The cryptocurrency market has witnessed a dramatic resurgence this week as meme coins PEPE and WIF spearhead a bullish rally. According to CoinGecko data, PEPE’s price surged 9.14% in 24 hours to $0.00001337, accompanied by a trading volume exceeding $2.35 billion. This upward momentum aligns with broader market optimism, though not all PEPE variants share the same trajectory.
Analysts attribute the rally to renewed retail investor interest, particularly in assets with strong community backing. While PEPE dominates headlines, its derivatives show mixed performance: Next Gen PEPE trades at $0.001411 but remains 25% below its monthly high, while Pepe KRC20 recorded a staggering 65.4% single-day surge last Thursday.
The meme coin sector’s volatility remains evident in PEPE’s historical data. Its all-time high of $0.01372 for Next Gen PEPE, achieved during previous market cycles, continues to serve as a psychological benchmark for traders. Current prices sit at just 10% of that peak, leaving room for speculation about future growth potential.
Get breakout alerts
Install Coin Push to get profitable crypto trading notifications.
PEPE’s Market Dominance
CoinGecko’s live tracking shows PEPE’s market cap now exceeds $5.6 billion, cementing its position among top meme cryptocurrencies. The original PEPE token has outperformed many rivals this week, with its 24-hour trading volume surpassing $2.35 billion. For context, $1 currently buys approximately 74,800 base PEPE tokens.
Historical charts reveal intriguing patterns: PEPE’s price fluctuated between $0.00001310 and $0.00001422 over the past three days. This range-bound movement suggests traders are cautiously testing resistance levels before committing to larger positions.
Next Gen PEPE’s Contrasting Performance
Despite sharing the PEPE branding, Next Gen PEPE tells a different story. The token has declined 25.3% over the past month, underperforming the broader crypto market’s 24% growth. This divergence highlights the risks associated with meme coin derivatives, where projects with similar themes can exhibit wildly different market behaviors.
Notably, Next Gen PEPE’s all-time high of $0.01372 remains unchallenged. At its current price of $0.001411, the token would need a 872% rally to reclaim that peak—a scenario some traders consider unlikely without major ecosystem developments.
Pepe KRC20’s Volatile Week
The PEPE KRC20 variant demonstrated extreme volatility, with its price swinging from $0.00001900 to $0.00004796 in seven days. Thursday’s 65.4% surge marked the most significant single-day movement, though prices have since retraced to $0.00004000 at time of writing.
A comparative analysis of recent performance shows:
| Date | Price | 24h Change |
|---|---|---|
| May 15 | $0.00004796 | +65.4% |
| May 10 | $0.00001900 | -29.6% |
This instability underscores the high-risk, high-reward nature of niche meme coins, particularly those operating on less mainstream blockchain networks.
Install Coin Push mobile app to get profitable crypto alerts. Coin Push sends timely notifications – so you don’t miss any major market movements.
Market Impact and Future Outlook
The meme coin rally has injected $3.8 billion into the crypto market’s daily trading volume according to aggregate data. While PEPE and WIF lead the charge, their sustained growth depends on maintaining retail investor enthusiasm amidst competing narratives in decentralized finance and AI-driven projects.
Market observers note that meme coins’ performance often serves as a sentiment indicator for the broader crypto space. The current uptick suggests growing risk appetite among traders, potentially foreshadowing increased activity in altcoin markets through Q2 2025. However, the sector remains vulnerable to sudden sentiment shifts, emphasizing the need for cautious portfolio allocation.
