Crypto attention rarely shifts quietly. After a difficult 2025 for several sectors, early 2026 is starting to tell a different story. Social data shared by Santiment shows a clear change in what parts of the market are pulling focus again. PEPE, XRP, and Solana are no longer sitting on the sidelines. Their names are showing up more frequently as interest rotates toward memecoins, real-world assets, and ETFs.
The timing matters. Prices across the market have stabilized, narratives are regrouping, and data-driven signals are beginning to line up in a way that explains why these tokens are re-entering the best crypto to buy conversation.
What you'll learn 👉
Santiment Social Volume Data Shows Memecoins Regaining Attention
Santiment highlights a noticeable rise in social volume around memecoins. Tokens like PEPE, POPCAT, and MOG have posted strong price gains, helping push the broader meme sector market cap sharply higher. This shift follows a rough 2025 that left many traders disengaged from the space.
DOGE, PEPE, and SHIB are all seeing renewed visibility at the same time. Santiment data suggests that community-driven cycles are still capable of influencing market direction, even after extended bearish periods. Attention returning to memecoins often reflects improving risk appetite, which helps explain why PEPE is back in the spotlight within the best crypto to buy discussion.
Solana Stands Out As Real World Assets Hit New Highs
Another area Santiment points to is real-world assets. Solana-based platforms have reported record highs in tokenized real-world assets, pushing the RWA narrative back into focus. This includes growing interest in on chain bonds, real estate, and tokenized financial products.
Solana benefits directly from this trend due to its infrastructure and growing role in RWA deployment. Santiment notes that projects tied to real-world assets are attracting attention from crypto investors looking for exposure beyond pure speculation. That shift helps explain why Solana is appearing again in conversations around best crypto to buy, especially as institutional interest continues to expand.
👀 According to social volume data, the crypto crowd's interests have risen toward:
— Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 7, 2026
🐶 Memecoins: Tokens like PEPE, POPCAT, and MOG posted strong price gains and a speculative rally pushed the meme sector’s market cap up sharply, which caught traders’ attention after a rough… pic.twitter.com/t3FLYckU0b
XRP Gains Visibility As ETF Activity Expands
ETF related developments form the third major pillar highlighted by Santiment. Major institutions have filed new crypto products, including proposed Bitcoin and Solana ETFs from Morgan Stanley. Structured investment vehicles are becoming a larger part of how capital enters the market.
Santiment data shows that spot crypto ETFs linked to assets like XRP have been absorbing notable inflows. These products provide regulated exposure and tend to attract institutional capital that moves differently from retail flows. XRP presence in ETF-related narratives has helped lift its visibility and reinforces why it has returned to the best crypto to buy conversation.
Best Crypto To Buy Themes Are Rotating Rather Than Chasing One Trend
What makes this moment stand out is not one single narrative dominating everything else. Santiment analysis shows attention spreading across memecoins, real world assets, and ETFs at the same time. PEPE, XRP, and Solana sit at the intersection of those themes.
Memecoins reflect renewed speculative energy. Real-world assets point to longer-term utility-driven growth. ETFs signal deeper institutional participation. Santiment social volume data captures how these narratives are building simultaneously rather than competing for attention.
Read Also: Bitcoin, Solana, XRP, Other Altcoins Are Waking Up Again: 5 Reasons the Rally Is Not Over
Crypto markets tend to move in cycles of focus, and early 2026 appears to be shaping up as a rotation phase rather than a narrow rally. PEPE, XRP, and Solana showing up together in social data helps explain why they are being discussed again as best crypto to buy candidates.
As Santiment continues tracking where attention flows next, the data offers a useful lens into how narratives evolve. Watching these shifts closely may reveal where the next phase of the market begins to take shape.
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