Memecoins surge into 2026 with 23% market cap jump

Memecoins rallied sharply at the start of 2026, pushing total market capitalisation up more than 23% in the past week.

CoinMarketCap data shows the memecoin market cap climbed to $47.7 billion on Monday from $38 billion on December 29.

Dogecoin rose more than 20% over the week, while Shiba Inu gained 19.9% and Pepe surged by over 65%.

Memecoin transaction volume also spiked, jumping from $2.17 billion to $8.7 billion, marking a 300% increase.

The rebound followed a weak end to 2025, when memecoins fell more than 65% amid reduced risk appetite.

Analysts at Santiment said the bounce began as fear and uncertainty peaked among retail traders.

As always, stay timely and capitalise on assets that the retail crowd has written off the most.

Santiment analysts said.

A trader known as Wealthhmanger suggested meme-driven momentum could soon spread to other altcoins.

When we see this kind of strength in meme coins, other altcoins usually follow.

Wealthhmanger said.

Solana was highlighted as a potential beneficiary due to its past role as a major memecoin ecosystem.

The broader crypto market lagged behind, with total market capitalisation rising just over 5% during the same period.

Investor sentiment improved as the Crypto Fear and Greed Index returned to neutral for the first time since October.

At the time of reporting, Dogecoin price was $0.1506.