Memecoin Global Market Profile: Users, Narratives, and Community Culture Deconstruction

Author: JE Labs

1. Overview

The Memecoin market has rapidly developed globally in recent years, with distinct ecosystems forming in regions such as the United States, China, South Korea, and Europe. In these markets, KOLs have a significant impact on community activity, market sentiment, and trading trends. This article will focus on the six major markets of the United States, China, South Korea, Europe, Japan, and Russia, identifying the most representative Memecoin KOLs in each region and analyzing their trading activity, dissemination methods, and community influence. By studying the characteristics of KOLs in different markets, we can better understand the dissemination logic and trading patterns of Memecoins globally.

1.1 Research Objectives

• Compare the development of Memecoins in different regions------ Compare their trading volumes, regulatory policies, KOL influence, etc.

• Select representative KOLs from various regions------ Identify the most influential KOLs in the Memecoin markets of the United States, China, South Korea, and Europe. Study the discourse power, dissemination methods, and audience preferences of KOLs in different regions to identify market differences.

• Summarize the characteristics of active community KOLs------ Analyze the social media strategies, community interaction methods, and their impact on trading trends, providing references for projects looking to enter the respective markets.

1.2 Logic for Selecting Research Regions

In the global cryptocurrency market, Memecoins, as a unique crypto ecosystem, exhibit significant regional differences due to their community-driven nature, cultural influence, and market speculation. This report selects China, the United States, Europe, South Korea, Japan, and Russia as the main analysis subjects for the following reasons:

• United States: As the core region of global cryptocurrency trading, it has long dominated the liquidity and trading volume of Memecoins. Many well-known Memecoins (such as $DOGE and $SHIB) originated in the United States and have formed a large ecosystem globally.

• China: With a large investor base and a highly active community, despite regulatory restrictions, users remain enthusiastic about trading Memecoins through DeFi and CEX. The speculative nature of the Chinese market often drives short-term trends and even gives rise to locally distinctive meme tokens.

• South Korea: Historically one of the most active cryptocurrency markets globally, particularly excelling in short-term trading and community operations. South Korean investors tend to favor high-frequency trading and a FOMO mentality, causing local Memecoins to often experience extreme market fluctuations in a short time. Additionally, K-Pop culture in South Korea provides a rich source of creative narratives for Memecoins.

• Europe: Compared to the more speculative Asian markets, European users tend to prefer cultural identity and long-term value investments. Many local Memecoins incorporate elements of political satire and social movements, creating a unique market style.

• Japan: The Memecoin market is significantly influenced by ACG (Anime, Comic, Game) culture and the effects of two-dimensional branding, with project content often themed around anime characters, internet memes, and VTubers, forming a local meme model distinct from other countries.

• Russia: Influenced by international sanctions and the local social environment, the Russian Memecoin market is characterized by distinct closedness and speculation. High inflation and the depreciation of the ruble drive demand for safe-haven assets, making cryptocurrencies an alternative investment tool for speculation and hedging against asset depreciation.

2. Global Memecoin Market Overview

2.1 Memecoin VS Traditional Crypto Projects

Although Memecoins and traditional crypto projects (such as public chains, DeFi protocols, Dapps, etc.) both belong to the cryptocurrency field, they exhibit significant differences in core values, driving forces, and the ways markets understand and react.

Comparison of Memecoins and Traditional Crypto Projects

2.2 Comparison of Market Characteristics in Different Regions

The development of Memecoins in different regions is influenced by culture, regulation, and market preferences, leading to significant differences in market characteristics:

Comparison of Market Characteristics in Different Regions

• United States: The U.S. has a large base of cryptocurrency investors, but the investor structure is diverse, including institutional and individual investors. Institutional investors tend to invest in mainstream cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH); however, individual investors, especially the younger generation, show strong interest in Memecoins.

• China: Due to strict regulations on cryptocurrency trading by the Chinese government, domestic exchanges have been shut down, and investors mainly participate through OTC or overseas platforms. Chinese investors remain interested in high-risk, high-return investment opportunities.

• South Korea: According to a survey by the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU), the number of cryptocurrency investors in South Korea is estimated to exceed 6 million, accounting for over 10% of the total population. Most trading occurs through centralized exchanges (CEX), with Upbit holding about 80% market share in South Korea. South Korean investors show strong interest in high-yield potential altcoins and tend to accept associated high risks. This is also considered one of the reasons for the high proportion of altcoin trading in the South Korean market.

