Pepe, Bonk Post Double-digit Gains: Are Memecoins Back? 2026

Memecoins added $3 billion in market cap in one day, led by PEPE’s 23% surge and the buzz around the MemeMax_Fi DEX, hinting at a possible "meme season" underway.

Memecoins like Pepe (PEPE), Bonk (BONK), and Dogecoin (DOGE) were among the best-performing cryptocurrencies on Friday, posting significant gains as the market geared up for 2026.

Memecoin market cap surged 8% to $39.45 billion, a two-week high, signalling strong demand.

PEPE led gains with 23.6%, BONK +10%, DOGE +8%; fueled by influencer hype and bold 2026 predictions.

Spike in memecoin open interest over the last 24 hours reflects growing bullish bets.

The latest rise in memecoin prices has seen the total market capitalization reach a two-week high of $39.45 billion on Friday as Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin switched his profile picture to a meme NFT.

🚨 LATEST: Vitalik Buterin switching his profile picture to a Milady NFT reportedly sent the collection’s floor price up around 50%. pic.twitter.com/o2jLYlSDPW

The last time the memecoin market cap was above $39 billion was on Dec. 20. The aggregate market value of cryptocurrencies in this sector is up 8% over the last 24 hours.

PEPE, the Ethereum-based memecoin, led the gains, rising 23.6% over the last 24 hours. Pepe’s rival on Solana, BONK, recorded 10% daily gains, while DOGE, the largest memecoin by market cap, jumped 8% over the same time frame.

While not a full-blown rally, this performance hints at a possible "meme season" driven by a mix of factors, including the buzz around MemeMax_Fi, a perp DEX for memecoins, allowing users to trade with 100x leverage.

Source: CoinTelegraph