The title of this article, “The Return of the Meme Coin,” could very well be the title of a comedy movie, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
But look at what happened in the first few days of 2026. Two of the five digital assets with the highest weekly gains in the top 100 by market capitalization are in this category. These are two meme coins that got off to a strong start this year and captured the attention of the market: PEPE and BONK.
As seen in the chart below, PEPE, a meme coin on the Ethereum network, has gained 41.5% over the past 7 days.
Meanwhile, BONK, a meme cryptocurrency that operates on the Solana network, 40.6% improvement over the same periodcementing itself as one of the winners of Week 1 of 2026.
Apart from this specific increase, this move is usually interpreted as a sign of more optimism and renewed risk appetite.
Meme coins send a signal
This behavior did not come out of nowhere, but is the result of a change in market sentiment. The fact that Bitcoin (BTC) started trading above $90,000 in 2026.
Add to this the geopolitical news that injects more liquidity into financial markets and favors “risky” assets.
In this scenario, meme coins typically act as a thermometer of speculative mood. This is because investors seek to maximize their profits and invest their holdings in more volatile assets.
The soaring price of this meme coin has reignited the debate over the possibility of an alt season in 2026. Although there are voices opposing this, some analysts The market could experience this period that traders have been waiting for.
Yoandris Ribes Rodríguez, Latin America regional manager at B2BINPAY, spoke to CriptoNoticias about the possibility of this year’s alt season.
Regarding this, he explained, “There are several important factors to consider when talking about the prospects for an alt season. The first and most important is the macroeconomic situation. People need available capital to invest in risk assets, and that only happens when economic conditions are stable or improving.”
He added that a true altseason would also require a decline in BTC’s dominance, as “in a Bitcoin season environment, altcoins typically underperform.”
Beyond what will happen in the coming months, the fact that two meme coins stand out. The first week of 2026 serves as a clear signal that risk appetite is returning.
(Tag translation) Altcoin