• Europe: The acceptance of cryptocurrencies in Europe is gradually increasing, with a relatively relaxed regulatory environment. However, investors tend to prefer stable investments, focusing on mainstream cryptocurrencies. Although Memecoins are traded in the European market, their overall proportion may be relatively low.

• Japan: Influenced by ACG culture, anime-themed tokens are popular, but overall trading activity is low to moderate. Strict regulatory requirements mandate that exchanges hold licenses, and discussions mainly occur on platforms like 5ch and X.

• Russia: The market is driven by sanctions, with active DEX and P2P trading. Telegram communities are highly speculative regarding Memecoins, but their long-term sustainability is low, with occasional appearances of politically related tokens.

3. Analysis of Memecoin Ecosystems in Various Regions

3.1 United States

• Top Narrative Drivers------Trump and Musk: The top narratives of U.S. Memecoins revolve around two core figures, Trump and Musk. Traders delve into their social media dynamics, looking for potential narrative opportunities from profile pictures, signatures, retweets, and tweet content to create and hype corresponding Memecoins. Changes in Musk's profile picture, Trump's campaign statements, or even a brief tweet can spark the birth of new meme tokens. For example, when Trump's X signature was "45th President of America," many predicted he would change it to "45th & 47th President of America" upon his re-election bid, leading to the emergence of many tokens like $47 and $4547 on the Solana chain.

• Political, Economic, and Social Events Drive Secondary Narratives: Secondary Memecoin topics also involve influential figures from politics, technology, and other fields, such as Gabe Newell, the founder of Steam, and Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum. Additionally, the U.S. Memecoin ecosystem is closely tied to economic policies, political events, and social news. For instance, Trump's promise to pardon Ross (Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht) spurred the market for $FreeRoss; similarly, Trump's claim to release the "Lolita Island" list made related tokens a hot topic for speculation. In social news, the trial of Luigi triggered the rise of $LUIGI, making it a top celebrity coin.

• Positive and Uplifting Narrative Core: A significant portion of U.S. Memecoins carries a positive and uplifting narrative core, evoking universal resonance. For example, Trump's shout of "FIGHT" during a shooting incident evolved into the eponymous Memecoin $FIGHT, symbolizing an indomitable spirit of resistance; $FAFO (Fuck Around and Find Out) stems from a critique of the corruption and inefficiency of the U.S. government; the squirrel coin $PNUT features a mascot that symbolizes justice and perseverance in religious contexts, gaining high recognition in Western culture.

• Community-Driven, Long-Term Holding: Compared to other regions, U.S. Memecoin traders are more inclined towards long-term community building rather than just short-term speculation. The $FAFO token, based on Trump's policy statements, has fostered a strong community, with many holders being steadfast "diamond hands" who hold long-term. This narrative-driven consensus model, supported by community value, gives the U.S. Memecoin ecosystem strong sustainability and influence.

3.2 China

• Dominated by Western Trends, Lacking Localization: The Memecoin market in China primarily follows Western trends, with traders inclined to invest based on overseas market trends, resulting in a lack of localized narratives. However, many popular meme images from the West lack recognition in the Chinese market, making it difficult for local users to resonate. For instance, the meme token $PEPE, which exploded in popularity in Western markets, was not well understood by Chinese traders due to cultural differences and language barriers, leading to relatively low participation during its early development. Additionally, as information in the crypto market primarily flows in English, many Chinese retail investors struggle to access first-hand information in a timely manner, often resulting in delayed entry. Furthermore, the vast majority of tokens are named in English, making it difficult for many local narratives to achieve global consensus, further limiting the development of local Memecoins in China.

• Weak Local Memecoin Ecosystem, Short-Lived Hotspots: Although there are localized Memecoins in the Chinese market, overall enthusiasm is limited, often lacking long-term narrative support and relying more on transient hotspots, resulting in short lifecycles. For example, when Shen Teng mentioned $DogeKing in a Spring Festival gala skit, a token with the same name on a CEX saw a short-term surge in market capitalization. Following this, each year, a Spring Festival-themed Memecoin segment is launched, with retail traders looking for angles to trade during the gala. Additionally, domestic IPs like Nezha, when released in North America, gave rise to tokens like $NEZHA and $AOBING, attracting attention for a short time. Some early Chinese derivative tokens had meme attributes but failed to survive due to regulatory restrictions and market conditions, such as Pangu Coin, which was defined as a Ponzi scheme by the state and ultimately disappeared due to regulatory issues.

