Best Meme Coins to Buy in November 2026: 7 Ranked After the Midterm Rally — DOGE Down 53% in a Year, PEPE the Only Monthly Gainer

Dogecoin is down 53% in a year. Shiba Inu is 95% below its all-time high. And 81% of all listed meme coins trade at least 90% below their peaks — yet the meme coin sector is still worth about $38 billion, and it just bounced with the rest of the market after the US midterm elections. If you are hunting for the best meme coins to buy in November 2026, that contradiction is the whole story: this is the highest-risk corner of crypto, and the difference between the coins that survive and the ones that vanish is measurable. Below are 7 ranked meme coins, judged on size, liquidity, exchange access and staying power — plus the 5 checks that separate a real contender from a coin that is already dying.

Bitcoin reclaimed $80,000 on November 5 after falling toward $75,600 during the midterm count, Ethereum jumped 7.5% to about $2,425, and the total crypto market cap rose to roughly $2.79 trillion, according to CoinDesk. Meme coins rode the same wave — but the rebound papers over a brutal year. The sector peaked at $135 billion in November 2024 and has lost close to four-fifths of that value, and research cited by Coinspeaker found that 97% of meme coin projects fail within their first year. That is why this ranking is built on survival metrics, not hype: market cap, daily volume, exchange access and whether a coin has lived through more than one market cycle.

Best Meme Coins to Buy in November 2026: The 7 Ranked at a Glance

Rank	Coin	Price (Nov 5, 2026)	Market Cap	1-Year Change	Below All-Time High
1	Dogecoin (DOGE)	$0.0758	$11.95B	-52.86%	-89.9%
2	Shiba Inu (SHIB)	$0.00000471	$2.77B	-47.56%	-94.7%
3	Pepe (PEPE)	$0.00000488	$2.04B	-11.37%	-82.7%
4	Official Trump (TRUMP)	~$1.50	~$300M	n/a (launched Jan 2025)	-98%
5	FLOKI (FLOKI)	$0.0000227	$416M	-61.31%	-93%*
6	Bonk (BONK)	$0.0000030	$312M	-74.87%	-95%*
7	dogwifhat (WIF)	$0.171	$171M	-59.91%	-96.5%

Prices and market caps from Finnhub, CoinPaprika and OKX data on November 5, 2026. *Drawdowns for FLOKI and BONK are approximate, based on their 2021 and 2024 highs. TRUMP's price is an estimate from its post-midterm trading range — see the full breakdown below.

1. Dogecoin (DOGE): The Only Meme Coin With an ETF

Dogecoin is the original meme coin, and by every survival metric it is still the safest name in the sector. It trades at about $0.0758 with a market cap of roughly $11.95 billion — more than the next six coins on this list combined — and it alone accounts for about 43% of the entire meme coin sector, according to data cited by PipPenguin. Its 24-hour trading volume runs at $550–630 million, roughly 10 times Shiba Inu's, which means you can buy and sell meaningful size without moving the price.

The bear case is honest and large: DOGE is down 52.86% over the past year, down 18.67% in the past month, and still 89.9% below its May 2021 all-time high of $0.74. It also has no supply cap — about 156.62 billion DOGE circulate, with roughly 5 billion new coins mined every year — so the price must fight constant dilution. New to the coin? Read our complete beginner's guide to how Dogecoin works and our step-by-step guide to buying DOGE safely before you place a trade.

2. Shiba Inu (SHIB): The Meme Coin Trying to Become an Ecosystem

Shiba Inu trades at about $0.00000471 with a $2.77 billion market cap, making it the second-largest meme coin by a wide margin. It is down 47.56% over the past year and 18.31% in the past month, and it sits 94.7% below its October 2021 all-time high. On price alone, SHIB looks like a worse version of DOGE — but its pitch is different: SHIB is trying to be more than a joke.

The coin runs on Ethereum and has built real infrastructure around itself: Shibarium, its own Layer 2 network, plus a token-burn mechanism that permanently removes SHIB from circulation. That gives it something most meme coins lack — a fundamental floor, however thin. In the five-round DOGE-versus-SHIB comparison published by Blockchain Reporter, SHIB actually won on supply dynamics and 2026 price performance, losing only on liquidity and risk. Its 24-hour volume of roughly $56 million is far thinner than DOGE's, which is the trade-off: SHIB can move faster on good news, and it can also gap down harder when sellers arrive.

The risk to watch is the Shibarium bridge. SHIB's ecosystem is still dealing with the consequences of an earlier Shibarium bridge security incident, and recovery commitments from the team remain an open question. If you buy SHIB, you are betting the ecosystem story eventually matters more than the meme — a bet that has not paid off yet in 2026.

3. Pepe (PEPE): The Only Top Meme Coin Up in the Past Month

Pepe is the most interesting name on this list, and the numbers explain why. PEPE trades at about $0.00000488 with a $2.04 billion market cap. It is the only coin in the top three that is up over the past month — +14.72% — and it is up 18.03% over six months. Its one-year return of -11.37% is by far the best of any coin ranked here, and it sits 82.7% below its all-time high, the smallest drawdown in the top seven.

