Meme coins are still among the most hype and volatile parts of the crypto universe. With October approaching, several meme tokens are experiencing significant growth in presales, community support, and speculation. While some ride purely on hype, others try to balance meme popularity with functionality. This piece takes a look at five of the strongest-performing meme coins currently, their potential gains, and what to be aware of.
Popularity, social media hype, presale mechanisms, tokenomics, and the project's transparency are among the key contributors. A meme coin tends to take off when it gains cultural momentum or becomes associated with more powerful narratives, such as imminent listings, community-driven development, or utility factors. Trends also tend to change quickly, so early access and knowledge are crucial for those seeking significant gains.
AlphaPepe is among the leading meme coin presales by October 2025. Presale levels in the early phases progressed from approximately $0.005 to $0.00657 per token, translating to a 64% growth for the earliest investors. It has garnered attention due to its high audit score through BlockSAFU, growing Telegram community, staged price-based structure, and expectations from analysts with high ROI predictions. Its transparency and community development have helped differentiate it in an area often controlled by less responsible projects.
Layer Brett is unique due to its combination of meme-coin hype with Ethereum Layer-2 functionality. While costing approximately $0.0058 in presale, LBRETT comes with such perks as good staking yields (over 650% APY), lack of KYC, and social incentives such as giveaways. These mechanics, combined with low gas fees, are enhancing its popularity among investors interested in meme coins that offer more than just hype.
Little Pepe has gained viral popularity through robust marketing on channels such as X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram. It operates on a Layer-2 chain, offering lower transaction costs, bot protection, and a presale architecture that rewards early entry. Recent statistics indicate that more than $24.9 million has been raised, with various presale phases almost sold out, and a token price of approximately $0.0021 in the early phases. Investors interested in meme coins with hype and presale mechanisms are also closely watching LILPEPE.
BullZilla has made waves with active presale design. It employs pricing that escalates each time a funding level is reached or each time frame passes, promoting urgency among early purchasers. The "Roar Burn" feature burns tokens on a periodic basis, decreasing overall supply as presale continues. This scarcity factor, combined with several presale levels, has generated excitement within the community. Current presale prices are very low (tens of fractions of a cent), so prospective returns are substantial should the token gain traction.
Dogecoin existed since 2013 and is still one of the best-known meme coins. As of September 2025, it even has its own ETF on US markets (ticker DOJE), opening new institutional exposure avenues. While DOGE has flatlined relative to presale rockets, its enormous market cap and stability provide a contrasting risk-reward profile. For those wanting less risk but meme culture exposure, DOGE is still a heavyweight.
Meme coins have great upside but also great risk. Early presales such as AlphaPepe, LBRETT, Little Pepe, and BullZilla create potential for huge gains if adoption and listings are successful. But numerous presale and virally popular meme coins ultimately fail to meet expectations. Problems such as insufficient liquidity, regulatory risk, potential to be scams, and lack of true utility cause significant losses. DOGE, on the other hand, has more stability but less upside — established memes increase incrementally.
Meme coins trending upward before October 2025 are a combination of nostalgia, community buzz, and presale engineering. AlphaPepe, Layer Brett, Little Pepe, BullZilla, and Dogecoin all present different risk-reward combinations. Those seeking high returns would perhaps incline towards early presale meme coins with active tokenomics and strong community support.
More risk-averse individuals can opt for established brands, such as DOGE, which prioritize stability over growth. Whether by inclination or not, prudent assessment, consciousness of pitfalls, and knowledge of market dynamics continue to be vital for astute decision-making in this speculative environment.