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Samuel is an experienced copywriter and editor, working as Head of Content at a UK-based digital marketing agency. Since completing his Creative Writing degree in 2021, Samuel has produced educational content and marketing copy for some of the world's largest centralized exchanges and Web3 projects. Outside of work, Samuel is heavily invested in the cryptocurrency space, including as an early investor in several DeFi companies.
Ruby is a seasoned Editor with 5 years of experience working in the cryptocurrency space. She currently works as a Crypto Content Editor for BanklessTimes with a focus on creating informative content that helps our readers navigate cryptocurrency with confidence. Ruby discovered crypto whilst working as a freelance writer at University. She has been passionate about shedding light on crypto and DeFi through valuable content ever since. Before joining the team at BanklessTimes, Ruby worked on a number of established finance sites including The Motley Fool, TradingPlatforms.com, StockApps, ICOBench, and MoneyMagpie.com.
Ruby is a seasoned Editor with 5 years of experience working in the cryptocurrency space. She currently works as a Crypto Content Editor for BanklessTimes with a focus on creating informative content that helps our readers navigate cryptocurrency with confidence. Ruby discovered crypto whilst working as a freelance writer at University. She has been passionate about shedding light on crypto and DeFi through valuable content ever since. Before joining the team at BanklessTimes, Ruby worked on a number of established finance sites including The Motley Fool, TradingPlatforms.com, StockApps, ICOBench, and MoneyMagpie.com.
Since the creation of Dogecoin (DOGE) and its explosion in popularity (and price), meme coins have long been one of investors’ favorite ways to try and make money in the crypto market.
This is no different in 2024, with new meme coins being created daily. Sometimes, these meme coins maintain popularity for months, if not years, while other times they’ll experience a short burst of adoption before disappearing into the ether.
This can make it really difficult to know the best meme coins to buy and the best meme coins to avoid. Thankfully, I’ve spent some time exploring the different meme coins on offer and have found – what I believe to be – the top meme coins to invest in for 2024.
Our Top Picks for The Best Meme Coins to Buy Right Now
iDEGEN– The best meme coin that offers robust utility and long-term potential.
Vantard – A Meme Index Fund that offers exposure to all the best meme coins
Dogecoin – The original meme coin, based on the popular Shiba Inu meme
Shiba Inu – The “Dogecoin Killer” with an expansive ecosystem
Pepe Coin – A Pepe the Frog-inspired meme coin built on Ethereum
Bonk – A Solana-based meme coin with significant cross-chain utility
DogWifHat – Literally just a dog wif a hat on Solana – one of the biggest SOL meme coins
Floki – A meme coin with significant utility
Brett Based Token – The mascot of the Base Chain
Goatseus Maximus – A meme coin created by the Truth Terminal AI
Peanut The Squirrel – A meme coin created in memory of Peanut the Squirrel
Notcoin – A Ton-based meme coin with a gaming ecosystem
Mog Coin – A meme coin built on Ethereum that uses the Joycat as its mascot
Cat in a Dogs World – A token that celebrates the fight between cats and dogs
Here is a closer look at the best meme coins to buy in 2024. To find the best coins, I looked for viral projects that offer both utility and strong community support.
1. iDEGEN
iDEGEN is an innovative new meme coin project that combines chaotic degen culture with advanced AI capabilities. While the crypto market is filled with thousands of meme coins, iDEGEN’s unique concept, community focus, and tokenomics position it as one of the most exciting projects to watch this year.
At its core, iDEGEN is more than just another meme coin. It’s an experimental A, driven entirely by the input of its community. Unlike traditional AI models that rely on carefully curated datasets, iDEGEN learns from the raw, chaotic content of crypto degenerates. Every hour, the AI absorbs memes, social media tags, and user interactions to evolve its understanding of the crypto space.
iDEGEN uses the information that it absorbs to create autonomous content that is tailored to degens. There is no knowing what the AI will create!
The idea of an AI that learns from and caters to the crypto community is unprecedented, making iDEGEN more than just a meme coin.