PEPE's other standout number is volume: roughly $473 million changed hands in 24 hours around November 5, according to the meme coin screener at Blocfolio — nearly a quarter of its entire market cap in a single day. That is the signature of a coin traders actually use, not one that sits in wallets. PEPE has no ecosystem, no Layer 2 and no ETF — it is a pure sentiment trade, launched in 2023, and its entire value is attention. When attention rotates away, PEPE falls faster than DOGE or SHIB. But right now, the momentum is on its side: it is the only large meme coin that has actually made money for holders over the past six months.

4. Official Trump (TRUMP): Down 98% — the Cautionary Tale That Still Ranks

TRUMP is the warning label for this entire list. The token peaked near $73 after its January 2025 launch and now trades around $1–2 — down about 98% from its high, making it the weakest of the top 100 coins on the day the midterm results landed, falling 14% in 24 hours. Our full breakdown, TRUMP Token Price Prediction: Down 98% From Its $73 Peak, lays out the three scenarios that decide whether it holds $1 or doubles to $2.

So why does it rank fourth at all? Because it still has something most dead meme coins do not: a live political narrative, deep exchange listings, and a market cap in the hundreds of millions that keeps it liquid. But understand what you are buying — a token whose value tracks one person's political fortunes, with unlocks and insider holdings that have repeatedly pressured the price. TRUMP belongs in this ranking as a case study, not as a recommendation. If you cannot explain why it would recover, do not buy the dip.

5. FLOKI (FLOKI): The Utility Bet at $416 Million

FLOKI trades at about $0.0000227 with a market cap of roughly $416 million. It is down 61.31% over the past year and 48.8% year-to-date — a steeper fall than DOGE or SHIB — but it has spent years building products most meme coins never attempt: a play-to-earn game, a DeFi suite and a metaverse project under the Valhalla brand. That utility pitch is why FLOKI keeps appearing in "best meme coins" lists even after a 60% drawdown.

The honest read: FLOKI's products have not yet translated into price support, and at $416 million it is small enough that a single large seller can move it sharply. It is a higher-beta, higher-risk version of the SHIB thesis — ecosystem or nothing. Rank it fifth because the ambition is real and the listings are broad, but size it like a speculation, not an investment.

6. Bonk (BONK): Solana's Meme Coin, Down 75% in a Year

Bonk trades at about $0.0000030 with a market cap of roughly $312 million, down 74.87% over the past year and 63.34% year-to-date — the worst one-year return on this list. BONK is Solana's native meme coin, deeply embedded in the Solana ecosystem: it powers trading bots, NFT mints and community airdrops across Solana apps.

That Solana connection cuts both ways. When Solana runs — SOL is up about 4% this week to $96 after the midterm rebound — BONK usually runs harder. When Solana stalls, BONK falls further. Its 5-day return of +3.08% shows it is already reacting to the market bounce. But with a 55.8% six-month decline behind it, BONK is a leveraged bet on Solana sentiment, and it should be treated as one: small position, tight exit plan, no illusions about fundamentals.

7. dogwifhat (WIF): The Smallest Bet, Down 96% From Its High

dogwifhat trades at about $0.171 with a market cap of roughly $171 million, down 59.91% over the past year and 30.59% in the past month. Its all-time high of $4.82, set in November 2024, now looks like a different era — WIF is 96.5% below it. Daily volume of roughly $29 million is thin, and the coin has no ecosystem beyond the meme itself: a dog wearing a hat, on Solana.

WIF ranks last because it combines the worst of both worlds — no utility story like SHIB or FLOKI, and no liquidity cushion like DOGE. What it does offer is torque: at $171 million, a return of meme-season enthusiasm moves it faster than any coin above it. That is also exactly how it loses 30% in a month. If you buy WIF, you are buying a lottery ticket with a ticker symbol. Size it accordingly — and never with money you need.

What Most People Get Wrong About Meme Coins

Myth 1: "A cheap price means it can easily 100x." Price per coin means nothing without supply. SHIB costs $0.00000471 because almost 589 trillion tokens exist. For SHIB to reach even $0.01, its market cap would need to exceed $5.8 trillion — more than double the entire crypto market. Market cap, not unit price, is the number that matters.

Myth 2: "The midterm rally means meme season is back." The November 5 bounce lifted everything — Bitcoin, Ethereum, stocks and meme coins together — because it was a macro move, not a meme rotation. Bitcoin dominance still sits near 60%, and the Altcoin Season Index is at 37, well below the 75 that signals a real altcoin season. Our analysis, Is Altcoin Season Coming in November 2026?, explains the five signals that would actually flip it.

Myth 3: "A big community guarantees survival." It does not. The Talos study cited above found 81% of 150 exchange-listed meme coins trade at least 90% below their highs — and almost all of them once had loud communities. Communities fade when prices fall 90%. Liquidity and listings outlast hype.

Myth 4: "Meme coins are a shortcut to getting rich." The sector's own data says the opposite: 97% of meme coin projects fail within a year. The coins on this list are the survivors, and even they are down 50–75% over the past year. Anyone selling you a guaranteed 100x is selling you their exit liquidity.