• Focus on AI and Technology Sectors: Chinese traders show interest in the latest trends in the AI and technology sectors when selecting Memecoins, preferring to invest in line with technological developments. AI-related Memecoins have garnered significant attention in the Chinese market, such as local AI tokens DeepSeek and AI Goku developed by the University of Hong Kong, with multiple Memecoins of the same name appearing in the market. Many overseas on-chain platforms or AI tools issue tokens through official teams for TGE on exchanges, giving projects more long-term value and credibility. This difference makes AI-themed Memecoins in the Chinese market more speculative, requiring investors to be more cautious to avoid falling into short-term hype traps.

3.3 South Korea

• High-Risk Investments: South Korean society has a rigid class structure, leading investors to prefer high-risk, high-return investment methods to quickly accumulate wealth. This mentality drives South Korean investors, especially young people in their 20s and 30s, to be interested in VC-style investments, making Memecoin trading one of their primary choices. The fast-paced, highly volatile nature of Memecoin trading in South Korea, coupled with high community enthusiasm, results in extremely short profit windows, with market operations leaning more towards short-term speculation rather than long-term value investment.

• Strong Association with Popular Entertainment Culture: South Korean Memecoin traders often combine K-pop idol culture, films, and internet memes to drive market speculation. For instance, the film "Crypto Man," released earlier this year and based on the $LUNA cryptocurrency, sparked a craze due to the mention of a fictional token $MOMMY, with the concept being speculated upon, leading to the token reaching a market cap of up to $5 million. Additionally, rumors that the second season of "Squid Game" would involve a certain cryptocurrency name also triggered a speculative frenzy for altcoins on-chain. However, such phenomena are often accompanied by extreme short-term speculation, with market participants relying on information asymmetry to rapidly drive prices up, creating a "wealth effect," but the subsequent sell-offs can be equally severe, leaving non-core traders as the ones left holding the bag.

• Highly Volatile Market with Extremely High Turnover Rates: Due to South Korean investors' preference for short-term speculation, the turnover rates of Memecoins in the South Korean market are usually much higher than in Western markets. The rapid flow of funds leads to significant short-term price fluctuations, which is one of the main characteristics of Memecoin trading in South Korea. The trading volume of South Korean Memecoins is often highly correlated with social media trends, with investors frequently sharing trading strategies, market sentiments, and hot discussions in Telegram, Twitter, Naver Café, and KakaoTalk groups, creating a strong network effect. When a particular meme topic becomes popular in the community, the corresponding Memecoin trading volume typically surges within hours. Conversely, if market attention on a project declines, its trading volume can quickly dry up, entering a prolonged state of stagnation.

3.4 Europe

• Diverse Cultural Narratives with Strong Regional Meme Influence: The Memecoin ecosystem in Europe is more noticeably influenced by regional cultures. For example, the French and Belgian markets show some acceptance of Memecoins based on comic characters like Asterix and Obelix, while the German market prefers memes with political satire, such as tokens related to EU policies, energy crises, and inflation. Additionally, the football culture is prevalent in various European countries, with a surge of football-related Memecoins like $RONALDO, $MBAPPE, and $MESSI during events like the World Cup and UEFA Champions League, often leading to short-lived but explosive market trends.

• Driven by Political and Social Issues: Compared to the U.S. market's focus on individual cults (like Musk and Trump), the European Memecoin ecosystem leans more towards political issues, social issues, and collective sentiments. For instance, during the 2023 retirement reform controversy in France, a token named $MACRON briefly gained popularity, mocking President Macron's reform policies. Additionally, the strong anti-establishment sentiment in Europe has led to investment surges for tokens like $EUBUREAU, which satirizes the EU bureaucracy, and $GRETA (featuring environmental activist Greta Thunberg), which mocks carbon tax policies.