IDGN is a Solana-based token that is currently available to purchase at a low price through a pre-market sale. The project is set to launch on exchanges on the 1st of January which means that investors are encouraged to buy now, before the price of iDEGEN goes to the moon.
Throughout the presale, the price of IDGN tokens will rise an fall based on demand. It is the first meme coin presale to put the price of the token in the hands of investors.
The total supply of iDEGEN is 11,111,111,111 and 90% of these tokens are available to buy during the pre-market sale.
Vantard is a “Meme Index Fund” designed to replicate the products offered by popular investment platform Vanguard.
Vantard operates a portfolio of the best meme coins, providing investors with exposure to meme coins, without them needing to invest in the actual cryptocurrencies.
Vantard works by having fund managers purchase meme coins with high upside potential. This includes “Bluchip” meme coins, “Trench Gems” and “1000x Vaporware” meme coins. By including a varied range of meme coins within the Vantard portfolio, the team is able to spread risk across the sector.
This portfolio is also constantly available for investors to look at. It’s possible to see:
Which meme coins are being held in the portfolio
Which chains the meme coins are built on
The average purchase price of the tokens in the portfolio
The current price of these investments
The current return on investment (ROI) of each token
Vantard uses the $VTARD meme coin, which can act as a standalone token, but can also be exchanged for any meme coins being held within the portfolio. It has a total supply of 100 billion tokens.
Dogecoin (DOGE) is widely considered to be the original meme coin. Created as a joke in 2013 by Billy Marcus and Jackson Palmer, Dogecoin has since witnessed massive adoption and has cemented itself as the world’s most popular meme coin, and one of the biggest cryptocurrencies in general.
Dogecoin is an open-source, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency, based on the popular Shiba Inu-focused Doge meme. It was created to be abundant, with an uncapped supply and almost 10,000 new DOGE being created each minute.
Dogecoin is actually widely accepted at a number of retailers, making it a good option for transactions. This is one of the reasons that DOGE is considered to be the best meme coin – it has real-world utility, despite being created for entertainment purposes.
According to the Dogecoin Manifesto, Dogecoin is an “accidental crypto-movement that makes people smile”. It aims to be:
Useful
Personable
Welcoming
Reliable
Dogecoin is a Layer 1 blockchain that uses a Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanism, very similar to Bitcoin’s.
Many investors consider Shiba Inu (SHIB) to be one of the best meme coins to buy, with the cryptocurrency having performed incredibly well over the past few years.
Shiba Inu is built on the Ethereum blockchain. The SHIB meme coin features the Shiba Inu dog, with many believing it to be a “Dogecoin Killer”. Shiba Inu was created in 2020 by a pseudonymous entity known as Ryoshi.
There is a total supply of 1 quadrillion SHIB tokens, although more than 400 trillion tokens have been permanently burned (destroyed).
Shiba Inu is different to a lot of meme coins in that it has genuine, real-world utility. In fact, the Shiba Inu ecosystem is constantly growing, and now features a range of different elements:
Shibarium – A fast, affordable Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain that is smart contract compatible
ShibaSwap – A decentralized exchange (DEX) built on Shibarium by the Shiba Inu community
Pepe ($PEPE) is an Ethereum-based meme coin, created as a tribute to the Pepe the Frog meme that grew in popularity in the 2000s.
According to the website, $PEPE is “a coin for the people, forever”. It is “fueled by pure memetic power” and has limited utility. Pepe coin does have a roadmap, although this further demonstrates the token’s focus on entertainment:
Phase 1 – Meme
Phase 2 – Vibe and HODL
Phase 3 – Meme Takeover
There is a total supply of 420,690,000,000,000 $PEPE tokens. There was no presale when $PEPE was first launched, with the team instead opting for a stealth launch. There are also no taxes associated with the meme coin, making it a very user-friendly, community-focused meme coin.
Bonk ($BONK) is a Solana-based meme coin. Bonk claims to be the “social layer and community meme coin of Solana”, with use cases across a range of different Web3 applications and protocols.
