Alts are waking up – again. But in contrast with last month’s meme-fueled madness, this week’s action was all about tokens getting stuff done. ZBCN stunned with a vertical 38% pump, while meme incumbents like POPCAT and PEPE quietly slid from grace.
Market is rotating from meme coins to tokens with actual utility or upcoming tech releases. Layer 2 protocols and modular chain buzz dominated Crypto Twitter this week.
If you blinked, you might have missed it. ZBCN (ZebroCoin), a relatively obscure token until now, surged a jaw-dropping 38.2% in the past 24 hours. While its fundamentals are still a mystery to most, Twitter sleuths suggest a coordinated campaign among micro-influencers hyping ZBCN as “the next big chain for DeFi games.” Reddit threads are also buzzing with speculation that a new GameFi partnership announcement is imminent. Whether it's fact or just FOMO-fueled fiction, the price candles certainly told their own story.
Following closely behind, KTA surged 20.28%, riding on the hype around its upcoming staking incentives tied to a Layer 2 rollout. Devs hinted at EVM compatibility and faster bridging – magic words in today’s weary rollup renaissance. SYRUP too tapped into DeFi nostalgia and gained 8.49%, likely boosted by the DeFi Summer 2.0 conversations that have re-emerged among old-school yield farmers on Crypto Twitter and Farcaster.
WHYPE, up 3.83%, had a modest yet notable lift, as several prominent NFT founders tweeted “WHYPE x [REDACTED]” hinting at a possible metaverse tie-in. While vague, these cryptic tweets were enough to stir traders looking for alpha among the fog. Similarly, TKX climbed 3.73%, building on its consistent liquidity addition and a quietly deployed cross-chain bridge with TON.
The ever-elusive POPCAT clawed its way downward, losing 11% on the day. Once the darling of speculative meme trading, its lack of notable utility or innovation started to weigh heavily in a more introspective market looking for actual use cases. Likewise, PEPE slid 7.06%, part of a broader tapering in meme-coin exuberance as chatter shifted toward real infrastructure plays. AI16Z and NEIRO, down 9.06% and 7.66% respectively, also underperformed amid cooling AI-token hype that had surged unsustainably earlier this quarter.
The big topic on Crypto Twitter? Modular blockchains and a growing fatigue around bloated monoliths. Popular influencers like @NodeNinja and @GasGuru argued that L2s like Blast and Zircuit are gaining traction because they offer both economic incentives and genuine performance upgrades. Others pointed out that dApp devs are increasingly platform-hopping, making multi-chain abstraction not a luxury but a necessity.
There also seemed to be renewed appetite for niche verticals like gaming and decentralized identity, with many speculating ZBCN and KTA could be early beneficiaries. “Real-time use cases + tokenomics = real attention,” quipped one X user, echoing what may be the theme of this week.
There’s an emerging pattern: tokens with tangible updates and shipping products are getting rewarded with volume and volatility to the upside. Even smaller names like WHYPE and TKX are benefiting from steady improvements in their ecosystems rather than pure speculation alone.
This divergence is something HFT desks and market makers are watching closely. The correlations between Twitter virality, token velocity, and wallet activity appear to be tightening – a signal that algo strategies based on social sentiment and development cadence may outperform purely technical models this cycle.
Interestingly, the broader crypto market remained relatively flat, suggesting that traders are rotating risk within the market rather than pulling capital out altogether. The rotation from meme coins to infrastructure-related alts could signal a maturing thesis across the market. Traders now want more than mascots – they want mechanisms.
With Bitcoin’s dominance holding steady and Ethereum gas fees trending lower, conditions are ripe for selective altcoin surges. Expect more volatility in microcaps closely tied to real development, and less blind enthusiasm for vibes-only mascots.
If you blinked, you might have missed it. ZBCN (ZebroCoin), a relatively obscure token until now, surged a jaw-dropping 38.2% in the past 24 hours. While its fundamentals are still a mystery to most, Twitter sleuths suggest a coordinated campaign among micro-influencers hyping ZBCN as “the next big chain for DeFi games.” Reddit threads are also buzzing with speculation that a new GameFi partnership announcement is imminent. Whether it's fact or just FOMO-fueled fiction, the price candles certainly told their own story.
