NO. Dogecoin was already in the top before Elon. It was probably the second most popular currency until the arrival of Ethereum
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Due to its success, imitators like Panda, Coinye West, Nyancoin, or Norriscoin emerged. Only Dogecoin survived because of its community and its potential as a real currency. With tokenization, it became easier to create unlimited altmemes, and with the huge liquidity of Bitcoin, they could be pumped.
That's certainly true, mate. DOGE was a popular "meme" coin long before Elon Musk discovered it. Early coins like Nyancoin and Panda failed because they lacked interest from mainstream traders and investors. But with "meme" coins experiencing a resurgence in popularity, it's likely we'll see these projects "resurrect" soon.
The main reason why people are buying "meme" coins is because they want to get rich quick. Not because they believe in crypto/Blockchain tech. Despite the fact that "meme" coins are worthless, they're a great way for noobs to learn all about how crypto works. You can make payments without "breaking the bank". It's hard to tell which "meme" coin will become the next big hit due to the uncertain nature of the crypto market. Only invest what you can afford to lose. As long as you do that, there should be nothing to worry about.