In the wild world of Web3, there's constant chatter about memecoinsâare they distracting us from âseriousâ projects, or are they the heart and soul of this decentralized revolution? Well, buckle up because Iâve got some thoughts. Spoiler alert: this isnât going to be your average TED Talkâitâs going to be a ride, a long one. So grab your moon boots because weâre diving into the world of memecoins.
What is a Coin or Token, Anyway?
Before we get to the spicy stuff, letâs clear up some jargon. Back in the day (and by "day," I mean 2013, which in crypto years feels like a century), a âcoinâ referred to the native currency of a blockchain. You know, like ETH for Ethereum or SOL for Solana. Tokens, on the other hand, were created on top of blockchainsâlike $UNI on Ethereum. But in todayâs multi-chain, cross-chain, and just-about-every-chain world, that line between coins and tokens has gotten a little blurry. Native coins can moonwalk as tokens on other chains, so the technical difference isnât what it used to be.
Coins or tokens, at the end of the day, are digital assets. And whether youâre talking about a coin or a token, both represent value in their respective projects. The magic really happens when they start getting traded.
In crypto, much like the stock market, value often boils down to how much people believe in it
Aping into Digital Assets
From a trading perspective, digital assets are like the new baseball cardsâexcept with more charts, volatility, and late-night price checks. When you buy a coin or token, you're not just investing in some techâyouâre buying into a projectâs story, its vision, and sometimes, letâs be real, pure hype.
Itâs like owning a little slice of whatever the project promises to be. Whether itâs solving world-changing problems with decentralized finance or just giving your portfolio a pump, coins and tokens both represent potential value. Now, here's where it gets fun: in the chaotic world of trading, the tech behind an asset often matters less than the market's mood. Is everyone buzzing on Crypto Twitter? Did an influencer mention it in a livestream? Boomâyour asset might just moon today.
In crypto, much like the stock market, value often boils down to how much people believe in it. Memecoins take this principle and turn it into pure, glorious chaos.
2011: The Start of Crypto Culture
When Satoshi Nakamoto dropped the Bitcoin white paper in 2011, it was more than a new digital currencyâit was the start of a revolution. The internet needed its own money: decentralized, censorship-resistant, and designed to bypass traditional systems like banks. And just like that, the decentralized world was born, powered by cryptography and offering real ownership for the first time.
Back in those early days, crypto was all about counterculture. Meetups werenât held in shiny tech officesâthey were in back alleys and obscure forums, where anarchists, geeks, and visionaries came together. This was the beginning of crypto culture, where community and decentralization took center stage. And letâs face it, that spirit of rebellion still runs deep today.
The real issue is that big money often swoops in, distorts things, and leaves retail holding the bag
Crypto Trading and Cycles
As the crypto space grew, trading cycles emergedâbooms and busts driven by innovation and the hunt for profit. But hereâs the best part: in crypto, retail traders finally have the power. Unlike traditional markets, where Wall Street calls the shots, in crypto anyone can participate. No middlemen, no gatekeepers, just you and your wallet. Retail investors arenât just adding fuel to the fireâtheyâre seizing the opportunity.
Cycles are a given in any market. Prices rise, prices fall. But the real issue is that big money often swoops in, distorts things, and leaves retail holding the bag. In crypto, though, retail has a fighting chance. Theyâre not just chasing profitsâtheyâre taking control of their financial future. And every cycle, new projects gain momentumâjust look at Bitcoin, Solana, and the rise of L2 ecosystems.
Bitcoin: The Mother of All Memecoins
Hereâs a fun fact: Bitcoin is the OG memecoin. Thatâs right, before Shiba Inu or Doge, Bitcoin was just a narrative. It wasnât backed by anything except belief, community, and a wild dream of decentralized money. People experimented with it (remember the legendary Pizza Day?), and eventually, Bitcoin became something much bigger. But it all started with a narrative and a community, and thatâs the essence of a memecoin.
The Rise and Rise of Memecoins
Letâs face itâcrypto thrives on counterculture, and nothing embodies that better than memecoins. We love to make fun of ourselves, our projects, and the entire space through memes. Memecoins take that spirit and crank it up to eleven.
Dogecoin started as a joke and âa fork of a fork of a forkâ in 2013, but guess what? The joke became real. With a strong, fun-loving community behind it, Dogecoin grew into a legitimate force in the crypto world. Itâs proof that community and narrative matter just as muchâif not moreâthan technology.
Now, memecoins are having their biggest moment yet. While big money has wormed its way into the rest of crypto, memecoins have remained refreshingly honest (at least the gud ones đ). Theyâre driven by community, not corporate greed. They offer retail traders the chance to take control, to claim a piece of the upside. Memecoins bring back that wild, unfiltered trading spirit.
Memecoins represent a chance for retail to reclaim control, for community to shine, and for crypto to stay weirdâin the best way possible
Memecoins and the Cycle Thatâs Brewing
The days of simply slapping a meme on a token and watching it moon are fading. A new breed of memecoins is emergingâcoins like Watercoin, SPX6900, and HarryPotterObamaSonic10Inuâbuilt on transparency, fairness, impact, movement, and with goals. These tokens are powered by culture and community. Theyâre about more than a quick pumpâtheyâre about building something real.
From my own journey as co-initiator of Lambo Llama, I can tell you how liberating and fun it is to start such a movement. We are building cross-chain community tokens and L2, built on the memecoin DNA but designed to be more. Itâs about inclusivity, learning, and connecting communities in our fragmented and tribalized space. And yes, we donât take ourselves too seriously, fun is a door-opener for learning, connecting and experimenting. Our community has set the goals and is growing.
Memecoins bring back the fun, the chaos, and, most importantly, the community that makes crypto great. Theyâre reclaiming the space from big money, reminding us what crypto was always meant to be about: empowerment, transparency, and people-driven movements.
As we enter a new cycle, memecoins are set to play a huge role. Theyâre not just survivingâtheyâre thriving. Memecoins are here to stay because they represent something much deeper than memes. They represent a chance for retail to reclaim control, for the community to shine, and for crypto to stay weirdâin the best way possible.
So, buckle up because the next ride is going to be wildâand memecoins are leading the charge.
Disclaimer: I am a co-initiator of Lambo Llama, so I have my bias đ