Meme coins remain one of the most sensitive categories of cryptocurrencies. Liquidity is thin (year-end forecast) and even small changes in supply or financing activity are causing prices to start moving faster than usual. If you’re looking for meme coins to watch in January 2026, three names stand out for very different reasons
One is facing increased selling pressure, one remains strong despite volatility, and the other is showing early signs of a possible turnaround.
pump fan (pump)
Pump was one of the first meme coins to gain attention in January 2026 due to significant red flags on-chain. According to recent data, the team transferred an additional $50 million from ICO proceeds to Kraken.
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More than $600 million has been transferred to the exchange since mid-November.
This appears to be a withdrawal from the Treasury rather than simple financial management, and there are concerns that liquidity is running dry.
This selling pressure is visible on the chain. In the past 24 hours, Whales decreased its holdings by 1.61%. This confirms that large buyers are not supporting the price during this period.
The distribution score also indicates a high concentration of top holders, which could increase volatility if further selling continues.
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You need to be even more careful when looking at the price list. PUMP is trading around $0.00188, which puts it inside a possible bear flag.
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A break below $0.00179 could trigger a deeper move towards $0.00146, then $0.00100, and then $0.00088 if momentum breaks. The upside void lies at $0.00247 and the bullish confirmation is only above $0.00339.
For now, PUMP is a meme coin to watch and not necessarily buy. The next trend will depend on whether buyers can end the selling pressure and force a strong return to $0.00203 (the first significant resistance level).
Pippin (Pippin)
Pippin is one of the few meme coins to hold its ground while the overall market remains range bound. Although it is down about 7% today, it is still up about 4.6% over the past seven days. This makes PIPPIN one of the few meme coins to watch in 2026. This is because the weekly structure has not been disrupted by short-term weakness.
On the daily chart, PIPPIN flipped from support to resistance at $0.46 and is currently trading around $0.43. If PIPPIN regains $0.46, it can attempt a move towards $0.55.
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A clean break above $0.55 would strengthen the setup and pave the way for the previous local high of $0.71. That would move PIPPIN closer to near-term price discovery, at least in the January range.
The CMF (Chaikin Money Flow), which tracks the inflow or outflow of large sums of money, turned positive for the first time since November 30th. On November 30th, the last time CMF crossed zero, PIPPIN rose almost 880%. CMF rising above zero again suggests capital inflows and early strength, even as prices test resistance.
This creates a simple story for January. If PIPPIN breaks above $0.43 and regains $0.46, momentum will build towards $0.55 and possibly $0.71. If it fails, the bias returns to neutral. PIPPIN price trend becomes bearish below $0.30.
Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin has fallen about 18% in the past 30 days, making it one of the weakest large meme coins on the market. Despite the drawdown, it still ranks as a prime candidate for meme coins to watch in January 2026, as on-chain movements and price structure suggest a possible change.
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Whales holding 10 million to 100 million DOGE started buying again. Its supply increased from 17.38 billion to 17.5 billion on December 27th.
At current prices, it would be roughly an additional 14 million yen. This level of accumulation can be important because it signals a large company establishing a position early on rather than selling on weakness. If they continue to increase their holdings, selling pressure may ease and local support may stabilize.
DOGE’s price chart supports that idea so far. Between November 21st and December 26th, DOGE reached even lower lows, while RSI (Relative Strength Index, a momentum indicator that measures overbought and oversold conditions) reached even higher lows.
This is called a bullish divergence, and when it appears on a large time frame like a daily chart, it often signals a reversal. This divergence formed when DOGE tested support at $0.120 and rebounded.
If $0.120 holds, the structure remains valid. The next test is $0.141. A close above that level would confirm a breakout from the divergence and pave the way to $0.154 and possibly $0.164. These are the first steps to trying to recover in January 2026.
The risk is simple. If $0.120 fails, the whales could go back to selling. If this happens, the bullish divergence will weaken and the idea that DOGE can lead the rebound will be reset. Once below $0.120, the setup weakens and memecoin leadership shifts elsewhere until strength returns.
