Memecoin comeback talk builds as DOGE, SHIB, BONK rally in early 2026

Memecoins extended their early-2026 bounce on Monday as traders rotated into higher-beta tokens and social chatter revived “meme season” talk, with dog-themed coins leading broad gains across the category.

Dogecoin rose as much as 11% over 24 hours, while shiba inu gained about 13%, according to CoinGecko data. Solana-based bonk climbed nearly 50% over seven days, while floki added close to 40% on the week as the rally spilled into mid- and smaller-cap names.

Traders also pointed to continued momentum in PEPE, which has become a popular proxy for speculative risk-on positioning.

The move is not just isolated to a few tickers. One CryptoQuant chart tracking memecoin dominance within the altcoin market shows the ratio fell to around 0.032 in December, marking a historical low after sliding steadily from the post-mania peak near 0.11 in November 2024.

The ratio has ticked up in recent sessions, which independent analyst Darkfost interprets as a sign that capital is returning to the most speculative corner of the market after weeks of decline.

That said, the same chart highlights how quick meme cycles can be: the last time dominance moved sharply higher from these levels, it quickly accelerated into a crowded trade.

Other metrics underline why volatility remains part of the story.

Santiment data shows that the 10 largest SHIB wallets control nearly 63% of the supply, with the largest wallet holding roughly 41%. This concentration level can amplify both upside squeezes and sudden drawdowns when large holders move.

Market participants say the timing fits a familiar setup: bitcoin and ether have bounced but remain well below all-time highs, and liquidity is still uneven after the holidays. That often pushes traders toward tokens that can move sharply in response to relatively small inflows, especially those with deep derivatives markets and high social momentum.

Still, desks caution against reading the rebound as a clean start to an extended altcoin run. Memecoin rallies tend to be self-reinforcing in the short term, but fragile when positioning gets crowded, spot demand fades, or bitcoin turns lower.

For now, traders say the main signal is straightforward: memecoins are acting like the market’s temperature check for speculative appetite, and the thermometer is rising again.