Has Pepe Already Mooned? A Deep Dive into the New Wave of Meme Coin Presales in October 2025

The Meme Coin Market in October 2025: A Tale of Two Eras

The cryptocurrency landscape in October 2025 is defined by a stark dichotomy: the maturation of established meme coins like Pepe (PEPE) and the explosive rise of new presales. While PEPE remains a household name in the meme space, its recent performance-marked by a 32% weekly price drop and a 36% monthly decline-has sparked debates about whether it has already "mooned" and whether capital is shifting to newer, more speculative projects, according to a CryptoNomist analysis.

According to a report by CoinMarketCap, PEPE's technical indicators, including an RSI of 45, suggest an oversold market, hinting at potential rebounds. Historical data from 2022 to 2025 shows that a strategy of buying PEPE when RSI hits oversold levels and holding for 30 trading days yielded a cumulative return of ~6.9%, with an annualized return of ~2.6% and a maximum drawdown of -19.6%. While the strategy produced a modest positive return, its Sharpe ratio of 0.20 indicates low risk-adjusted efficiency, suggesting that additional filters or risk controls may be needed for practical deployment, as noted in the CryptoNomist analysis above.

PEPE's Plateau: A Meme Coin's Maturity

Pepe's dominance in the meme sector is undeniable. With a price of $0.000010 and a market cap exceeding $4 billion, it remains a cultural touchstone, as noted in a BlockchainReporter feature. Yet, its growth potential is increasingly constrained by its size. As noted by a Gate.com analysis, PEPE's price is heavily influenced by speculative demand and macroeconomic factors, with analysts projecting a conservative 2025 target of $0.00001 under favorable conditions.

The bear case is reinforced by the Fear & Greed Index, which hit 24 (Extreme Fear) in late October 2025, reflecting broader market pessimism, per a Changelly forecast. While some analysts predict a 10x–20x rally during the next market recovery, these scenarios rely on a rotation of capital from Bitcoin and altcoins-a dynamic that is less certain in a mature market, as discussed in the CryptoNomist analysis above.

The New Wave: Presales as the Next "Moon" Candidates

In contrast to PEPE's stagnation, new presales are redefining the meme coin playbook. Pepeto (PEPETO), for instance, has raised $6.9 million in its presale phase, offering a ground-floor price of $0.000000158 and staking yields of 221–228% APY, according to a Hackernoon report. Its utility-driven features-such as PepetoSwap (a zero-fee DEX) and PepetoBridge (a cross-chain tool)-position it as a hybrid of meme culture and DeFi innovation, as noted by Changelly. A $10,000 investment in Pepeto could yield over $670,000 if the token reaches $0.00001, dwarfing PEPE's potential, per Gate's estimates.

Other projects, like Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) and Layer Brett (LBRETT), are leveraging Bitcoin's Layer 2 infrastructure and Ethereum's scalability to attract capital. HYPER, for example, has raised $22.3 million in its presale, capitalizing on Bitcoin's ETF momentum. Layer Brett, with its Ethereum Layer 2 focus, has secured $3.7 million in presale funds, offering staking yields exceeding 600%, according to earlier market summaries.

Investor Sentiment: From "Hodl" to "Hunt"

The shift in investor behavior is evident. Retail and institutional capital is increasingly allocating to presales with high-risk, high-reward profiles. As BlockchainReporter highlights, projects like AlphaPepe and Based Eggman ($GGs) are gaining traction for their audited smart contracts, scarcity mechanics, and community-driven hype. These projects mirror the success trajectories of Shiba Inu and Pepe, but with more structured tokenomics noted in the Hackernoon coverage.

The "Uptober" rally and Bitcoin ETF optimism have further fueled this trend. For instance, Little Pepe ($LILPEPE) and BlockDAG ($BDAG) have raised millions in presales, with forecasts of 100x returns circulating widely, as discussed in market write-ups. This frenzy reflects a broader market appetite for innovation in the meme space, where early-stage projects are seen as more "legitimized" than their predecessors.

Market Evolution: Altcoin Season and the Meme Coin Cycle

The 2025 crypto cycle is shaped by two forces: Bitcoin dominance and altcoin rotation. While Bitcoin's ETF momentum anchors the market, altcoin season has reignited interest in meme coins. However, the dynamics have evolved. Unlike 2021, when Shiba Inu and Dogecoin dominated, 2025's meme market is fragmented, with over 1,000 projects competing for attention, as Gate has documented.

This fragmentation has made it harder for any single meme coin to dominate. PEPE's reliance on cultural relevance and community sentiment is now challenged by projects with utility, audited code, and clear roadmaps. As CoinPedia notes, the next "moon" is more likely to emerge from presales with tangible use cases rather than pure speculation.

Conclusion: Has Pepe Mooned?

The answer is nuanced. While PEPE has achieved meme coin immortality, its potential for exponential growth is capped by its market size and the maturation of the sector. New presales, however, offer a fresh canvas for investors seeking the next 100x opportunity. Projects like Pepeto and Bitcoin Hyper are not just competing with PEPE-they are redefining what a meme coin can be.

For investors, the key is to balance risk and reward. PEPE remains a safe bet in a bearish market, but the real alpha lies in early-stage presales with strong fundamentals. As the meme coin market evolves, the winners will be those who recognize the shift from "viral hype" to "structured innovation."