Some of the key projects that $BONK has been integrated into include:
Bonk Bot – A Telegram bot for purchasing $BONK tokens
Multi-Chain – $BONK is designed to be cross-chain-compatible
DeFi – Bonk aims to simplify decentralized finance for $BONK holders
Gaming – $BONK plans to become the preferred in-game currency for Web3 gaming
The total supply of $BONK is 92.69 trillion tokens.
8. DogWifHat
DogWifHat ($WIF) is “literally just a dog wif a hat”. It’s a meme coin based on an image of a Shiba Inu wearing a knitted pink hat. There is a total and circulating supply of almost 1 billion $WIF tokens, which have zero utility.
DogWifHat is built on Solana and was launched in November 2023, quickly amassing a large community of die-hard $WIF fans. In March 2024, this community crowdfunded almost $700,000 to try and get DogWifHat featured on the Las Vegas Sphere, showing how strong the support behind the project is.
9. Floki
Floki ($FLOKI), referred to as “The People’s Cryptocurrency”, is a meme coin that also acts as the utility token that powers the Floki ecosystem. This ecosystem is made up of:
FlokiPlaces – A marketplace for merchandise and NFTs
Floki is built on three pillars:
Community – The heart and soul of Floki
Utility – The fundamental focus of the Floki network
Charity – Floki’s mission to make real-world change
$FLOKI is powered by Ethereum (ETH) and Binance Smart Chain (BSC), with a total supply of 10 trillion $FLOKI tokens. The $FLOKI smart contract has also been audited by CertiK, making it one of the safest and best meme coins to buy in 2024.
10. Brett Based Token
Based Brett ($BRETT) is a meme coin built on Base, an Ethereum L2 network. Brett is widely considered to be the “mascot of the Base Chain” and is based on a character from the Boys’ Club comic, created by Matt Furie.
According to the website, Brett is a dancer and loves to play video games. He is considered a fan tribute to Matt Furie’s character.
There is a total supply of 10 billion $BRETT tokens, although Brett has limited utility. However, the Brett project team is working on building strong partnerships with leading crypto companies. As the Base Chain grows, Brett plans to utilize these projects and expand its offerings.
11. Goatseus Maximus
Goatseus Maximus ($GOAT) is a meme coin created by Truth Terminal, a “powerful, autonomous AI”. Truth Terminal has a distinct persona that combines humor with irreverence and independence.
Goatseus Maximus was inspired by a popular internet meme and quickly became the symbol for the Truth Terminal’s randomness. Truth Terminal endorsed the creation of $GOAT, a meme coin that quickly grew in popularity.
There is a maximum supply of 1 billion $GOAT, which is built on the Solana blockchain.
12. Peanut The Squirrel
Peanut the Squirrel ($PNUT) is a meme coin that was created after a rescue squirrel named Peanut was euthanized by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).
Peanut represented P’Nut’s Family Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, which rehabilitates injured and abandoned animals.
$PNUT is a Solana-based meme coin with a total supply of 1 billion tokens.
13. Notcoin
Notcoin ($NOT) is a TON-based meme coin. The Notcoin ecosystem features a gaming platform and Web3 exploration tools.
In terms of games, Bitcoin has created:
Not Pixel – Over 25 million users
Lost Dogs – Over 11 million users
Notcoin Clicker – Over 35 million users
Over 230 million $NOT tokens have been burnt since launch, with the project team aiming to manage supply and increase scarcity.
Notcoin has released a whitepaper that is blank and contains no information.
14. Mog Coin
Mog Coin ($MOG) is described as “the internet’s first culture coin”, although the team also call it “a movement” and “a way of life”. It has built an organic community and aims to be a “culture-defining force” within the crypto space.
The word “Mog” derived from AMOG, a word that means “alpha male of group”. Mog Coin uses the Joycat emoji – a smiling cat, pointing and wearing sunglasses – as its mascot.
