Some of the answers may shock you.
The meme coin sector was booming at the start of 2025, but the hype faded in the following months, leading to massive price plunges for most.
We have yet to see whether 2026 will see a resurgence, so we asked four of the most widely used AI-powered chatbots which meme coin has the best chance of becoming the top performer.
PEPE to Shine Again?
ChatGPT estimated that the frog-themed PEPE is best-positioned to deliver the biggest gains next year, citing its strong community, recognition among investors, and ability to follow the bullish trend of the crypto market.
“PEPE’s biggest strength is that it has already graduated from pure hype into a proven market structure. It survived its first major boom-and-bust cycle, which is where most meme coins die. Assets that live through that phase tend to become default liquidity hubs when the sector heats up again,” it added.
The chatbot placed BONK as its second-best pick. It claimed that the meme coin’s price can skyrocket in 2026, assuming Solana (the ecosystem it is built upon) has a strong year.
Grok outlined quite a similar prediction. It forecasted that PEPE will emerge as the top-performing meme coin next year because it is “a battle-tested survivor from previous cycles with a massive, dedicated community.” According to the chatbot integrated into the social media platform X, other solid bets for 2026 include WIF, BONK, FLOKI, and BRETT.
Google’s Gemini also picked PEPE as the “best-positioned” meme coin to lead in percentage gains next year. At the same time, it warned that the top performer may be an asset that doesn’t exist yet or is currently in a quiet accumulation phase.
How About DOGE?
Perplexity paid special attention to the biggest meme coin in terms of market capitalization, highlighting its “unmatched liquidity, community strength, and history of outperforming in bull markets.”
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That said, it predicted that DOGE could be the sector’s winner next year, eyeing a whopping ascent to a new all-time high of $1.70. On the other hand, it described PEPE as “the worst bet” for the following 12 months, alerting investors to stay away from the asset due to fading whale interest and bearish technicals, which signal additional corrections.
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