Following closely behind, KTA surged 20.28%, riding on the hype around its upcoming staking incentives tied to a Layer 2 rollout. Devs hinted at EVM compatibility and faster bridging – magic words in today’s weary rollup renaissance. SYRUP too tapped into DeFi nostalgia and gained 8.49%, likely boosted by the DeFi Summer 2.0 conversations that have re-emerged among old-school yield farmers on Crypto Twitter and Farcaster.
WHYPE, up 3.83%, had a modest yet notable lift, as several prominent NFT founders tweeted “WHYPE x [REDACTED]” hinting at a possible metaverse tie-in. While vague, these cryptic tweets were enough to stir traders looking for alpha among the fog. Similarly, TKX climbed 3.73%, building on its consistent liquidity addition and a quietly deployed cross-chain bridge with TON.
The ever-elusive POPCAT clawed its way downward, losing 11% on the day. Once the darling of speculative meme trading, its lack of notable utility or innovation started to weigh heavily in a more introspective market looking for actual use cases. Likewise, PEPE slid 7.06%, part of a broader tapering in meme-coin exuberance as chatter shifted toward real infrastructure plays. AI16Z and NEIRO, down 9.06% and 7.66% respectively, also underperformed amid cooling AI-token hype that had surged unsustainably earlier this quarter.
The big topic on Crypto Twitter? Modular blockchains and a growing fatigue around bloated monoliths. Popular influencers like @NodeNinja and @GasGuru argued that L2s like Blast and Zircuit are gaining traction because they offer both economic incentives and genuine performance upgrades. Others pointed out that dApp devs are increasingly platform-hopping, making multi-chain abstraction not a luxury but a necessity.
There also seemed to be renewed appetite for niche verticals like gaming and decentralized identity, with many speculating ZBCN and KTA could be early beneficiaries. “Real-time use cases + tokenomics = real attention,” quipped one X user, echoing what may be the theme of this week.
There’s an emerging pattern: tokens with tangible updates and shipping products are getting rewarded with volume and volatility to the upside. Even smaller names like WHYPE and TKX are benefiting from steady improvements in their ecosystems rather than pure speculation alone.
This divergence is something HFT desks and market makers are watching closely. The correlations between Twitter virality, token velocity, and wallet activity appear to be tightening – a signal that algo strategies based on social sentiment and development cadence may outperform purely technical models this cycle.
Interestingly, the broader crypto market remained relatively flat, suggesting that traders are rotating risk within the market rather than pulling capital out altogether. The rotation from meme coins to infrastructure-related alts could signal a maturing thesis across the market. Traders now want more than mascots – they want mechanisms.
With Bitcoin’s dominance holding steady and Ethereum gas fees trending lower, conditions are ripe for selective altcoin surges. Expect more volatility in microcaps closely tied to real development, and less blind enthusiasm for vibes-only mascots.
ZBCN's massive 38% surge was the day's top headline, likely driven by GameFi speculation and coordinated social media interest. Meanwhile, modular blockchain buzz is spreading rapidly, hinting that upcoming L2 wars may reshape capital flows in June.
Watch for tokens announcing concrete shipping milestones – testnet launches, new staking mechanics, or ecosystem integrations. These have been prime catalysts during recent cycles.
Be sure to join us on Telegram, Discord and Twitter!
Quad Terminal simplifies crypto portfolio management by unifying digital asset exchanges into a seamless, all-in-one platform. Traders and investors of all skill levels can access automated bot strategies and a comprehensive 360° portfolio view. Create your free account here!
Disclaimer: The content of this article is for general market education and commentary and is not intended to serve as financial, investment, or any other type of advice.
Manage all your crypto assets on the go with zero-gas swaps and a unified portfolio at your fingertips.
Disclaimer: Information contained herein should not be construed as investment advice, or investment recommendation, or an order of, or solicitation for, any transactions in financial instruments; We make no warranty or representation, whether express or implied, as to the completeness or accuracy of the information contained herein or fitness thereof for a particular purpose. Use of images and symbols is made for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a particular financial instrument; Use of brand logos does not necessarily imply a contractual relationship between us and the entities owning the logos, nor does it represent an endorsement of any such entity by Quad Terminal, or vice versa. Market information is made available to you only as a service, and we do not endorse or approve it.
Copyright © Quad Terminal
