Memes are to culture what genes are to biology, according to memetic (“meme”) theory, which explains cultural development through the imitation of behaviors or ideas encoded as memes. Essentially, the meme is the cultural counterpart of the biological gene. The term itself was coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene, who wrote that the noun “meme” conveyed the idea of a cultural transmission unit or a unit of imitation.
Much has been said and written about the artist’s role as an envoy of culture, but relatively little is known about their role in memecoins, cryptocurrencies inspired by internet memes and culture. This role is more significant than it might seem. Artists contribute to branding, community engagement, and cultural relevance, all of which are central to a memecoin’s success. They are often directly responsible for the almost universal recognition of symbols like Dogecoin’s Shiba Inu or Pepe imagery in $PEPE.
How memes became a force in their own right
The launch of the first memecoin in 2013 is attributed to Jackson Palmer, an Australian tech worker. He shares that he got the idea from two tab names, which spelled out “Dogecoin”: he had one browser tab open with an article about Doge and a tab with Coinmarketcap next to it. Doge was a popular meme featuring a puzzled Shiba Inu paired with grammatically inaccurate captions.
Dogecoin was intended to be a joke about the absurd speculation in the cryptocurrency sector, but it apparently had the opposite effect. Its value took off, and many other memecoins followed suit. One of them was $PEPE, a frog-themed coin based on the heavy-lidded protagonist of Boy’s Club, Matt Furie’s 2005 comic zine.
Furie’s black-and-white MySpace post of the frog, accompanied by its now cult-like “feels good, man” comment, became a blank canvas where different creators projected happiness, sadness, or other emotions onto the ubiquitous amphibian. Eventually, the character detached from its original creator and took on a life of its own.
Art inspires memecoins, and memecoins inspire artists
Like artists breathe life into works that inspire memecoins, memecoins can inspire various forms of artistic expression. For example, support from the $ZEUS token helped the artist of the first-ever drawing of Zeus, Pepe’s Dog, bring her old ideas – and some new ones – to life. Smol Capital draws attention to how the impact of a memecoin changed artist ND Haus’ life. This post came in response to ND Haus’ time-lapse video of her sketching process, where she shared that she had made a significant number of changes to the drawing, but every line was “a spark.”
Zeus, Pepe’s dog, is a Boy’s Club underdog that emerged from the shadows (Pepe’s) and onto the blockchain after the token’s launch on May 21, 2025. Not only does the $ZEUS token break the mold with a community that puts artwork at the forefront of Web3, but it is also a legitimate meme project that has carried out due diligence. Its issuers hold the IP rights to Pepe’s Dog, and ND Haus and Jon “Jagged” Eyrick, who owns the actual dog that inspired Zeus, are actively involved in the project.
The company Zeus CC8 INC now has trademark protection of the Zeus name and visuals, and Furie follows Jagged, which speaks for the credibility of the meme narrative. Jagged has reflected on Zeus’ remarkable evolution into a cultural icon and describes the opportunity to collaborate with ND Haus as a major milestone associated with the project.
$ZEUS aims for more than viral momentum, which is where many meme projects’ ambitions end. Its creators want a cultural revival rooted in the origins of some of the most recognizable symbols. Projects like $PEPE, $ANDY, $WOLF, and $BRETT have all borrowed characters and visual aesthetics, but $ZEUS is the first to involve the actual creator.
Shaping narratives through cultural commentary and a strong artistic presence
Artists embed satire, humor, or internet culture into their work, giving memecoins a personality and purpose beyond finance. Memecoin communities often build stories and in-jokes around the art and artist. A strong artistic presence helps a memecoin stand out from low-effort copycats and scams, and partnering with established artists or featuring recognizable styles can attract more serious collectors and investors.
Memecoin art acts as a gateway for broader audiences, including non-blockchain natives, who can engage through visuals and humor. Great meme art spreads easily via social media, which drives interest, trading volume, and, ultimately, market value.
Memecoins and NFTs drive value through engagement
Since their inception, NFTs have allowed creators to transform meme culture into unique, collectible, and culturally valuable digital assets. Artists sometimes design limited-edition NFTs tied to a memecoin, incentivizing early supporters and creating collector communities. Furthermore, memecoin-inspired NFTs provide artists with an opportunity to integrate blockchain technology with internet culture, thereby creating a niche for digital art that celebrates iconic images, memes, and humor.
The integration gives collectors a way to trade and own manifestations of meme culture on blockchain platforms, which record their ownership permanently. This way, NFTs lend memecoin art dual appeal: as a low-barrier investment and a collectible. NFTs can serve as a canvas or platform for artists to explore memecoin themes. Collections like Pepe NFTs and Doge NFTs embody the popular memes’ visual styles, and collectors own a fragment of internet history. Community memberships, special rewards, and access to exclusive events are other notable features of memecoin-inspired NFTs.
Memecoins are unique as an asset class that merges financial incentives with art and entertainment, giving holders an opportunity to engage with cryptocurrency in a manner marked by cultural relevance and visual appeal. The eclectic mix of art, humor, and crypto consistently attracts users to the blockchain space.
