Triple-digit returns aren’t dead in crypto, according to Alice Liu, Head of Research at CoinMarketCap. They’re just showing up in different corners of the market than they used to. Asked point-blank whether the days of 100x gains are over, Liu said, “They are still happening. We just need to join the right parties.”
Meme Coins Are Back, and Moving Fast
Liu pointed to this week as a live example, citing momentum around Justin Sun-linked meme tokens and coins built on Robinhood Chain. She said meme coins are once again moving at an extremely fast pace, and catching that momentum early remains one of the clearest routes to outsized gains right now.
But it’s not just memes. Liu said more established, fundamentally sound projects still offer real upside, even if 100x is unlikely. “Maybe not 100x, maybe 10x, 20x is still very doable for solid, solid projects,” she said.
Is Altcoin Season Here Yet? Not Quite
Liu broke down where the market currently stands using CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index, which tracks whether the top 100 tokens (excluding stablecoins) are outperforming Bitcoin over a rolling 90-day window. A reading above 75 signals a full altcoin season. Below 25 means Bitcoin is firmly in control. Right now, the index sits at 36, meaning the market is only just beginning to shift out of Bitcoin’s shadow.
Rather than one broad altcoin wave, Liu described the last 90 days as rapid rotation between narratives. Right now, launchpad tokens are leading the charts, with Pons, built on Robinhood Chain, currently sitting at the top. Pump.fun follows as another major launchpad, alongside a mix of DeFi names including Zcash, Litecoin, Uniswap and Curve.
Does Bitcoin Need a New All-Time High to Trigger Altcoin Season?
Not necessarily, according to Liu. A common assumption is that Bitcoin needs to smash a fresh all-time high, or break above $100,000, before money rotates into altcoins. Liu says that’s not quite how it works.
Historically, what actually moves the needle is Bitcoin showing strong, decisive price action, clearing a key level like $70,000 or $80,000, which boosts overall market liquidity, trader confidence, and capital flow. That momentum usually spreads first into Ethereum and the broader DeFi ecosystem, with meme coins catching up shortly after.
Liu said that handoff has been especially visible with Robinhood Chain. What started as a platform built around tokenized stocks and real-world assets quickly saw meme coin trading take over as the dominant source of activity, a shift she called worth watching as the broader altcoin rotation continues to play out.
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