After months of volatility and uncertainty in the cryptocurrency market, it's time to return to basics. Instead of chasing losses or doubling down on underperforming investments, it's time to focus on the best cryptocurrencies that can drive your portfolio to a winning year in 2025. With that in mind, here’s a list of five cryptocurrencies you can safely sell while cleaning up your portfolio.

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu

Start with any speculative meme coin investments you still have in your portfolio, such as Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) and Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB). Even after a big meme coin rally in the past 30 days, these two cryptocurrencies are still significantly down this year. Dogecoin is down 25%, while Shiba Inu is down 22%.

Many investors may remember these two meme coins as standout coins during the latest cryptocurrency bull run of 2020-21. Therefore, investors may not want to sell them right now, believing that they will recover 'anytime soon'.

But that would be a mistake. Dogecoin has fallen 68% from its all-time high in May 2021, and Shiba Inu has plummeted 82% from its all-time high in October 2021. I'm sorry to say that these coins will not come back.

Don’t take my word for it, listen to Cathie Wood of Ark Invest. While she remains very bullish on the best cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), she has nearly given up on meme coins. In March, she specifically suggested that all but a few of them would become worthless. The coins that remain, she said, will become digital collectibles, but not serious investments.

Cardano and Avalanche

The top player in the Layer 1 blockchain market remains Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), so that's not a cryptocurrency I want to sell, especially after a spectacular 57% rally in the last 30 days. But there are more than a dozen Layer 1 blockchains trying to become the 'next Ethereum', and there may only be room for one of these blockchains -- at most -- in your portfolio.

That’s why all the second-tier Ethereum rivals, including Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) and Avalanche (CRYPTO: AVAX), are on my spring cleaning list. The Layer 1 blockchain market is too crowded. It’s important to focus on Layer 1 blockchain networks that have the most opportunities to dethrone Ethereum as the market leader.

For me, the clear leader is Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), with a market cap of $90 billion. It's three times larger than Cardano and ten times larger than Avalanche.

Solana also seems to be the top candidate for a new spot ETF, and that could lead to a wave of new investment money coming in soon. In comparison, both Cardano and Avalanche are not top candidates for a new spot ETF in the near future.

Perhaps this is an oversimplification, but: there is no spot ETF, no mainstream adoption. Yes, some retail investors may continue to buy Cardano and Avalanche, but large institutional investors will not. Therefore, the upside potential of these two cryptocurrencies is limited, and it's best to sell them.

Litecoin

Finally, there is Litecoin (CRYPTO: LTC). It may seem hard to believe, but at one point this year, Litecoin was one of the best-performing cryptocurrencies of 2025. In January, Litecoin surged after a Bloomberg report that it would be the next cryptocurrency to have a spot ETF.

That hasn’t happened, and Litecoin has faded away. Right now, it’s stable this year, even though it has risen 34% in the past 30 days. It’s a shame because Litecoin is one of the oldest cryptocurrencies, dating back to 2011. As a proof-of-work cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, it has significantly lower management risks compared to other coins.

Even so, Litecoin continues to be a laggard in the market. Its most recent halving event, which took place in August 2023, turned out to be nothing. At $100, Litecoin's price has dropped up to 75% from its all-time high of $413 in May 2021. There are many better coins you could hold in your portfolio, especially if you're focused on long-term upside potential.

Sell in May and go away

On Wall Street, there’s an old saying: 'Sell in May and go away'. You can apply the same mindset to the cryptocurrency market. Sell all your underperforming cryptocurrency investments in May and instead focus on all the best names in the space, so you’re positioned for a great second half of the year.

For me, this means holding onto Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, while unloading speculative meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu; second-tier Ethereum rivals like Cardano and Avalanche; and underperforming coins like Litecoin.