The week of April 14-20, 2025, was a wild ride for the crypto and meme coin space, thanks to a $300M $TRUMP token release and an onslaught of irreverent meme coins that swept internet culture. Italian Brainrot, the edgy “retarded” trend led by Retard Finder Coin, and the much-hyped Base Is For Everyone coin created community buzz on X. Despite unlock volatility, meme coin market capitalization was steady at $44B with a 10% rebound from mid-week lows. The recap below examines the agile meme coin trends, cultural narratives, and most essential crypto breakthroughs shaping the week.
Meme Coin Weekly Recap: April 14-20, 2025
Meme coins thrived on social memes and community FOMO, surviving market fluctuation with ridiculous tales. From Italian nonsense to off-color “retarded” humor and Base network tinkering, the domain gleamed on X. Below, we examine the top meme coin trends and how they performed.
Italian Brainrot ($ITALIANROT) Goes Viral
Italian Brainrot ($ITALIANROT), capturing internet anarchy in a Solana token, skyrocketed 250% to a market capitalization of $4M on $8M volume mid-week. The $TRUMP unlock sent it to $3M, but FOMO from X propelled it to $3.8M, with $6M trades, as per market recaps.
Crazy Cattle 3D ($CATTLE) Charges Ahead
Crazy Cattle 3D ($CATTLE), a Base 3D meme token, defied 200% to a $5M market cap with $10M traded on April 16. Volatility trimmed it to $4M, but $7M trades and hype from the community kept it steady, proving reckless resilience.
Defiant ($DEFIANT) Rebels Against Norms
Rebel token Defiant ($DEFIANT) surged 180% to a $3M market cap with $6M trading volume, peaking on April 17. The unlock-induced dip bottomed out at $2.5M, but $5M trades and its anti-establishment character kept the momentum.
TheLionRapesTheDogWhenItBarks ($THELION) Shocks
TheLionRapesTheDogWhenItBarks ($THELION), a titillating meme coin, jumped 300% to $2M market cap with $5M volume mid-week. Its salacious name created X buzz, but volatility hacked it back to $1.5M, with $4M trades showing niche demand.
Base Is For Everyone ($BASE) Sparks Hype and Crash
Base Is For All ($BASE), a Coinbase Base network “public experiment,” surged to a $17M market capitalization with $27M in volume on April 17 after an @Base X tweet. A 95% fall to $623K ensued, driven by a wallet with 10% of the supply unloading, with the top three wallets with 47% raising manipulation concerns.
“Retarded” Trend ($RFC, $RDC, $ReFi) Embraces Shock
The “retarded” meme coin craze erupted on Solana in profane humor. Retard Finder Coin ($RFC) was in the lead with a $94.4M market cap and $13.1M traded, sparked by an Elon Musk tweet tweeted with @IfindRetards. Retarded Dog Coin ($RDC) had a high of $1.6M on $6.9M traded, and Retard Finance ($ReFi) reached a high of $2.1M on $3.2M traded.
Furfication ($FUR) Rides Furry Wave
Furfication ($FUR), the fur-ified meme coin, skyrocketed 200% to $3M market cap with $6M trade, its peak coming on April 19. Fluctuations in the market cut it to $2.5M but $4M trades and support from furry community kept a powerful close.
$TRUMP Faces $300M Token Unlock
A $300M $TRUMP token unlock on 18 Apr released 40M tokens. However, this piece of news did not reduce the price of $TRUMP, but rather made it surge by 16%, from a $1.49B market cap to $1.73B.
Meme Coins Navigate Unlock Volatility
The $TRUMP unlock triggered a 15% meme coin decline in mid-week, with liquidations worth $15M. Community hype and X-led rallies fueled a 10% recovery, adding $20M in trade, maintaining the market cap at $44B, as per market summaries.
Other Notable News: April 14-20, 2025
Apart from meme coins, the week had significant events in the crypto space, with the $TRUMP unlock elevating volatility levels. Be it ecosystem launches or company actions, here is a list of significant events.
Magic Eden’s $ME Token Rewards Campaign
Magic Eden launched Season 2 of its $ME token rewards on April 15, rewarding $10M worth of tokens to NFT traders. The promotion added $5M of liquidity, pumping $ME 8% to $2, with $3M volume.
Raydium Launchlab Targets Pump.fun
Raydium’s Launchlab, a Solana platform, went live on April 16, offering $20M in token launches to challenge Pump.fun. It pumped $RAY 5% to $3, with $2B volume, showcasing Solana’s strength.
Solayer’s Emerald Card on Solana
Solayer’s Emerald Card, a staking product, launched on April 17, attracting $15M deposits. It increased $SOL 4% to $148, with $1.8B volume, further establishing Solana’s DeFi popularity.
Towns Protocol Plans Q2 Token Launch
Towns Protocol announced its $TOWNS token launch in Q2 2025, raising $10M pre-sale on April 18. It anchored $TOWNS futures at $1, with $5M volume, weathering market volatility.
MANTRA CEO Burns $300M $OM Tokens
MANTRA’s CEO burned 300M $OM tokens ($150M) on April 19, cutting supply by 10%. $OM rose 12% to $0.50, with $10M volume, offsetting market volatility.
OpenSea Adds Solana Token Trading
OpenSea’s OS2 platform launched Solana token trading on April 15, exchanging $8M in volume. It raised $SEA 6% to $0.10, with $3M trades, supporting Solana’s NFT ecosystem.
McDonald’s Rejects Bitcoin Reserve
McDonald’s refused an offer to keep Bitcoins as reserves on April 16 amid risk of volatility. The decision lowered Bitcoin 2% to $76,000, with $10B volume, increasing market stress.
EXCH Shuts Down Amid Backlash
Cryptocurrency exchange EXCH shut down on April 17 amid regulation and community criticism that impacted $1B of assets.
Conclusion
The April 14-20, 2025, week was a kaleidoscope of market uncertainty and meme coin insurgency, as $ITALIANROT, $RFC, and $BASE employed irony and shock in an attempt to surf a 15% downturn and regain a 10% uptick to the $44B level. Solana’s universe, MANTRA’s insurrectional burn, and rallying support by communities signaled a market living on innovation and irreverence.