5 Checks Before You Buy Any Meme Coin

Use this checklist on any meme coin, including the seven above. If a coin fails three or more, walk away.

• Check 1 — Can you sell it? Look for at least $50 million in daily volume and listings on two or more major exchanges (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken). DOGE clears this easily; WIF barely does.
• Check 2 — Has it survived a bear market? Coins that lived through 2022 and are still listed have proven staying power. DOGE and SHIB pass. Anything launched in 2024 or later has not been tested.
• Check 3 — Who holds the supply? If the top 10 wallets hold most of the tokens, a single seller can crash the price. Check a block explorer before buying — concentration is the number-one hidden risk in small meme coins.
• Check 4 — Is there anything beyond the joke? An ETF (DOGE), a Layer 2 (SHIB), or real products (FLOKI) gives a coin a second reason to exist when the meme fades. Pure jokes need perfect timing.
• Check 5 — Can you afford to lose all of it? Meme coins can fall 90% and stay there. Never use leverage, never use borrowed money, and never put more than a small, defined slice of your portfolio into this sector. Store anything you hold in a wallet you control — our guide to storing crypto safely and our crypto wallet explainer cover cold storage and seed phrases step by step.

How to Buy Meme Coins Safely in November 2026

If you decide to buy, the process matters as much as the pick. First, use a regulated exchange with a track record — the steps that keep your crypto safe after the $6.3B Binance hack apply double to meme coins, which attract more scams than any other sector. Second, check the contract address on the project's official channels before swapping; fake DOGE and SHIB tokens are a permanent scam fixture. Third, start small and set your exit in advance — decide the price where you take profit and the price where you cut losses, and write both down before you buy. Fourth, remember that meme coins are taxed like any other crypto in most countries, so keep records of every trade. And fifth, never buy because a social media account told you to: the Crypto Fear and Greed Index jumped from 34 (Fear) to 50 (Neutral) in a day after the midterms — sentiment flips fast, and so does the crowd.

For a broader view of where the rest of the market stands, compare this list with our Best Altcoins to Buy in November 2026 ranking — the altcoin list leans on projects with revenue and users, while this one is honest about what meme coins are: high-risk, high-volatility bets on attention.

FAQs

What is the best meme coin to buy in November 2026?

By size, liquidity and staying power, Dogecoin is the safest meme coin to buy: a $11.95 billion market cap, $550–630 million in daily volume, listings on every major exchange and two US spot ETFs. Shiba Inu ranks second on ecosystem depth, and Pepe ranks third on momentum — it is the only top meme coin up over the past month (+14.72%). None of these is a safe investment; all of them can fall 50% or more.

Is Dogecoin a good investment in November 2026?

Dogecoin is down 52.86% over the past year and 89.9% below its $0.74 all-time high, so it is not a momentum play. Its case is defensive: the deepest liquidity in the sector, the only meme coin ETFs, and a market cap larger than the next six meme coins combined. Its risks are real too — unlimited supply adds about 5 billion new DOGE a year. Treat it as the least risky option in the riskiest sector, not as a safe asset.

Will Shiba Inu reach $0.01?

Almost certainly not. With roughly 589 trillion SHIB in circulation, a $0.01 price would require a market cap above $5.8 trillion — more than double the entire cryptocurrency market today. Even reaching $0.001 would need about $589 billion, over 200 times SHIB's current $2.77 billion market cap. Burns reduce supply slowly, but not by orders of magnitude.

Why are meme coins down so much in 2026?

The sector peaked at about $135 billion in November 2024 and has lost close to four-fifths of its value since. Capital rotated into Bitcoin — dominance sits near 60% — and the Altcoin Season Index is only 37. The November 5 midterm rebound lifted meme coins with the rest of the market, but it was a macro bounce, not a meme-specific rotation. Most meme coins also simply ran out of buyers after the 2024 peak.

How much should I invest in meme coins?

There is no universal number, but the standard guidance from the sources in this article is consistent: meme coins should be a small, defined slice of a portfolio — money you can afford to lose entirely. The sector's own data is the reason: 97% of meme coin projects fail within a year, and 81% of listed meme coins trade 90% or more below their highs. Never use leverage or borrowed money on meme coins.

Are meme coin ETFs coming for coins other than Dogecoin?

As of November 2026, Dogecoin is the only meme coin with US spot ETFs trading (Grayscale's GDOG and 21Shares' TDOG). No standalone Shiba Inu ETF filing has been found, and no other meme coin has an ETF in the pipeline that has been publicly disclosed. That gap is itself a signal: regulators and issuers treat DOGE as a commodity-like asset, while other meme coins remain firmly in speculative territory.

Conclusion

The best meme coins to buy in November 2026 are the ones that have already survived the worst of the crash. Dogecoin leads on size, liquidity and its two ETFs. Shiba Inu offers the deepest ecosystem bet. Pepe is the only top meme coin with positive momentum over the past month. TRUMP, FLOKI, BONK and WIF are progressively smaller, riskier bets — each with a story, each down 60–98% from its peak.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice. Cryptocurrency prices are volatile and meme coins are among the highest-risk assets in the market. Always do your own research before buying.