Pepe changed hands around $0.0000058, having dropped 9% amid sharp declines for memecoins.
Dogecoin and Shiba Inu also shed gains, while Fartcoin plunged 13%.
Memecoins are struggling as privacy coins explode.
Pepe ranked among the weakest performers over the past 24 hours as momentum in the cryptocurrency market’s memecoin segment faded.
The pullback has not been limited to Pepe. Several leading memecoins that posted strong gains earlier in January 2026 have also retreated, as investors lock in profits amid broader market repositioning.
A shift in sentiment toward privacy-focused cryptocurrencies has coincided with declines in tokens such as Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and Bonk.
Selling pressure has been more pronounced in some smaller names, with memecoins including Fartcoin recording double-digit losses.
Pepe price falls 9%
Frog-themed memecoin Pepe was down 9% in early trading during the US hours on Thursday as the broader category notched widespread declines.
The token traded at around $0.0000059, down from recent highs of $0.0000065, with sell-off pressure mounting amid heightened selling activity.
Data from CoinMarketCap shows daily trading volume was up 32% to over $795 million, indicating likely downward intensity.
A pullback could trigger more losses, giving further impetus to bears.
Earlier in the year, PEPE registered a strong surge as upward momentum engulfed memecoins.
Speculative inflows and broader memecoin enthusiasm catalysed these movements.
However, as with most other tokens in the sector, profit realisation after rallies has allowed for a fresh correction.
Pepe’s price reached highs of $0.0000070 on January 14, 2025, but could now revisit lows of $0.0000055.
Dogecoin and Shiba Inu shed gains
The broader sell-off in memecoins pushed the category’s total market capitalisation down nearly 4% to $44.9 billion, while daily trading volume fell 19% to about $5.7 billion.
Dogecoin (DOGE) saw mild profit-taking, with the token down about 5% at $0.14.
Its market capitalisation stood at $23.9 billion, keeping it the largest memecoin by value, though prices have now given up gains logged when Bitcoin climbed to highs near $97,000 on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Shiba Inu (SHIB), the Ethereum-based token that had earlier rallied alongside the broader market, was trading around $0.0000085, down roughly 4% over the past 24 hours.
Solana-based Bonk (BONK) was last near $0.0000105, down 7% on the day, while Official Trump (TRUMP) slipped about 5% to around $5.43.
Floki (FLOKI) was among the worst performers, sliding about 8% over the past 24 hours as its price fell to roughly $0.000051.
SPX6900 (SPX), a satirical, anti-establishment memecoin that surged earlier in its trading history, also remained under pressure, changing hands near $0.57, more than 10% lower on the day.
Pudgy Penguins, a memecoin linked to the popular NFT collection, was trading around $0.012, down about 7% in the past 24 hours.
Fartcoin recorded sharper losses, falling roughly 13% as it pared gains to around $0.37.
