In January 2026, the memecoin market experienced a strong boom with the total market capitalization increasing by more than 23% in just the first week of the year. This rise is no longer based solely on pure hype but is also linked to powerful Layer-2 ecosystems and the trending wave of AI.
Below are the details of the 5 memecoin projects with the greatest growth and influence in the month:
1. Pepe (PEPE) – The "king" leading the market
PEPE had an extremely impressive start in 2026, soaring more than 66% in just the first week.
Main driver: The strong return of capital flow on the Ethereum network and large accumulations from "whales" (over 1,17 trillion tokens were additionally purchased). PEPE is currently seen as the "index" measuring the risk acceptance sentiment of the entire Crypto market.
2. Bonk (BONK) – The "soul" of the Solana ecosystem
BONK continues to hold its position as the number 1 memecoin on Solana with a growth rate of nearly 30% at the beginning of the month.
New strategy: To reclaim market share from new platforms, the Bonk ecosystem has reduced creator fees to 0% and used 50% of transaction fees to supplement liquidity for the token. This helps BONK maintain resilience even when the market shows signs of slight adjustment in mid-month.
3. Brett (BRETT) – The "star" of the Base system
On the Coinbase Layer-2 Base network, BRETT emerged as a phenomenon with steady growth and continuously set new market capitalization milestones.
Advantage: Leveraging the massive user base from Coinbase wallets and the explosion of decentralized applications on the Base network has helped BRETT become a preferred choice for new capital inflows from traditional financial channels.
4. Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) – Meme from the NFT brand
PENGU recorded an increase of over 12% right in the early days of January and maintained the upward momentum thanks to support from the Pudgy Penguins NFT community.
Real value: Unlike the "mindless" memes, PENGU is associated with a strong IP (copyright) brand that has reached beyond the real world (toys, merchandise), creating a more sustainable trust for long-term investors.
5. AI16Z / AIXBT – The AI Meme era
A completely new trend dominating January 2026 is the "AI Agents Meme". Projects like AI16Z (using artificial intelligence to manage portfolios and interact with communities) have attracted a massive influx of speculative funds.
The difference: Instead of relying solely on funny images, these projects use open-source frameworks (like Eliza) to operate, creating an investment wave based on trust in self-sustaining AI technology on the blockchain.