid fundamentals catching up to neglected valuations. It’s the revenge of the builders… at least for today.
A look through the leaderboard shows strong gains across mid-cap altcoins:
Now for the not-so-rosy side:
Here's a quirky stat for your crypto trivia bank: Today marks the largest combined 24-hour percentage gain (+116.95%) across the top five altcoin gainers since mid-October 2023—a subtle sign that the keenest traders are rotating capital into higher-beta plays. That’s not just random noise; that’s capital allocation with intent.
The real narrative here is divergence. Infrastructure and usability coins are gaining traction again—not because of hype, but because people are starting to and **need** them. AMP’s integrations into two major point-of-sale crypto gateways this week have not been front-page news, but judging by wallet activity upticks, someone out there is paying attention—and transacting.
APEPE’s 15.9% dive suggests the memecoin cycle may be fading. While memes brought flavor (and retail) back to the market in Q3 2025, it seems traders are rotating profits into higher-conviction plays. Social media mentions of APEPE dropped 38% week-over-week, and wallet dormancy is ticking up. Traders are still watching memes—but no longer holding the bag.
If we follow the usual boom-to-bust memecoin lifecycle, this could be a broader signal for recalibration. Investors seem more attracted to utility-driven coins in a market increasingly sensitive to both regulations and real-world adoption metrics.
Perhaps the real alpha is in the resurrection of the “boring but essential” tokens. AMP, which had long been stuffed in the bottom drawer of many portfolios, popped 22.38%. On-chain data hints that this surge might not be speculative—wallet holders with balances >100K AMP increased 6% over the past 72 hours, suggesting organic accumulation, not pump-and-dump.
Similarly, B and SKR seem to be riding decentralized exchange (DEX) volume momentum, suggesting that DeFi 2.5 (i.e., DeFi, but with UX that doesn’t make your AI friend cry) may quietly be gaining steam again. The future might not be shiny tokens and billion-dollar NFTs. It might just be boring infra getting the love it deserves.
This trading week ends on a fascinating note. From double-digit gainers with genuine narratives to memecoins losing their memomentum (apologies), the market seems to be at a narrative crossroads. Let’s keep watching. If today's action has taught us anything, it’s that conviction, not clicks, is driving capital—at least for now.
If today’s crypto market were a person, it’d be wearing both designer shades and clown makeup. The spotlight is squarely on ZBCN, which pulled off a jaw-dropping 27.22% run-up, dragging a pack of altcoins in its wake. ZBCN wasn’t alone—tokens B (+23.31%), SKR (+23.04%), AMP (+22.38%), and TEL (+21.00%) also had their moment in the sun. It’s not every day you get a synchronized alt rally of this scale amidst a cautious broader market.
But while these rockets launched, others crash-landed. APEPE, one of the headline memecoins of the last few weeks, is facing a harsh return to Earth with a -15.9% drop. STABLE (-12.8%) and TWT (-10.2%) also found themselves stuck in the red tape of crypto volatility. If Q4 of 2025 is anything to go by, sentiment is shifting rapidly—and memecoins may be heading for the exit ramp.
Social media reveals another divide in crypto’s social DNA: hype coins vs infrastructure plays. Following ZBCN’s breakout, crypto Twitter lit up with speculation about upcoming protocol upgrades, whispered exchange listings, and a possibly leaked VC round tied to a well-known name (we won’t name names, but 🐳 and 🦈 were tweeted aggressively).
Meanwhile, AMP and TEL—two tokens often categorized as “boring but useful”—have seen renewed support from dev-centric Twitter. Posts highlighting AMP’s growing use in payment integrations and TEL's cross-border microtransaction pilot gave the perception of solid fundamentals catching up to neglected valuations. It’s the revenge of the builders… at least for today.
A look through the leaderboard shows strong gains across mid-cap altcoins:
Now for the not-so-rosy side:
Here's a quirky stat for your crypto trivia bank: Today marks the largest combined 24-hour percentage gain (+116.95%) across the top five altcoin gainers since mid-October 2023—a subtle sign that the keenest traders are rotating capital into higher-beta plays. That’s not just random noise; that’s capital allocation with intent.
The real narrative here is divergence. Infrastructure and usability coins are gaining traction again—not because of hype, but because people are starting to and **need** them. AMP’s integrations into two major point-of-sale crypto gateways this week have not been front-page news, but judging by wallet activity upticks, someone out there is paying attention—and transacting.
APEPE’s 15.9% dive suggests the memecoin cycle may be fading. While memes brought flavor (and retail) back to the market in Q3 2025, it seems traders are rotating profits into higher-conviction plays. Social media mentions of APEPE dropped 38% week-over-week, and wallet dormancy is ticking up. Traders are still watching memes—but no longer holding the bag.
If we follow the usual boom-to-bust memecoin lifecycle, this could be a broader signal for recalibration. Investors seem more attracted to utility-driven coins in a market increasingly sensitive to both regulations and real-world adoption metrics.
Perhaps the real alpha is in the resurrection of the “boring but essential” tokens. AMP, which had long been stuffed in the bottom drawer of many portfolios, popped 22.38%. On-chain data hints that this surge might not be speculative—wallet holders with balances >100K AMP increased 6% over the past 72 hours, suggesting organic accumulation, not pump-and-dump.
Similarly, B and SKR seem to be riding decentralized exchange (DEX) volume momentum, suggesting that DeFi 2.5 (i.e., DeFi, but with UX that doesn’t make your AI friend cry) may quietly be gaining steam again. The future might not be shiny tokens and billion-dollar NFTs. It might just be boring infra getting the love it deserves.
This trading week ends on a fascinating note. From double-digit gainers with genuine narratives to memecoins losing their memomentum (apologies), the market seems to be at a narrative crossroads. Let’s keep watching. If today's action has taught us anything, it’s that conviction, not clicks, is driving capital—at least for now.
ZBCN’s monster run is triggering speculation about a protocol overhaul and possible token burn. AMP’s price surge comes amid quiet but impactful point-of-sale integrations. And Twitter? It’s buzzing with narratives favoring builders.
Look past the daily pumps. Mid-cap tokens with real-world use cases are gaining traction—start by watching wallet activity and dev commits, not flashy influencers.
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