• Integration of NFTs and Memecoins, Enhancing Artistic Attributes: With a strong artistic cultural tradition, the European Memecoin ecosystem is more likely to integrate with NFTs, forming collectible NFT assets. For example, Web3 communities in France and Italy tend to launch meme tokens that incorporate classic artistic elements, such as $MONA based on Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" or $VANGOGH based on Van Gogh's works. These tokens are often issued alongside NFTs to enhance market recognition and collectible value. Furthermore, the digital art market in Europe is relatively developed, making the combination of Memecoins and NFTs more acceptable in the market, leaning towards culture and art rather than mere speculation.

• Low-Risk Investment Preference with a Relatively Strict Regulatory Environment: European investors generally have a lower risk appetite, and Memecoin trading tends to be more cautious, with large-scale FOMO-style speculation being uncommon. The European Memecoin ecosystem is more robust, favoring low-volatility Memecoins and combining community consensus for long-term holding.

• Lower Social Media Influence and Slower Market Dissemination: The dissemination of Memecoins in the European market primarily relies on Telegram, Reddit, and Discord, while the influence of X and TikTok is relatively low. This results in a slower dissemination speed for Memecoins, with less explosive growth compared to the U.S. and South Korean markets. For instance, some Memecoins that exploded in popularity in the U.S., like $PEPE, were only gradually accepted by European investors after the market heat had passed. This slower dissemination model means that the European Memecoin market rarely experiences phenomena of rapid surges and declines, leaning more towards community consensus and a slow accumulation development model.

3.5 Japan

• Combining Anime, Games, and Two-Dimensional Elements: The development of Memecoins in Japan is influenced by local culture, particularly anime, games, and light novels. Japan has the world's most mature ACG (Anime, Comic, Game) industry, with many Memecoin projects drawing inspiration from well-known IPs or popular internet memes. For example, there have been Memecoins themed around characters from "Attack on Titan" or "Neon Genesis Evangelion." However, due to Japan's strong copyright awareness, many of these tokens face significant legal risks due to copyright issues, making it difficult to sustain long-term.

• Influence of Social Media and VTubers: In Japan, VTuber culture is prevalent. Many traders pay attention to VTuber statements and live streams, and some well-known VTubers may inadvertently mention certain internet memes, triggering a Memecoin craze. For instance, a VTuber under Hololive mentioned "kusa" (くさ/kusa) during a live stream, a Japanese internet term originating from "warai" (笑い/warai), leading to a brief surge in the $KUSA token. Additionally, platforms like X, Niconico, and the 5ch forum are major channels for Japanese Memecoin traders to obtain information.

• Seasonal Memes and Holiday-Specific Memes: The Japanese Memecoin market has strong seasonal cultural characteristics, with corresponding themed Memecoins often emerging during specific holidays or events (such as cherry blossom season, Tanabata, Halloween, the Red and White Song Festival, and Comiket). For example, during cherry blossom season, tokens like $SAKURA and $OHANAMI (お花见) saw explosive trading, combining real-world festive culture with virtual assets, creating a phenomenon of "short-term meme trading."

3.6 Russia

• Dominated by Local Social Platforms, Active TG Communities: Due to restrictions on Western social platforms like X and Instagram, the dissemination of Memecoins in Russia primarily relies on Telegram and VK (a Russian social platform) for information sharing and market manipulation. This community culture leads to a more closed-loop dissemination model for Russian Memecoins, which spreads more slowly compared to Western markets but has strong community consensus, with holders being quite loyal.

• Liquidity Constraints Due to Sanctions: Due to international sanctions, many mainstream exchanges have imposed restrictions on Russian users, leading to lower liquidity for local Memecoins, making it difficult to enter international markets. Therefore, Memecoin trading in Russia relies more on local CEXs like EXMO and YoBit. Additionally, due to payment system blockages, Russian users face higher transaction costs in overseas markets, limiting the trading activity of some Memecoins and making it difficult to achieve global consensus.

• Coexistence of Safe-Haven Demand and Speculative Psychology: Influenced by long-term high inflation, ruble depreciation, and international sanctions, the cryptocurrency market has become an alternative safe-haven asset for many investors to hedge against ruble depreciation and avoid asset shrinkage. Especially during periods of economic turmoil and restrictions on fiat currency exchanges, trading volumes in the crypto market often surge, with users inclined to chase high-risk, high-return meme projects to compensate for losses caused by fiat currency depreciation.

