Crypto Interest Rising Toward Meme Coin Sector

• Meme coin sector rallies as PEPE gains 50.9% and BONK surges 44.2% over 7 days.
• Social volume data shows increased trader attention toward PEPE, POPCAT, and MOG.
• DOGE, SHIB, and PENGU post double-digit weekly gains amid renewed retail interest.

Santiment social volume data reveals the crypto community’s attention has shifted toward meme coins during early 2026. The data tracking platform reported increased interest in tokens like PEPE, POPCAT, and MOG following strong price gains across the sector. The meme coin market capitalization increased quickly and attracted traders after a challenging 2025.

Community-driven hype cycles are moving markets again despite extended bearish sentiment during the previous year. Well-known meme coins including DOGE, PEPE, and SHIB are rallying as retail traders return to speculative positions. Social volume metrics measure discussion frequency across cryptocurrency platforms and provide insight into which assets are getting trader attention.

Price performance validates social volume trends

Performance data confirms the patterns identified in Santiment’s social metrics. PEPE gained 45.9% over seven days despite a 7% decline in the past 24 hours. The token currently trades at $0.000006277 and ranks 50th by market capitalization.

BONK posted a 38% weekly advance while declining 7% over 24 hours. The Solana-based meme token trades at $0.00001064 and holds rank 105. Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) climbed 31% over seven days while falling 4% from the previous day, currently priced at $01156.

Shiba Inu gained 20% over the weekly period, trading at $0.000008696. The token declined 4% over 24 hours while posting 0.9% hourly gains. SHIB maintains rank 34 among all cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Dogecoin advanced 15% over seven days to reach $0.1392. The original meme token holds rank 10 and posted a 4% daily decline. Official Trump token climbed 13.0% weekly to $5.34, ranking 97th.

Meme coin sector shows mixed short-term movement

MemeCore (M) posted modest 3.3% weekly gains to $1.63 while ranking 49th. The token gained 3.1% over one hour but declined 3.0% over 24 hours. Pump.fun gained 7.1% weekly despite falling 14.8% over 24 hours and 0.8% hourly. The token trades at $0.002102.

Crypto sentiment data from CryptoRank identified MELANIA, BELIEVE, and KDA as anti-leaders during the period. These tokens posted poor performance relative to the sector, with some facing operational shutdowns or technical issues. The correlation between social volume spikes and price rallies suggests retail trader sentiment is driving current meme coin momentum 

Related: Memes Market Cap Adds $10B in Days: Fresh Capital or Dead-Cat-Bounce?