Imagine scrolling through Twitter in 2021 and watching someone pay half a million bucks for a photo of a little girl smiling in front of a burning house. It actually happened. Welcome to the world of NFT memes, where digital culture actually pays.
What Are NFT Memes?
NFT memes are internet memes that have been made into unique, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) so the creator or subject can sell some verifiable digital proof of ownership. Think of it as turning your favorite meme into a digital trading card that is “authenticated” on the blockchain. Some have sold for millions, but only if they are worth a few pennies! To understand if these digital assets still hold value, you can read are NFTs still a thing for a detailed look at their current relevance.
It’s like Mona Lisa was a cat with a Pop-Tarts body flying in space. And instead of hanging in the Louvre Museum, she is residing in the blockchain. The difference? Everyone can view, laugh, and share it, but only one person can say, “I own this!”
Top NFT Memes That Perfectly Define The Crypto Craze
Here are some of the amazing NFT memes –
1. About NFT Memes
What makes NFT memes special is that they represent the intersection of internet culture and financial speculation. They prove that even a silly photo can be sold for millions of dollars.
2. The Right-Click-Save NFT Memes
The drama! One of the biggest running jokes in the NFT space became the classic “right click & save” debate. Critics would mockingly say, “Why pay thousands for a JPEG when I can just right-click and save it for free?”.
The right-click-save meme highlighted the fundamental question of what you are actually buying when you are purchasing an NFT- spoiler alert: it’s not stopping anyone from screenshotting your expensive Bored Ape.
3. Self-Targeting NFT Community Memes
The NFT community became surprisingly good at roasting itself. Memes about “diamond hands” holders watching their NFT collections plummet in value, jokes about spending life savings on cartoon animals, and self-deprecating humor about “buying the top” became part of the culture.
These self-aware memes showed that at least some NFT enthusiasts understood the absurdity of the situation while still participating in it. IT’s like being in on the joke while simultaneously being the punchline.
4. The WAGMI NFT Memes
WAGMI (We’re All Gonna Make It) became the battle cry of NFT communities everywhere. This acronym represented unwavering optimism in the face of market volatility and criticism from outsiders.
5. The NGMI NFT Memes
On the flip side, “NGMI” (Not Gonna Make It) became the way to call out poor decisions in the space. Selling too early? NGMI. Missing out on a blue-chip project? NGMI. Paper hands during a dip? NGMI.
6. NFT Rug Pull Memes
As the space matured, memes about rug pulls, when project creators disappear with investors’ money, became increasingly common. These memes ranged from gallows humor about losing money to elaborate jokes about cartoon characters literally pulling rugs out from under people.
7. The “Gm” (Good Morning) Culture Meme
A New Language: Understanding Crypto Slang
The NFT space developed its own linguistic ecosystem faster than you could say “diamond hands.” Here’s a mini-glossary of essential terms seen in memes:
1. WAGMI / NGMI
WAGMI stands for “We’re All Gonna Make It”, the eternal optimism of crypto believers who think their JPEGs will make them rich. NGMI means “Not Gonna Make It” and is used to describe people making questionable financial decisions or missing obvious opportunities.
2. GM / GN
GM (Good Morning) and GN (Good Night) became ritualistic greetings that signaled you were part of the crypto Twitter in-crowd. Posting “GM” wasn’t just being polite – it was declaring your membership in the digital asset revolution.
3. HODL
Originally a typo of “HOLD,” HODL (hold on for dear life) became the philosophy of never selling your crypto or NFTs, regardless of market conditions. HODL memes typically feature diamond hands and rocket ships.
4. Floor Price
The floor price is the cheapest NFT available in a collection at any given time. Floor price memes often joke about watching your expensive NFT collection’s floor price crash to zero.
5. Degen
Short for “degenerate,” degen became a badge of honor for people making risky, impulsive trades. Degen memes celebrate the art of YOLO-ing your savings into the latest trending project.
6. Gas Fees
Gas fees are the transaction costs on Ethereum that often exceed the value of what you were trying to buy. Gas fee memes typically involve crying wojaks and empty wallets.
Iconic Memes That Sold As NFTs
Here’s where things get really wild. The memes that defined internet culture for over a decade suddenly became million-dollar assets:
| Meme | Price | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Doge | $4 million (1,696 ETH) | 2021 |
| Pepe the Frog | $3.5 million (1,000 ETH) | 2021 |
| Charlie Bit My Finger | $760,999 (389 ETH) | 2021 |
| Nyan Cat | $560,000 (300 ETH) | 2021 |
| Disaster Girl NFT | $500,000 (180 ETH) | 2021 |
| Overly Attached Girlfriend | $411,000 (200 ETH) | 2021 |
| Success Kid NFT | $30,000 (15 ETH) | 2021 |
| Bad Luck Brian | $36,000 (20 ETH) | 2021 |
| The Keyboard Cat | $69,000 (33 ETH) | 2021 |
| Stonks | $10,000 | 2021 |
Which Meme Became The Most Expensive NFT Meme?
The Doge meme absolutely shattered records, selling for $4 million and becoming the most expensive NFT meme of all time. The buyer, @pleasrdao, later fractionalized the NFT into billions of tokens, essentially creating a Doge stock market.
Nyan Cat, the pixelated flying cat with a Pop-Tart body, kicked off the meme NFT craze by selling for $560,000. Creator Chris Torres called it opening “the door to a whole new meme economy in the crypto world”.
The Disaster Girl, that’s Zoë Roth, made nearly half a million dollars from her childhood photo. She used the money to pay off student loans and donate to charity, proving that sometimes accidentally becoming a meme can have a happy ending.
Even Charlie Bit My Finger, the 2007 YouTube sensation, got in on the action, selling for over $760,000. The family initially planned to delete the original video from YouTube, but ultimately decided to keep it online after the buyer requested it stay public.
As the dust settles and floor prices have floored, the real winners might just be the memes themselves. After all, they’re still making us laugh, even if they’re not making us rich anymore. And isn’t that the most WAGMI energy of all?
