"Pepe" most commonly refers to Pepe the Frog, a popular internet meme. Here's a breakdown of what that entails:
Pepe the Frog: The Meme
Pepe the Frog is a cartoon character created by American artist Matt Furie in 2005. He first appeared in Furie's webcomic Boy's Club. The meme gained significant popularity on various online platforms like Myspace, Gaia Online, and 4chan, where users adapted his image and catchphrases to express a wide range of emotions and scenarios. His most famous phrase is "feels good man."
Evolution and Controversy
While initially an apolitical and lighthearted character, Pepe the Frog was appropriated by certain online groups, particularly the alt-right and white nationalist movements, starting around 2015. This led to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) labeling Pepe as a hate symbol in 2016. Matt Furie, the creator, has actively worked to reclaim Pepe from these associations.
PEPE: The Cryptocurrency
More recently, "Pepe" also refers to PEPE, a cryptocurrency (specifically, a "memecoin") inspired by the Pepe the Frog meme.
Key Characteristics of PEPE Coin:
* Meme-driven: Like other memecoins (e.g., Dogecoin, Shiba Inu), PEPE's value and popularity are primarily driven by internet culture, community engagement, and social media trends rather than underlying technological utility.
* Ethereum-based: PEPE is an ERC-20 token built on the Ethereum blockchain.
* Deflationary mechanism: Some versions of PEPE coin employ a mechanism that burns a small percentage of tokens with each transaction, aiming to reduce the total supply over time and potentially increase its value.
* No intrinsic value or utility: The creators and proponents of PEPE often state that the coin has no inherent value or expectation of financial return, and its utility is largely limited to being a medium of exchange or a source of "bragging rights" within its community.
* High volatility: Like most memecoins, PEPE is known for its price unpredictability and can experience rapid and significant fluctuations.
It's important to be aware that investing in cryptocurrencies$PEPE