13 WTF Moments of the Year: 2025 Crypto Edition

The story of cryptocurrency’s rise to mainstream recognition is likely one of the most weird in historical past. Created by an nameless, shadowy determine named Satoshi Nakamoto—who’s now among the many richest individuals on the planet—the expertise is now a darling of finance bros, altruistic lefties, white supremacists, Balkan political dissidents, West African entrepreneurs, and Redditors satisfied that Satoshi was in truth an alien.

So it is hardly stunning that 2025 started with U.S. President Donald Trump launching a meme coin simply days earlier than his inauguration. And it solely bought weirder from there, from faculty children betting on whose sperm was the quickest to betting on which aggressive dancer can twerk the toughest.

Let’s increase our glasses and pour one out for the 13 greatest WTF moments of this surreal yr in crypto.

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1. Literal shit cash

Crypto devs can pay you for something as of late, even your poop.

In August, a brand new app appeared that paid customers in Solana-based POOP tokens in alternate for photos of their bowel actions. The ostensible thought was that by documenting peoples’ caca, the app would be capable to present actionable insights and recommendation on the best way to enhance their intestine well being.

After all, since that is crypto, the app needed to earn cash, and its alleged purpose was to promote your knowledge to analysis establishments, insurance coverage companies, or well being complement firms. The app hoped that it may amass the biggest and most detailed fecal dataset on the planet, which may assist push ahead the following part of crap science.

2. A token dinner

President Donald Trump launching a meme coin would’ve been sufficient to make this checklist. Trump then internet hosting a dinner for the highest holders of that meme coin would’ve additionally made the lower. However somebody creating one other meme coin impressed by that dinner? 

OK, positive, why not? An nameless attendee of the Trump meme coin dinner created a Solana meme coin from his cellphone, and shared movies from contained in the unique occasion on Telegram. In that chat, the meme coin creator confirmed Trump dancing to the well-known homosexual anthem “YCMA,” Justin Solar posing for a photograph, and, in fact, the meals.

Sadly, the DINNER token failed to achieve a lot traction. It topped at a measly $450,000 market capitalization earlier than it crashed and burned, turning into one of many thousands and thousands of meme cash that turned one more canine’s dinner.

3. A token on your twerks

A dude from California created a crypto-fueled aggressive twerking competitors.

Viewers may vote by sending presents that had been purchasable by way of crypto, in addition to guess by way of a crypto sportsbook. Although the preliminary heats had been extra like recognition contests than sporting occasions, the founding father of Twerk From Residence stated his purpose is to make the competition a respectable sports activities league akin to the UFC.

Congratulations to dancer Laura Cintron, who gained the competitors and took house a $10,000 money prize.

4. Chill Home not so chill

Absurdist Pump.enjoyable-created meme coin Chill Home went on a rampage throughout social media, cussing out the entire greatest founders and influencers within the area in October—which someway managed to pump the token.

The X account tagged Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, distinguished Solana builder Mert Mumtaz, in addition to Coinbase government and Base community head Jesse Pollak, simply to say “fuck you” and mock their tasks.

Biting the hand that made the pumping enjoyable potential, Chill Home even referred to as Pump.enjoyable co-founder Alon Cohen a “cuck.” Naturally, some took the bait, together with Pollak, who sparred with the account—whereas others, together with Buterin, ignored the troll.

5. The Jack Off 500

Two faculty college students offered “samples” of their sperm, which had been then raced towards one another in what is likely one of the most viral and disgusting moments of the yr. It virtually goes with out saying that folks may gamble on the race by way of a crypto sportsbook.

Clearly not bizarre sufficient, the occasion was so successful {that a} second Sperm Racing occasion was sponsored by main blockchain Solana, with prime livestream influencer iShowSpeed in attendance.

However was the spunk junk? It seems that the race that was broadcast was truly a dramatic computer-generated visualization, not the precise masses. Which, come to consider it, was most likely for the most effective.

6. Dumpster diving for {dollars}

James Howells took one of many greatest losses of the yr when his native Welsh council rejected his bid to purchase a landfill for $3 million in the beginning of the yr. Why did he need to take the dump? Nicely, 12 years in the past, his then-girlfriend, now very a lot his ex-girlfriend, threw away his exhausting drive containing a crypto pockets with 8,000 Bitcoin in it—value over $774 million on the time of the council’s rejection.