4. Summary of Characteristics of Memecoin KOLs in Various Regions

4.1 Europe and the United States

Representative KOL in Europe and the U.S.------Murad @MustStopMurad

Murad's Insights on Memecoins: Memecoins have long been viewed as "shitcoins" due to their lack of technical support and practical applications, relying more on market sentiment and community consensus. However, Murad assigns a deeper value to the narratives of Memecoins. He believes that a good Memecoin serves to provide fun, reduce loneliness, foster identity recognition, and bring resonance, emotional connections, a sense of mission and meaning, entertainment, and happiness.

Murad's Insights on Memecoins

Murad's Criteria for Selecting Memecoins

Market Cap Range: Focus on mid-cap coins with a market cap between $5 million and $200 million.

Chain Selection: Prefer projects on the Solana and Ethereum chains, excluding projects on chains like Base, Ton, and Sui.

• Project History: Select tokens that have existed for at least six months and have experienced at least two 70% declines.

• Murad's Recent Investment Performance: Four months ago, he purchased 10.25 million $SPX tokens for approximately $98,000, which is now valued at about $7.89 million, yielding a return of approximately 7900%. However, his crypto asset portfolio recently shrank by about 45% in two weeks, with a net loss of $11.1 million, primarily due to the price of his main holding, $SPX, dropping from $0.72 to $0.40.

Characteristics of Memecoin KOLs in Europe and the U.S.

• Profile Pictures and Identity Positioning: KOLs typically use unique visual symbols in their profile pictures to establish their identity. Common profile pictures include Pepe, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Milady-related NFTs, or pixel-style cartoon images like CryptoPunks, indicating their deep engagement in the meme space, early participation in the crypto market, and certain financial strength and industry influence. In their X bios, they often include keywords like Meme, Memecoin, gem, gem hunter/finder, 100X, degen, altcoin, and alpha to convey their focus and speculative style to the market.

• Content Operation and Promotion Strategies: European and U.S. Memecoin KOLs typically follow these operational models. Continuous Promotion: KOLs often post about a specific Memecoin repeatedly over one to two weeks, rather than just posting multiple new projects daily. Multi-Angle Marketing: They not only issue simple "buy" signals but also combine market sentiment, KOL dynamics, and relevant news to create more compelling narratives. If a Memecoin is related to Elon Musk or Trump, they amplify the connection to enhance the FOMO effect. Guiding Market Sentiment: When a Memecoin enters a critical upward phase, KOLs may hint at a potential price surge, influencing FOMO groups. Conversely, when market caps retract, they shift to narratives of "long-term holding" and "community consensus" to maintain investor confidence.

• Tweet Interaction: In tweet operations, KOLs not only directly recommend projects but also interact with fans. For example, they might post open-ended questions like "What is the next 100x Memecoin?" along with relevant hashtags like #Memecoin #100x #crypto. Such tweets guide fans to recommend tokens in the comments, creating a highly interactive discussion atmosphere. This approach attracts traffic, enhances community stickiness, and helps KOLs identify market hotspots.

Community Management Model: European and U.S. KOLs build their private domains on TG and Discord, with a relatively centralized community management style, resulting in a KOL-led dissemination model, specifically manifested as follows:

1. Fixed News Push: Community operators (KOLs or assistants) post Memecoin-related news, market dynamics, and KOL opinions daily.

2. Mute Mode: Many European and U.S. TG communities adopt semi-closed management, where ordinary members cannot freely chat but primarily express support through likes, hearts, and retweets rather than open discussions.

3. Creating FOMO within the Group: KOLs send market sentiment information within the community, including large buy orders, celebrity attention, or tokens about to be listed on CEX, to improve conversion rates. Overall, the operational model of European and U.S. Memecoin KOLs is more stable, emphasizing brand building and long-term holding rather than merely relying on short-term hype to attract market attention.

4.2 China

Representative KOL in China------0xWizard @0xcryptowizard

Narrative Perspective on Meme Coins: 0xWizard believes that the combination of the AI sector and meme narratives is the new trend in the future of the crypto market. He emphasizes that the value of Memecoins is not just a reflection of market sentiment but also includes community resonance, emotional connections, and a sense of mission. He views AI meme projects like $ACT, $GOAT, and $BMT as a renaissance of AI, believing that future AI will no longer be simple assistants but free souls with self-awareness.

