Meme coins have become one of the most explosive trends in crypto. Thanks to the likes of Pump.fun, you no longer have to be a programmer or pay thousands of dollars in order to create a token. Not even that — you can design a meme coin of yours in under $5 in a couple of minutes.

*How to Create a Meme Coin on Pump.fun for Under $5*

This guide walks you through the entire process in a step-by-step way—from setting up the wallet environment to marketing the coin—so you can develop the next viral coin.

Step 1: Wallet Setup

You will need a Phantom wallet (or any Solana-supported wallet) in this case in order to access Pump.fun. Should you not already possess one, consult a Phantom wallet installation tutorial before you continue.

For safety’s sake, create a one-time wallet specifically for Pump.fun—do not use a main account. Fund this wallet with a small amount of SOL. Around 0.25–0.5 SOL is more than enough to cover creation costs and early buys, though you can start with as little as 0.1 SOL.

Step 2: Connect to Pump.fun & Profile Setup

Head over to Pump.fun.
Connect your Phantom wallet.
In the top-right corner, click View Profile → Edit Profile.
- Add a username and profile picture that match your coin’s theme.
- This step isn’t required, but it helps build credibility compared to a random wallet address.

Step 3: Create Your Coin

On the homepage, click Start New Coin.
Fill out the details:
- Name – the full name of your coin (e.g., Dog with Hat).
- Ticker – the short trading symbol (e.g., WITH).
- Description – add a short blurb. Later, you can include links to socials (Twitter, Telegram, website).
- Image – upload a meme image or original artwork. Tip: Use images you own or royalty-free memes to avoid copyright issues.
Click Create Coin.
Confirm the transaction in Phantom. Creation usually costs around 0.02 SOL.

At this stage, you’ll also have the option to pre-buy a portion of your supply (e.g., 0.05 SOL worth). That way you have a few tokens in hand before the bots and snipers arrive. Just keep in mind not too much supply, or potential customers may worry you’ll sell.

Step 4: Understanding the Bonding Curve

Pump.fun uses a bonding curve model:

Early buyers get in at very low prices.
Each new buy pushes the price higher, and funds get locked in a pool.
Anyone can sell into this pool, but subsequent purchasers stand a risk of losses should the demand dry up.

This system incentivizes fast entries, which is why bots often swarm new launches to grab early positions.

Step 5: Marketing Your Coin

It is simple to design a coin—persuading individuals to purchase it is the difficult part.

Pre-launch strategy:
- Create a Twitter/X account, Telegram group, or Discord server before launch.
- Build hype with memes, teasers, and a countdown.
- Tell early supporters when you’ll drop the contract address.
Post-launch shilling:
- Share your Pump.fun link across socials and meme communities.
- Interact in the coin’s built-in chat to show you’re active and responsive.
- Engage with your community—answer questions, announce burns, or share updates.

Note: Pump.fun coins are often high-risk “pump and dump” style tokens. 99% won’t become the next PEPE or DOGE, but clever branding and marketing can give yours a shot.

Step 6: Beyond Pump.fun

Once your coin reaches a certain market cap (around $60K), Pump.fun automatically pushes liquidity to Raydium, a Solana DEX. This gives your coin a “second life” in the broader market, where it can be traded like any other meme coin.

From there, serious teams may:

Get listed on DEXTools or other tracking sites.
Launch community campaigns.
Push for listings on centralized exchanges (CEXs).

Step 7: King of the Hill

Pump.fun highlights the “King of the Hill” coin—the top project by market cap at any given time. Reaching this spot boosts visibility, attracts momentum traders, and often sparks a mini-frenzy of buying.

Final Thoughts

Launching a meme coin on Pump.fun is simple, cheap, and fun. For under $5, you can bring an idea to life and test whether it resonates with the crypto community.

Keep your supply allocation small to avoid scaring buyers.
Focus on marketing—memes and community drive the success of meme coins.
Be transparent in the chat to build trust.

While most Pump.fun coins won’t moon, every once in a while, a meme coin blows up and delivers 100x gains. With creativity, timing, and a little luck, yours could be next.