- Pepe changed hands around $0.0000058 after sliding 9% amid sharp declines across memecoins.
- Dogecoin and Shiba Inu also gave back gains, while Fartcoin plunged about 13%.
- Memecoins struggle as investor interest shifts toward privacy-focused cryptocurrencies.
Pepe was among the weakest performers over the past 24 hours as momentum in the crypto market’s memecoin segment cooled.
The pullback has not been limited to Pepe. Several leading memecoins that posted strong gains earlier in January 2026 have retreated as investors lock in profits amid a broader market repositioning.
A shift in sentiment toward privacy-focused digital assets coincided with declines in tokens such as Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and Bonk.
Sell pressure was more pronounced in some smaller names, with memecoins including Fartcoin suffering double-digit losses.
Pepe price falls 9%
The frog-themed memecoin Pepe dropped 9% in early U.S. trading on Thursday as the broader category experienced steep declines.
The token traded near $0.0000059, down from recent highs around $0.0000065, with selling pressure intensifying amid increased liquidation activity.
Data from CoinMarketCap shows daily trading volume climbed about 32% to more than $795 million, signaling likely downward intensity.
The retracement could trigger further losses and provide additional incentive for bears to press the sell-off.
Earlier this year PEPE registered a sharp surge as upward momentum enveloped memecoins.
Speculative flows and broader memecoin enthusiasm helped drive those moves.
But, as is common in this sector, profit-taking after the rally has allowed a renewed correction to unfold.
Pepe’s price reached peaks around $0.00000070 on January 14, 2025, but it may now test lower support levels near $0.0000055.
Dogecoin and Shiba Inu give back gains
The wider memecoin sell-off pushed the category’s aggregate market capitalization down by nearly 4% to $44.9 billion, while daily trading volume fell about 19% to roughly $5.7 billion.
Dogecoin (DOGE) experienced a mild pullback, losing about 5% to trade near $0.14.
Its market capitalization remained around $23.9 billion, keeping it the largest memecoin by value, even after surrendering gains recorded when Bitcoin climbed to highs near $97,000 on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Shiba Inu (SHIB), the Ethereum-based token that had risen with broader market momentum, traded around $0.0000085, down roughly 4% over the past 24 hours.
Solana-based Bonk (BONK) was last near $0.0000105, down 7% on the day, while Official Trump (TRUMP) fell about 5% to roughly $5.43.
Floki (FLOKI) was among the weakest performers, slipping about 8% over the past day to near $0.000051.
SPX6900 (SPX), a satirical, anti-establishment memecoin that had previously posted gains, also came under pressure and traded near $0.57, more than 10% lower on the day.
Pudgy Penguins, tied to the popular NFT collection, traded around $0.012, down about 7% in the last 24 hours.
Fartcoin recorded sharper losses, dropping roughly 13% as it gave back gains to trade near $0.37.