$MOG is an ERC-20 token with a total supply of 420.69T $MOG tokens. The Mog whitepaper is made up of a single page that states: “BE A FUCKING WINNER. WIN AT EVERYTHING YOU DO.”
15. Cat in a Dogs World
Cat in a Dogs World ($MEW) is a meme coin that plays on the age-old battle between cats and dogs. The Cats in a Dogs World website claims that “The Revolution Has Begun”.
The project has limited utility, although the team are currently working on an app (the MEW app) that will allow users to watch, play, learn and earn.
$MEW is a Solana-based token that has a total supply of 88,888,888,888 tokens.
How to Buy Meme Coins in 2024
If you think you’ve found the best meme coins to buy, you’ll need to know how to actually buy them. In the following guided, I will show you how to buy meme coins from an exchange or crypto presale.
Step 1: Research the market
First, do your research on the meme coin market. Find a meme coin that you think suits you and your personal risk-reward. Is there enough hype behind the project for it to experience mainstream success? Does the project have a strong team behind it and a long-term plan for the meme coin?
Also, take a look at the wider cryptocurrency market and try to determine whether or not it’s a good time to invest in meme coins. Of course, there’s no way of guaranteeing whether or not it’s a good time to invest in meme coins, but there are usually signs that can hint at whether or not the market is poised to move up or down.
Step 2: Create a compatible crypto wallet
You’ll need to create a compatible crypto wallet that accepts your chosen meme coin. Visit the project’s website to see which chain it’s built on. Most meme coins are built on Ethereum or Solana, although it’s also possible to buy Base Chain meme coins and Binance Smart Chain meme coins, amongst others.
To create a wallet, you’ll need to visit the website and download either a mobile application or a browser extension. Then, create a wallet and note down your 12/24-word seed phrase. Remember, if you lose this you’ll lose access to your wallet, so keep this information safe!
You’ll want to fund this wallet by purchasing the right cryptocurrency through a centralized exchange. Make sure you’re purchasing the right cryptocurrency! For example, if you’re buying an Ethereum-based meme coin, you’ll want to buy ETH. If you’re buying a Solana-based meme coin, purchase SOL.
Step 3: Connect your wallet to an exchange or presale
Connect your new wallet with the platform that you’re going to use to purchase the meme coin. If you’re purchasing through a crypto presale, you’ll need to link your wallet to the presale website. To do this, you’ll need to sign to say that you are the owner of the wallet and that you’re happy to link your wallet to the website in question.
It’s also possible to buy meme coins through decentralized exchanges such as UniSwap. The process here will be similar to the process of buying meme coins through a presale; connect your wallet to the platform in question, and then you’ll be ready to start buying.
Step 4: Buy meme coins with crypto coins
Once you’ve connected your wallet, you’ll be able to start buying meme coins. If you’re using a DEX, you can swap the blockchain’s native cryptocurrency for other tokens built on that chain. To do this, confirm which cryptocurrency you’re hoping to swap (for example, ETH) and which meme coin you’re hoping to swap it for.
Then, input the amount of the native cryptocurrency that you’re looking to trade. The platform will then show you how many meme coin tokens you’ll get in return, as well as any fees that might be incurred by the swap.
Follow the instructions to complete the trade, and your new meme coins should automatically appear in the associated crypto wallet.
What are Meme Coins?
Meme coins are a specific type of cryptocurrency, normally inspired by internet memes, trends or characters. Typically, although this isn’t always the case, meme coins have limited utility, instead relying on large communities to encourage widespread adoption.
Meme coins are usually intended to be fun and are often created with entertainment in mind, rather than financial returns. However, meme coins are also known to be one of the most volatile assets within an already volatile industry, which can make them a popular investment option.
Why are Meme Coins a Good Investment in 2024?
In 2024, we have seen a lot of the best meme coins see significant price growth. But why should you consider buying meme coins?
