Memecoins are no longer just jokes. They are a new asset class and SEC (US Securities and Exchange Commission) classified them as collectibles. Over the past few crypto cycles, memecoins have quietly produced more new millionaires than most “serious” altcoins combined.

This is the most correct list that answers the question: Which memecoins made millionaires in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026?

If you need a detailed deep dive into memecoins read this: What is a memecoin?

Below is a year-by-year breakdown, based on timing, virality, liquidity, and real wallet outcomes. Ready?

2020: Dogecoin (DOGE)

Narrative behind DOGE: First human-made memecoin, tokenized internet meme era.

All Time High Price: $0.69
All Time High Market Cap: $80 Billion US Dollars

2020 was not a flashy year for meme coins. There was no mania yet. But this is exactly why it matters.

Dogecoin spent most of 2020 trading at fractions of a cent, quietly accumulating holders while the broader crypto market focused on Bitcoin and DeFi. The key detail most articles miss is this:

Most Dogecoin millionaires didn’t buy in 2021. They accumulated in 2015-2020.

Wallets that built large DOGE positions during this low-attention year crossed seven figures during the 2020-2021 surge. It allowed believers to enter at early prices for multiple years.

Why DOGE wins 2020:

• Only meme coin with real liquidity
• Deep distribution at ultra-low prices
• Set up the largest meme rally in history
• First-mover

Screenshots from Dogecoin millionaires:

Famous reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/dogecoin/comments/mrsx8e/hey_guys_i_just_became_a_dogecoin_millionaire/

2021: Shiba Inu (SHIB)

Narrative behind SHIB: Dogecoin killer, for those who missed Dogecoin run.

All Time High Price: $0.69
All Time High Market Cap: $80 Billion US Dollars

If there is one year that permanently changed meme coins, it’s 2021.

Shiba Inu delivered one of the largest percentage gains ever seen in any financial market. Early SHIB buyers turned small, almost joke-sized entries into life-changing money.

This was not isolated. There were:

• Multiple verified millionaire wallets
• Exchange listings accelerating demand
• Global retail participation

For many people, SHIB was their first experience of exponential wealth. That’s why everyone is chasing the next big dog coin in 2026!

Why SHIB dominates 2021:

• Extreme upside from near-zero valuation
• Perfect timing with retail euphoria
• Strong meme identity plus exchange access

No other meme coin comes close to matching SHIB’s 2021 impact. Unlike DOGE it hasn’t provided multiple years to accumulate a good position. That’s why many missed the SHIB run.

Screenshots of SHIB millionaires:

An anonymous user in discord predicted SHIB pump (Want a friend like him?):

2022: No Best Performer

Missed year due to a deep and depressing bear market. Liquidity collapsed, retail disappeared and meme coins stopped rewarding speculation. No meme coin meaningfully created new millionaires during this year.

However, 2022 quietly gave birth to two important meme coins that would leave their mark on history later, both launched at peak pessimism.

• BONK
  A Solana-native meme coin created as a community response to the collapse of FTX and the loss of confidence in the Solana ecosystem. BONK was widely airdropped to users and builders, becoming a symbol of Solana chain revival. While it did not perform in 2022, it later played a key role in bringing attention and liquidity back to Solana.
• KIBSHI
  The first AI-generated meme coin, created shortly after the public release of ChatGPT (first publicly available advanced AI). KIBSHI emerged before the AI narrative became mainstream, combining meme culture with artificial intelligence creativity at a time when almost nobody was paying attention. It did not create wealth in 2022, but established an early AI-meme narrative that would gain relevance later.

2022 produced no winners in price action, but it produced foundations. Historically, many of the most impactful meme coins are born in bear markets, not bull markets. Which memecoins made millionaires in 2023-2025? Read next.

2023: Pepe (PEPE)

Narrative behind SHIB: Famous internet frog meme.

All Time High Price: $0.000028
All Time High Market Cap: $12 Billion US Dollars

2023 belongs to PEPE.

PEPE had an explosive move during the bear market and early days of the bull market. With zero roadmap and pure internet culture, PEPE exploded faster than almost any token before it. It simply proved that roadmaps, fake utility, influencer marketing are not a thing anymore. Meme coins can thrive on pure idea and narrative.

