As of early January 2026, the memecoin market is showing signs of a rebound. According to CoinGecko data, as of early January, the total memecoin market capitalization exceeded $47 billion, and short-term trading volume has also increased.
Among the leading meme coins, Pepe (PEPE) has shown a relatively strong trend in the market, recording a significant increase over the past week. Major meme coins such as Shiba Inu (SHIB), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Bonk (BONK) also showed upward trends during the same period.
Compared to the altcoin market indicators (TOTAL3), excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum, the meme coin sector exhibits relatively high short-term volatility. The market interprets this as a typical phenomenon that occurs during a period of recovering risk appetite.
Some market participants are suggesting that short-term liquidity may have flowed in during the process of restructuring positions in the new year following the confirmation of year-end losses. Search trends also show an increase in interest in keywords related to memecoins.
However, experts point out that due to the nature of memcoins, liquidity and holding structures are often limited, which could lead to increased price volatility. Indeed, many memcoins have experienced significant corrections compared to past peaks. The overall cryptocurrency market sentiment is also being assessed as requiring a cautious approach before a full recovery can be expected.
