X Supports Memes, Is the Meme Season Really Coming?

marsbitPublished on 2026-04-23Last updated on 2026-04-23

Abstract

X has introduced a new "Custom Timeline" feature, allowing Premium users on iOS to pin specific topics—including a dedicated "meme" category—to their main tab. The meme section, represented by a Flork logo, sparked a 17x price surge for the Ethereum-based meme token FLORK. Meme content is crucial for X: 66% of all content with over 100k impressions in 2026 were meme-based, and such content drives significant engagement, especially among users aged 18–34. Memes also influence politics and brand marketing, as seen in Trump’s 2024 campaign and KitKat’s viral response to a theft incident. While the new feature includes a "Cryptocurrency" category, the meme section is designed primarily for high-quality meme content rather than directly promoting meme coins. However, meme coin accounts that focus on organic, engaging content—without explicitly pushing token tickers—may benefit from increased visibility and user conversion through this dedicated timeline.

On April 22, X Product Lead and Solana Advisor Nikita Bier announced a new X feature called "Custom Timeline" this morning. This feature allows users to pin specific topics to their main homepage tab and supports over 75 interest topics, helping users delve into niche content areas. In its promotional video, the meme topic section features a Flork image as its logo.

Currently, X Premium members using the iOS client can already add this custom timeline:

Since the meme topic section uses a Flork image as its logo, the Ethereum ecosystem's meme coin of the same name surged by 17 times in half a day. According to GMGN market data, FLORK's market cap is now reported at $8.4 million.

The timing of this meme-heavy feature coincides with the hype around "Space Dog" Asteroid, which has sparked a meme coin frenzy on the Ethereum mainnet. Combined with the earlier Cashtag feature, which allows users to directly check stock and crypto asset data in their timeline, players' sentiment is becoming optimistic again:

This time, will there really be a meme season?

To answer this question, we need to take a comprehensive look at why X is launching this feature.

Memes Are Important to X

According to data from Amra & Elma, in 2026, with X's brand overhaul and comprehensive algorithm reforms, meme-based posts now account for 66% of all content with over 100,000 impressions. Among them, memes on political and cultural topics spread the fastest, with each viral post being shared an average of 4,200 times. Meme content holds a significant position on X, with about 60% of viral tweets being meme-based.

In fact, memes are important not just for X but for all social media platforms. According to a Forms.app 2025 report, over one million memes are shared daily on Instagram alone. A report from MemE Gen AI states that 70% of TikTok users actively engage with meme-like videos.

Memes appear and spread across various social media platforms and chat apps, becoming an integral part of contemporary life, especially for young people. They serve as daily entertainment while also conveying emotions, culture, and even fashion.

Whoever stands at the top of the meme dissemination chain wins the favor of the youth. According to a meme-gen.ai report, most meme users are between the ages of 18 and 34, accounting for about 65% of all meme viewers.

In March of this year, X Product Lead Nikita Bier criticized the act of spreading misinformation in a tweet that misrepresented gaming videos as war footage, also highlighting his emphasis on meme content:

"Stop posting gaming videos pretending they're war footage. All our GPUs are being used to detect and flag these fake videos, GPUs that could otherwise be used to show more interesting memes on the timeline."

Memes can influence politics. When Trump survived an assassination attempt during a 2024 campaign rally, the image of him bloodied but raising a fist and shouting "Fight!" instantly became the hottest meme on X. Supporters used it to symbolize "resilience," greatly reinforcing Trump's "fighter" image, quickly boosting his poll numbers, and making it a core visual symbol of his 2024 campaign.

Memes are one of the trendiest and most effective ways to do brand promotion. In late March 2026, a truck transporting about 12 tons (413,793 bars) of limited-edition F1 KitKat chocolates from Italy to Poland went missing after being stolen.

Unexpectedly, this incident became one of the hottest memes on X at the time, with a flood of meme creations "searching for the culprit." For example, the tweet below received over 137,000 likes and 13,000 retweets.

Other brands also joined the "KitKat Heist" with meme-style cross-brand interactions. For instance, Domino's UK X account jokingly announced they would start selling KitKat pizza, a tweet that garnered 226,000 likes and 19,000 retweets.

KitKat's official X account also seized the moment by launching a "Stolen KitKat Barcode Tracker," allowing users to scan their chocolate bars to check if they were from the stolen batch, turning a unfortunate theft into an interactive marketing campaign.

Memes are important, but what about meme coins? Is this good news for them?

Good News for Meme Coins?

First, the newly updated custom timeline feature on X actually includes a direct "Cryptocurrency" category.

This means that the meme category is not directly related to meme coins but is more inclined to show users high-quality meme content to retain them.

After all, we are all now accustomed to the quick browsing mode where we swipe to see the next piece of content, and X previously wasn't intuitive enough in this regard. Users typically had to rely on searches to browse content they were interested in and build their feed. If they had specific browsing preferences, the search bar only offered three broad choices: trending, news, and sports.

Now, by moving this feature directly to the timeline, it means that as soon as users log in, the content they see is immediately centered around their interests, and it's more detailed—for example, if you're just a basketball fan, you no longer need to sift through irrelevant football, baseball, etc., tweets in the broad "sports" section.

So, will the meme timeline not benefit meme coins at all? Not exactly; it will still provide some benefits.

This will particularly benefit meme accounts that are skilled at creating meme images/videos and have been operating long-term. On my meme timeline, tweets from meme coins like wojak/joe/neet have appeared:

However, the commonality of these accounts is that they almost never directly mention their token tickers in their tweets. Instead, they focus on consistently producing high-quality meme content to attract views and followers, ultimately converting them.

For this type of token, the emergence of the meme category timeline will provide a more direct traffic entry point, potentially increasing the viewer/holder conversion rate.

Related Questions

QWhat new feature did X launch on April 22, and what is its purpose?

AX launched the 'Custom Timeline' feature, which allows users to pin specific topics to their home tab and supports over 75 interest themes to help users explore niche content areas.

QWhy is meme content particularly important for X according to the article?

AMeme-based posts account for 66% of all content with over 100,000 impressions on X. Memes are crucial for engaging users, especially younger demographics, and play a significant role in political, cultural, and marketing contexts.

QHow did the launch of X's meme-themed timeline directly impact the cryptocurrency market?

AThe meme-themed timeline, featuring Flork as its logo, caused the Ethereum-based meme token FLORK to surge by 17 times in half a day, reaching a market cap of $8.4 million.

QWhat broader trend in social media does the article highlight regarding memes?

AMemes are a dominant form of content across social media platforms. For example, over 1 million memes are shared daily on Instagram, and 70% of TikTok users actively engage with meme-like videos.

QHow might X's custom timeline feature benefit meme-based cryptocurrencies in the long term?

AIt provides a direct traffic entry point for high-quality meme content creators who consistently produce engaging memes without directly promoting their tokens, potentially increasing viewer-to-holder conversion rates.

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