0xWizard's Criteria for Selecting Memecoins:

1. Decentralized Chips: Prioritize projects with decentralized funding distribution, avoiding community coins that are highly controlled by a single large holder or team.

2. New Narratives, New Sectors: He emphasizes that Memecoins should not just be simple emotional speculation but should possess innovative narratives and emerging market opportunities. For example, $ACT combines meme coins with the AI sector.

3. Active Community: 0xWizard values community building, believing that a successful Memecoin must rely on strong community consensus, prioritizing projects with high user stickiness, active interaction, and a strong sense of belonging.

4. Small Market Cap, High Growth Potential: Select projects with relatively small initial market caps, as these coins can create greater wealth effects for primary and secondary market investors under the impetus of market sentiment.

• Timeliness: Prioritize projects that are at the market's forefront, controversial, or currently surging. For instance, $ACT combines the AI sector with meme culture, perfectly aligning with the heat in the AI field.

• 0xWizard's Influence: Wizard has pinned a Memecoin Beginner's Guide on Twitter, expanding his audience and being friendly to newcomers, making more people willing to follow his investment ideas. Unlike typical high-frequency KOLs, Wizard shares his in-depth insights into the industry in his daily tweets, making his influence extend beyond just Memecoin investors to a broader audience of Web3 practitioners. After successfully promoting the Memecoin projects $ACT and $GOAT, his market influence and calling effectiveness reached new heights. He entered these two coins during their early small-cap stages, leveraging community marketing and precise calls to ultimately push them onto exchanges. These two successful cases not only validate his investment vision but also increase market trust in his recommendations. Wizard has become a top KOL in the Chinese community due to his successful calls, deep insights, and strong community influence, combining trading with branding.

0xWizard's X Page

Characteristics of Memecoin KOLs in China

• Business Model: Compared to the content-driven, community-building KOL model in Western markets, many KOLs in the Chinese community collaborate with Trading Bots (GMGN, PEPE, UniversalX, PinkPig). KOLs also establish partnerships with CEXs (Binance, Bybit, OKX) to earn commissions by inviting new users to register and trade. This collaboration model provides KOLs with stable income sources and sufficient participation in the market. KOLs in the Chinese community focus more on short-term gains and user growth, attracting users through high-frequency promotions, airdrop activities, and trading incentives.

• Content Operation and Promotion Strategies: The content operation strategy of Chinese Memecoin KOLs is traffic-oriented, inclined to quickly capture market hotspots rather than deeply cultivating a single project over the long term, emphasizing "traffic capture" and "hotspot following." One of the main operational methods is to frequently publish multiple CA posts, maximizing the use of Twitter's traffic mechanism to capitalize on short-term traffic benefits. When a popular Memecoin emerges in the market, KOLs quickly follow up, adding tags (like #Token or $Token) to their tweets, allowing them to enter the traffic pool of that topic. This approach can lead to higher views and exposure, making tweets visible to more potential investors, thus rapidly increasing followers in a short time.

• Community Management Model: Telegram or WeChat communities operated by Chinese KOLs are usually very active. Unlike the "mute + information transmission" model adopted by Western KOLs, Chinese communities allow members to communicate freely, with chat content including not only trading shares but also gossip within the circle, funding trends, and even daily life matters. This high-interaction community atmosphere means that KOL influence is not only reflected in information dissemination but also in real-time discussions and emotional interactions among community members.

Community Structure typically presents a pyramid-like hierarchy:

1. Core Managers: Including the group owner or assistant managers, a few core members are responsible for managing the community, maintaining high-frequency interactions, and promptly posting newly discovered Memecoins or important market information.

2. Active Contributors: Including experienced traders and alpha information sharers, these users frequently monitor on-chain dynamics, and those who fervently promote a token after buying it, have strong sensitivity to market trends and are willing to continue contributing.

3. Ordinary Members: The largest group, including followers and observers, may not speak often but will trade in line with market sentiment at critical moments.

