Timeline of memes
Memes did not appear all at once. They arrived in waves, each shaped by the platform of its moment, from dial-up image boards to the Solana supercycle. Here is the whole story in order, plus our entirely subjective ranking of the ones that mattered most.
The most influential memes
An editorial ranking that weighs cultural reach, longevity and sheer on-chain chaos. It is a strong opinion, loosely held.
- 1DogeA photograph learned to talk, and it never shut up.
- 2Pepe the FrogOne sad frog, a million feelings, and eventually a legal team.
- 3dogwifhatIt is, quite literally, a dog wif a hat. That was enough for billions.
- 4Trump MemecoinsWhen a president discovered the pump button.
- 5PopcatThe cat that turned clicking into a national sport.
- 6Peanut the Squirrel (P'Nut)A pet squirrel, a government raid, and a very angry internet.
- 7Goatseus Maximus (GOAT)The first coin an AI talked itself into a fortune.
- 8Moo DengA slippery baby hippo that out-marketed most Fortune 500 companies.
- 9Book of Meme (BOME)It tried to put the whole internet on-chain. It hit a billion dollars first.
- 10Wojak (Feels Guy)Before the internet had words for feelings, it had this face.
- 11HarambeGone in 2016, immortal ever since.
- 12GigaChadThe jawline that launched a thousand cope posts.
- 13Just a Chill GuyHe does not give a single, solitary care. Neither should you.
- 14Cat in a Dog's World (MEW)Somebody finally stood up for the cats.
- 15FartcoinAn AI invented it as a joke. The joke is now worth billions.
- 16AI AgentsThe year software started running its own hedge funds.
- 17Pudgy PenguinsFrom a failing NFT to plush toys at Walmart to a billion-dollar coin.
- 18Melania MemeTwo days after Trump's coin, the sequel nobody asked for.
- 19Slerf (SLERF)The developer burned ten million dollars by accident. The chart loved it.
- 20Ponke (PONKE)A degenerate gambling monkey with, and we quote, anger issues.
The Old Internet
Forums, image boards and the first characters the web ever drew.
One sad frog, a million feelings, and eventually a legal team.
Before the internet had words for feelings, it had this face.
The frog Matt Furie drew before Pepe. Yes, really.
A blue cat drawn since 2012 that finally cashed in.
The Golden Age of Memes
Doge, Harambe and the reaction images that became a shared language.
A photograph learned to talk, and it never shut up.
Gone in 2016, immortal ever since.
The jawline that launched a thousand cope posts.
It is, quite literally, a dog wif a hat. That was enough for billions.
The Streaming Era
When the feed took over and a meme could circle the planet in an afternoon.
The sequel nobody greenlit, deleted by the mods, then canonised anyway.
The cat that turned clicking into a national sport.
From a failing NFT to plush toys at Walmart to a billion-dollar coin.
The eldritch horror that best describes the AI you talk to daily.
Rise of the Solana Meme
The first wave of Solana coins that proved a joke could hold a market cap.
The fattest cat on Solana, and proud of every gram.
He does not give a single, solitary care. Neither should you.
A degenerate gambling monkey with, and we quote, anger issues.
The frog repainted in Solana purple and run by a Facebook group.
Solana's own co-founder wore the costume. The coin did the rest.
The 2024 Supercycle
Dogs, cats, hippos and squirrels. The year memecoins ate the timeline.
The year software started running its own hedge funds.
Gaining and losing social credit, now priced in real dollars.
Nobody is quite sure who Billy is. Billy is fine with that.
It tried to put the whole internet on-chain. It hit a billion dollars first.
Somebody finally stood up for the cats.
The DADDY that flipped MOTHER, backed by the internet's loudest man.
An AI invented it as a joke. The joke is now worth billions.
The dev quit, the community stayed, the fwog lived.
The stock that broke Wall Street, reincarnated on-chain.
The first coin an AI talked itself into a fortune.
A hedgehog on a quest for love, with market-cap milestones.
You will never afford a house, but you can afford this coin.
Jeo Boden's poll numbers were tied to a candlestick chart.
A slippery baby hippo that out-marketed most Fortune 500 companies.
A rapper, a token, and the birth of MOTHER vs DADDY.
The mascot of pure, uncut hopium.
The heir to the throne of Doge, for better or worse.
A pet squirrel, a government raid, and a very angry internet.
The most self-aware community on Solana, entirely on purpose.
The developer burned ten million dollars by accident. The chart loved it.
When a president discovered the pump button.
The most impatient word in crypto became a coin. Wen, indeed.
The Modern Era
AI slop, celebrity launches and whatever the internet is doing this week.
Grok's dumber, lazier, all-lowercase cousin.
Dave Portnoy joked about going to jail, then made it tradeable.
Two days after Trump's coin, the sequel nobody asked for.
Zero utility, zero roadmap, zero apologies.