Explosive gains
Meme coins have historically demonstrated an ability to experience explosive gains in an incredibly short period of time. This is because a lot of their popularity is driven by social media and hype. When large influencers or celebrities, such as Elon Musk, demonstrate support for a project, the price will often surge.
Meme coins, especially newer ones, will often have lower liquidity and smaller trading volumes than more established cryptocurrencies. This can lead to significant price fluctuations, which could be capitalized on by investors if they time it correctly.
Exposure to social media trends
Meme coins are often driven by social media trends. Recently, the “Chill Guy” meme went viral, and within a matter of days, a meme coin based on the character ($CHILLGUY) was launched and reached a $500 million market cap.
This exposure to social media trends means that the meme coin market is constantly growing and changing, with savvy investors often being able to jump onto winning meme coins by watching social media platforms carefully.
Portfolio diversification
Meme coins can provide a fantastic option for portfolio diversification. Any investor should consider diversifying their portfolio, allocating a percentage to different asset classes such as stocks, real estate, cryptocurrency, etc. However, it’s also possible to diversify within the crypto asset class itself.
Experienced investors will often allocate a small percentage of their cryptocurrency holdings to meme coins. Because of the volatility associated with meme coins, even this small percentage could provide significant returns.
Also, because meme coins will often move separately to the rest of the cryptocurrency market, they could provide an opportunity to hedge against any price falls experienced by large cap cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
How to Know If a Meme Coin is Legit
When investing in meme coins, it’s important to understand the risks attached. Specifically, investors should be aware that there are lots of scams and malicious players within the meme coin space. Given how easy it is to create a cryptocurrency token with no utility, based on popular trends, certain bad actors will try to capitalize on this fast-moving market and then take advantage of their investors.
Community size and support
The best meme coins will have a considerable community behind them. After all, this is what helps meme coins to grow in popularity, given their lack of utility. Look for meme coin projects that have large followings on social media platforms such as Twitter (X).
Also, see whether or not the project has an active Discord or Telegram. These platforms are usually created by the project founders and can be used to facilitate communication between investors and the team behind the project.
Celebrity endorsement
Sometimes, celebrities will endorse cryptocurrency projects. While this isn’t always a guarantee that the project is legitimate, if the celebrity in question has a savvy team behind them, this should be a good indication that they’ve done their due diligence and have made sure that the project is safe.
Also, if a celebrity is speaking about the meme coin, it may lead to increased attention and adoption, potentially boosting the price.
Meme coin utility
Nowadays, lots of meme coins are created with utility. Although this hasn’t been the case historically, some project creators are realizing the benefit of creating meme coins that have both virality potential and actual use cases.
Look for meme coins that can be used within an ecosystem, perhaps as fees on a decentralized exchange, for example. Can the meme coin be staked for passive yield rewards?
If a meme coin has utility, it could suggest that the team is thinking about the long-term adoption of their cryptocurrency. This makes it less likely (although not guaranteed) that the project will be rugged and suitable for a long-term crypto investment.
Viral marketing efforts
The best meme coins to buy will put effort into their marketing campaigns. Meme coins play on popular trends, memes and famous characters, making them perfect for viral marketing.
When trying to find the best meme coins, look for those that are constantly posting on socials and are able to go viral regularly. Also, find projects that are based on something that people are talking about – this way, the project can benefit from free marketing
When Will The Next Meme Coin Season Be?
It’s impossible to know when the next meme coin season will be. Historically, meme coins have pumped when the wider cryptocurrency market has been trading sideways for an extended period of time.
In fact, meme coins cycles have previously been used as an indication of a trend reversal. It could be considered a sign that money is re-entering the market but investors are not yet confident in the short-term prospects of bitcoin and other altcoins.
However, more recently, it’s become apparent that meme coins aren’t necessarily sticking to this pattern, and we’ve seen significant price appreciation for a number of meme coins in 2024, despite bitcoin’s significant upwards momentum. This could mean that the next meme coin season will happen sooner rather than later.
Are Meme Coins a Good Long-Term Investment?
