Bitcoin Search Interest Plummets as Pump.Fun and SunPump Fuel Memecoin Explosion in 2024

Bitcoin Interest Hits One-Year Low, Memecoins Gain Momentum

Bitcoin, once the dominant force in cryptocurrency, is seeing a steep decline in global interest.

During the week of 13 October 2024, the Google search volume for "Bitcoin" hit its lowest point in a year, dropping to 27 out of 100 on Google’s scale.

This is a sharp contrast to the excitement surrounding digital assets just a few months prior.

Meanwhile, memecoins, often regarded as less serious but highly speculative tokens, have gained significant traction.

The search volume for "memecoins" stood at 62 during the same period, although it has not surpassed the all-time high of 100 set in late October 2023.

The CEO and founder of CryptoQuant, Ki Young Ju, expressed optimism about the trend, saying that he expects memecoin search interest to "reclaim the previous all-time high by the end of October 2024," as enthusiasm for these digital assets shows no signs of slowing down.

Memecoins Dominate Crypto Performance in 2024

The explosive rise of memecoins has been a defining feature of the cryptocurrency landscape in 2024.

Outperforming all other digital asset sectors, memecoins have drawn attention from both casual investors and seasoned traders.

Data from Step Finance reveals that from 12 September 2024 to mid-October, 491,000 new tokens were created on the Solana network, marking a surge in memecoin minting activity.

Nearly 20,000 tokens were launched within a single day, as reported by Solana Floor on 9 October, with much of this activity attributed to memecoins.

The platform emphasised that memecoins now represent a substantial portion of the Solana ecosystem, boasting a combined market capitalisation exceeding $10 billion and a daily trading volume of $2.3 billion.

What Drives the Surge in Memecoin Creation?

Platforms like Pump.Fun have been central to the memecoin explosion on Solana.

With its user-friendly interface and low transaction fees, Pump.Fun has attracted users eager to create and trade memecoins on decentralised exchanges like Raydium.

The ease of use and quick access to liquidity has encouraged a wave of new token creations, democratising the process and allowing nearly anyone to issue their own token.

But it’s not just Solana benefiting from the memecoin craze.

Two months ago, Justin Sun, an influential figure in the crypto space, launched the SunPump platform on the Tron network, offering similar memecoin creation tools.

According to data from Dune, 90,000 memecoins have been minted on the SunPump platform since its launch in August 2024.

This cross-network memecoin activity suggests that interest in these tokens is more than just a passing fad.

The Risks and Criticism Behind Memecoins

While memecoins continue to capture headlines and market share, their rise has not been without controversy.

Industry critics and investors have raised concerns about the risks associated with these highly speculative assets.

Mark Cuban, a well-known entrepreneur and investor, did not mince words when he shared his thoughts on memecoins:

"Every meme coin is a rug pull in the works."

He cautioned the public to be wary of trading these volatile tokens, highlighting the potential for significant losses in a market that thrives on hype and speculation.

Despite these warnings, memecoins remain one of the highest-performing sectors in the crypto space for 2024.

Investors continue to flock to them, attracted by the possibility of quick gains, even as the risks remain ever-present.