Degen
This article is about the internet meme. For the original Solana memecoin, see Degen ($DEGEN).
Degen grew out of the Farcaster social network, where a community tipping token turned the old crypto slang for a risk-loving trader into a full movement on Base.
Origin
For years, "degen" has been affectionate slang for someone who trades recklessly purely for the thrill of it. On the decentralized social app Farcaster, that spirit took concrete form in early 2024 when a tipping token was airdropped to active users, giving people a way to reward good posts by tipping in the currency.
Spread
The tipping mechanic went viral inside Farcaster, with members handing out daily allowances and building games, channels, and small apps on top of it. The energy quickly spilled over onto Base and wider crypto Twitter, turning Degen into a banner for the entire onchain social scene.
Legacy
Degen became a working template for community-owned points and tipping economies, and it remains one of the most recognizable culture tokens to come out of the Farcaster and Base worlds.
The Chain Trail
The OG token for this meme is Degen ($DEGEN) on Base, launched 2024-01.
Key facts
- "Degen" is crypto slang for a thrill-seeking, high-risk trader.
- Rose to prominence through Farcaster's tipping culture in early 2024.
- Users received daily allowances to tip each other's posts.
- Became a flagship symbol of onchain social communities on Base.
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The tokens that claim Degen
Every token we can tie to this meme, and which contract appeared first. The original is marked OG; the rest arrived to ride the name.
| # | Coin | Price | 24h | Market Cap | Liquidity | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Degen $DEGEN | $0.00123 | +3.79% | $44.75M | $1.11M | Jan 9, 2024 |
Combined live market cap for Degen: $44.75M across 1 coin. Market data is live from DexScreener; figures are not investment advice.
The deep investigation. Deployer and wallet maps, contract migrations, bundles, supply concentration, and every project that falsely claimed to be first, with archived sources and a full chronological record.
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