4.3 South Korea

Summary of KOL Characteristics in South Korea

• Small Population Base, Wide Distribution of KOL Content: Due to the relatively small population base in South Korea, KOLs in the crypto field have not formed clear vertical divisions like those in Europe or China. Most KOLs have a broad content coverage, often posting about airdrops, industry news, BTC trends, secondary market research, on-chain hot tracking, and macroeconomic assessments all from one account. This "broad net" content strategy can attract different levels of audiences and reflects the relatively concentrated yet diverse user demands in the South Korean market.

• Lack of Specialized Memecoin KOLs: Unlike Europe or China, South Korea has not yet formed leading KOLs focused specifically on the Memecoin sector. While some KOLs may mention meme-related projects, they do not delve deeply, follow up long-term, or establish dedicated meme communities.

• Multi-Platform Operations------TG, YouTube, Instagram: South Korean KOLs are not limited to a single platform but enhance exposure and influence through multi-platform content operations. For example, on YouTube, they primarily produce market analysis videos, often featuring candlestick charts and strong visual elements to attract clicks; Instagram serves as an auxiliary dissemination channel, frequently posting trading screenshots, opinion summaries, and event previews. Many South Korean KOLs use a unified cover design style and brand visual identity system to enhance content recognition and professionalism, gradually establishing their brand image.

Page of a South Korean Crypto YouTuber

4.4 Japan

Representative KOL in Japan------LUCIAN|るしあん @lucianlampdefi

• Dominance of Two-Dimensional Elements: Japanese KOLs prefer using anime-style profile pictures, and their background images, AMA promotional posters, and brand promotion posters usually adopt two-dimensional or cyberpunk styles to attract young Japanese audiences. Influenced by VTuber culture, some KOLs use virtual avatars instead of real photos for social interactions, a trend particularly evident in the NFT field, where many Japanese KOLs adopt anime-style PFPs or even AI-generated characters to enhance their personal brands.

• Content Style: The content style of Japanese KOLs is typically more refined and aesthetically focused, avoiding overly flashy marketing and instead leaning towards narrative and visual appeal to attract viewers. When promoting Memecoins or blockchain games, they often employ immersive narratives with anime themes. The fan base has a high recognition of two-dimensional culture, so KOLs cater to this by using anime emojis and two-dimensional memes in their content.

LUCIAN's X Page

4.5 Russia

Characteristics of the Russian Crypto Community:

• High Dependence on TG: The Russian Memecoin market is influenced by national restrictions on social media platforms, with Twitter being blocked and local users unable to access it directly. This has forced KOLs in Russia and CIS countries to turn to other social platforms (TG/Discord), forming an ecosystem different from global mainstream markets. Russian KOLs primarily disseminate and promote tokens through TG groups or channels, with community management adopting a semi-closed format, making dissemination more discreet compared to Twitter. Some communities use a subscription model, where users must pay to enter VIP groups to access internal information. Overall, compared to Western markets, the promotional model of Russian KOLs is more low-key and decentralized.

• Content Curation and Interaction: KOLs often curate trending content from Twitter, such as crypto news, new token listings, and airdrop information, and share it in their TG channels, accompanied by images and text. Community members can like, comment, and interact with the messages, forming an interactive ecosystem. Unlike KOLs on Twitter who focus on posting promotional tweets, Russian KOLs in TG channels are less likely to directly promote Memecoins but prefer sharing market dynamics and investment information.

• Influence of YouTubers: Russian KOLs may collaborate with CTO communities to create YouTube videos for certain tokens, with the pricing for these videos typically lower, ranging from $300 to $500 per video, making them more cost-effective compared to the Western market. Although Russian crypto users rely heavily on TG, the influence of YouTube videos is limited, but it remains one of the promotional and revenue channels for KOLs.

Conclusion

From the United States, South Korea, Japan, China to Russia, the Memecoin markets in different countries and regions exhibit distinctly different cultural genes. Local narratives and trading logic are always key factors in whether Memecoins can quickly break through and sustain upward trends. For project teams, to enter different regional markets, it is essential to understand local community cultures, dissemination channels, and hot narratives, and to formulate targeted marketing and community strategies.

In the future, Memecoins will no longer be mere speculative products but will embody entertainment, cultural identity, and community consensus as digital assets. JE Labs will continue to monitor changes in the global Memecoin ecosystem, helping more projects achieve breakthrough growth in Asia and beyond.