Documented onchain data shows wallets turning:

• $25 into $1,000,000
• Five figures into seven
• Six figures into eight

Why PEPE defines 2023:

• Fastest meme coin wealth creation cycle
• Pure attention-driven price action
• Clear proof that virality beats fundamentals

PEPE reset expectations for what a meme coin rally could look like.

Screenshots of Pepe coin millionaires:

2024: Bonk (BONK)

Narrative behind SHIB: Dogecoin killer, for those who missed Dogecoin run.

All Time High Price: $0.000039
All Time High Market Cap: $3.5 Billion US Dollars

In 2024, the spotlight shifted to Solana.

Bonk became the symbol of the Solana meme resurgence. Unlike PEPE’s sharp spike, BONK went the path of deep solana ecosystem integration, exchange exposure and retail accessibility.

This year produced:

• Fewer instant explosions
• Way less millionaire outcomes
• Wider participation into memecoins

Why BONK wins 2024:

• Deep Solana integration (very close to Solana Foundation)
• Exchange liquidity
• Visuals + ecosystem alignment

BONK showed that meme coins don’t need chaos to create wealth.

Screenshots of Bonk coin millionaires:

Unfortunately there are no screenshots publicly available.

2025: Fartcoin (FARTCOIN)

Narrative behind FARTCOIN: It was a keyword used by turth_terminal twitter AI chat bot, the coin itself was created by random pumpfun user and got traction because of AI connection.

All Time High Price: $2.5
All Time High Market Cap: $2.5 Billion US Dollars

2025 pushed meme culture to its logical extreme.

Fartcoin succeeded precisely because it didn’t pretend to be serious. In a market saturated with overdesigned narratives, its absurd joke made it highly shareable. It also got sudden traction with lots of crypto influencers on twitter.

As attention rotated back to humor, Fartcoin saw rapid speculative inflows, creating short-window millionaire outcomes for early participants.

Why Fartcoin fits 2025:

• Dilution fatigue → absurdity wins
• Simple humor beats storytelling
• Short, violent upside cycles

This year proves the meme thesis fully matured. And 2026 will produce new memecoin millionaires at scale.

Screenshots of Fart coin millionaires:

2026: Which Memecoin Will Make Millionaires?

After millions of tokens launched on platforms like pumpfun, thousands of rug pulls, endless pump-and-dump cycles and an overwhelming flood of copycats, the meme coin space has reached saturation. Every major internet meme has been tokenized multiple times. Every viral TikTok trend has several coins attached to it. Even popular Instagram dogs and cats already have tokens. Lots of celebs launched and rugged their own tokens with no further support. The short-term Solana meme craze produced speed and volume, but very little lasting value.

This level of noise has consequences.

For many newcomers, it damaged the reputation of meme coins entirely.
HODL culture was replaced by fast flips.
Meaning was replaced by spam.

2026 is a reset for memecoins!

2026: KiboShib (KIBSHI)

Narrative behind KIBSHI: First ever AI-generated crypto coin in human history. First AI dog coin, first AI meme coin.

All Time High Price: (pending)
All Time High Market Cap: (pending)

KIBSHI is the first and only meme coin generated by artificial intelligence in December 2022 shortly after the public release of ChatGPT. It was not launched during hype, did not ride a fast meme cycle, and did not benefit from influencer-driven pumps. Instead, it quietly marked the dawn of the AI era in crypto.

As artificial intelligence becomes the dominant global narrative, markets naturally look backward to identify the first symbolic assets tied to that shift. In the same way Dogecoin became the face of early internet meme culture, KIBSHI represents the birth of AI-native meme assets.

2026 is not about explosive moves yet. It is about positioning.

It is the year when noise fades, narratives mature, and historically meaningful meme coins begin to stand out again. Not because they are loud, but because they were there first. KIBSHI stands out:

• Fair launch (not a pre-sale, no influencers ever involved)
• Multiple years of slow accumulation phase (like DOGE and BTC)
• HODL culture
• Long-term vision
• AI relevance
• First-mover
• Unique narrative

Will the first AI memecoin KIBSHI create new millionaires and repeat the pattern?

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Meme coins are highly volatile and speculative. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research.