Web3 Watch: Hippo-themed ‘Moo Deng’ memecoin soars to $255M market cap

Plus, Web3 music streaming service Audius launches monetization features to all users

article-image

meechai39/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Crypto memecoins have been decorated with dogs, cats and frogs, but we haven’t had a baby hippo until now.

The latest animal-themed memecoin to sweep crypto is MOODENG. The coin was inspired by viral internet sensation Moo Deng — whose name translates to “bouncy pig” — a two-month-old pygmy hippopotamus in Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo. 

MOODENG marks the first memecoin token to hit a $200 million market cap in recent months. 

The token was launched on Solana with the pump.fun memecoin maker, and is currently valued at a $255 million market cap with about $64 million in trading volumes in the last 24 hours. It’s now the 22nd largest memecoin by market capitalization.

Read more: A ‘speculative appetite’ may push memecoins higher: GSR

The memecoin has already inspired accompanying memecoins for Moo Deng’s mother, Jonah, and her siblings Moo Toon and Moo Waan. Moo Deng also has an unofficial Twitter fan page with almost 50,000 followers, and has gained token listings on several CEXs including MEXC and HTX.

Loading Tweet..

According to Arkham Intelligence, an $800 purchase of MOODENG by one trader four hours after the token launch has grown into $3.5 million within 15 days.

Audius launches pay-to-unlock

After almost eleven months in private beta, the Web3 music streaming service Audius announced on Friday the launch of its “pay-to-unlock” monetization features to all users.

Fans on Audius will now be able to pay artists through the platform for streaming music (or via buying songs directly) with their credit cards, which is then converted and received by artists in USDC.

Under Audius’s revenue-sharing model, 10% of every payment is paid to the Audius treasury for onchain governance.

Audius has entered into licensing deals with several music publishers, most notably Kobalt, one of the largest independent music publishers in the UK.

One interesting stat:

  • The Ethereum Name Service domain name uber.eth was bought for 13 ETH ($34,938).

Also of note:

  • Polymarket launched an app on the App Store.
  • Chiliz Group, the blockchain company behind the Socios rewards platform and fan token-focused L1 Chiliz Chain is launching Chiliz Sports, an independent division to bridge the world of sports and blockchain.
  • Iggy Azalea announced Motherland, an online casino and gaming platform that will be integrated with her MOTHER memecoin token.

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

  • Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
  • Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
  • Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
  • 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
  • Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
  • The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
  • Supply Shock: Tracking Bitcoin’s rise from internet plaything worth less than a penny to global phenomenon disrupting money as we know it.
Tags

Upcoming Events

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research

article-image

The platform also rolled out 13 tokenized funds for institutions on the Connect platform

article-image

The company’s expanded lineup introduces new ETF products, as more and more issuers get into crypto funds

article-image

President Donald Trump announced a 10% levy on almost all goods and additional tariffs on so-called “worst offending” countries

article-image

Solana may be in “recomposition” mode, as new protocols put usefulness ahead of mere virality

article-image

The stablecoin issuer will have to contend with bigger players and the interest rates environment

article-image

The president reportedly was still working on his tariff policy plans late Tuesday evening