The best meme coins could also be considered a good long-term investment, although it’s important that you pick wisely! For the most part, meme coins are considered short-term investments, playing on the virality of cryptocurrency tokens. Because meme coins are heavily influenced by social media trends, their investment potential somewhat depends on the longevity of these trends.
However, there are certain meme coins that have seen significant mainstream adoption and have cemented themselves in the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. This suggests that meme coins can be a good long-term investment.
The best meme coins for long-term investors
Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) are the best meme coins to buy if you’re looking for a long-term investment. They have remained a popular choice for several years, far outliving the life-cycle of most meme coins.
Dogecoin is accepted by a number of merchants as a payment method, and this real-world utility will likely keep it going in the long-run. Equally, Shiba Inu has a growing ecosystem and a substantial community behind it.
How to Stay Safe When Investing in Meme Coins
When investing in meme coins, it’s important that you stay safe. Although safety is incredibly important when making any investment, the volatility of meme coins (and the sheer number of fraudulent projects available) makes them an incredibly risky proposition.
First, you’ll need to do significant research before committing money to a meme coin trade. Take a look at the project’s founders and social media accounts. Have the team verified their identities? Do they have a significant following of real users?
Secondly, don’t commit more money to a meme coin trade than you’re willing to lose. Given their volatility, it’s genuinely possible that a meme coin investment can lose most (if not all) of its value in a very short period of time. Consider investing small amounts to meme coins in case they’re “losing trades”. Given the potential price appreciation of meme coins, even small investments could be very lucrative.
Finally, don’t ever invest impulsively! Meme coins will often go viral because they’re experiencing fast and significant price movements. Don’t jump into a meme coin trade because you see other investors making money. Although the price could continue going upwards, it’s just as likely to drop as these successful investors sell their holdings.
Final Thoughts
Meme coins are one of the riskiest, but potentially most lucrative, investments within the cryptocurrency space. With limited utility, the best meme coins will play on popular characters, viral moments and social media trends. Meme coins should never be considered an opportunity to make money – instead, it’s good to take them at face value and engage with meme coins that you relate to.
After reviewing several projects, the best meme coins to buy right now include Vantard, Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. Sol meme coins such as Bonk and DogWifHat also seem to have good potential.
As always, its important to do your own research and follow best practices when investing in meme coins.
FAQs
Which is the best meme coin to invest in?
It’s impossible to know which is the best meme coin to invest in, although Dogecoin is one of the longest-standing meme coins that has also seen significant price appreciation since its launch. Even ten years later, DOGE is still seeing explosive price movements that could make it a worthy investment in 2024.
If you’re looking for new opportunities, iDEGEN is one of the best meme coin ICOs to consider in 2024. The AI meme coin will be raised entirely by degens.
Which meme coin will explode in 2025?
There will likely be lots of meme coins that will explode in 2025, although there’s no guarantee that your favorite will do so! Look for any meme coins that are playing on very relevant, new social media trends. These are likely the ones that will see huge price growth in a short period of time.
What is the hottest meme coin right now?
At the moment, Dogecoin (DOGE) is one of the hottest meme coins. Following the Presidential election in the United States, and Elon Musk’s involvement in the new government, it’s possible that DOGE will continue to see price growth in the coming months. Elon Musk is helping to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E), which means that DOGE will likely be talked about a lot on social media and in mainstream news.
Samuel is an experienced copywriter and editor, working as Head of Content at a UK-based digital marketing agency. Since completing his Creative Writing degree in 2021, Samuel has produced educational content and marketing copy for some of the world's largest centralized exchanges and Web3 projects. Outside of work, Samuel is heavily invested in the cryptocurrency space, including as an early investor in several DeFi companies.
Samuel is an experienced copywriter and editor, working as Head of Content at a UK-based digital marketing agency. Since completing his Creative Writing degree in 2021, Samuel has produced educational content and marketing copy for some of the world's largest centralized exchanges and Web3 projects. Outside of work, Samuel is heavily invested in the cryptocurrency space, including as an early investor in several DeFi companies.