In April, Los Angeles-based manufacturing firm Lebul purchased unique rights to inform his story by way of a documentary. And because the summer season got here to an finish, Howells give up his decade-long pursuit of recovering the exhausting drive.

Now he’s making an attempt to launch a Bitcoin layer-2 community that will be backed by his authorized possession of the funds, regardless of not gaining access to them. Is it loopy sufficient to work? Something is feasible in crypto.

7. Getting Buzz and influencing individuals

Slightly-known X person generally known as Buzzlamic Jihad helped pump the worth of Aptos in February, after months of spamming Aptos-related memes. His catchphrases “Aptos wanting good right here,” “movement not priced in but,” and “sidelined?” rapidly turned main crypto memes this yr.

Because the influencer become a mascot for the community, Aptos determined to convey him onboard as an official advisor. 

It seems that Buzz was at all times greater than only a shitposter. He advised Decrypt that he had a progress advertising and marketing enterprise, specializing in Fb promoting, and claimed to have made thousands and thousands within the enterprise. The cherry on prime is that his mentors throughout this era had been none apart from Chase Herro and Zak Folkman, who went on to co-found the Trump-backed World Liberty Monetary.

8. You can also create a treasury

Amid the digital asset treasury development—or bubble, relying on who you ask—a lingerie blended combating league created its personal crypto treasury. It began with $2.23 million value of Bitcoin; later roughly $65,000 value of Dogecoin was added to the coffers.

“Is it leaping on a development just a little bit? After all,” Shaun Donnelly, founder and CEO of Lingerie Combating Championships, advised Decrypt, including that  “we have to get within the recreation now whereas we nonetheless can, as a result of if among the projections come true, there could be a degree the place you simply cannot get into the market anymore.”

9. Lone Star cops lasso a Bitcoin ATM

Texas legislation enforcement used energy instruments to crack open a Bitcoin ATM to get better $32,000 after an area household stated they had been scammed out of funds. Yeah, you learn that proper: The household was tricked into paying some hackers $32K, however as an alternative of making an attempt to determine who the precise thieves had been, the cops smashed open a BTC ATM, grabbed the funds, and repaid the victims. 

Bitcoin Depot, the proprietor of the ATM, stated that the “rogue legislation enforcement officers” had been simply “creating one other sufferer” by damaging the corporate’s property and taking their cash. Weirdly, the lengthy arm of the legislation has been making related strikes in Arkansas, Iowa and elsewhere, apparently believing that by facilitating the transactions, Bitcoin Depot is liable. The courts, nonetheless, disagree. 

10. Melania bolognia

Transfer over, Donald. To not be outdone by her husband, in January U.S. First Woman Melania Trump launched her personal meme coin. However in a twist, her enterprise spiraled right into a authorized and technical farce involving Argentine President Javier Milei, a class-action lawsuit, and a million-dollar “oopsie.”

The drama started when Melania’s token was swept right into a huge fraud and racketeering lawsuit filed in April (and amended in October). Buyers claimed Meteora co-founder Benjamin Chow was secretly puppeteering a “constellation of rip-off tokens,” utilizing high-profile figures like Melania and Milei as bait to lure in patrons.

Issues bought weirder nonetheless in October. Simply days after the lawsuit accused Chow of operating a “pump-and-dump” scheme, his personal platform, Meteora, accidentally airdropped $1.2 million value of tokens on to the wallets on the coronary heart of the scandal.

11. BOOM headshot

Has crypto discovered its lesson to not play with fireworks? Apparently not.

Controversial British content material creator Sam Pepper fired a Roman candle-style firework right into a crowd in the course of the Diwali pageant in New Delhi, India. “HEADSHOT,” somebody screamed from behind the digital camera, as a younger woman was apparently hit immediately within the eye and was rushed to the hospital.

Pepper claimed to have despatched somebody with the sufferer to the hospital to pay for her hospital charges, though journey YouTuber Raj Chauhan claims the household hasn’t seen any of that cash.

12. Dogwifhat, however not wif Sphere

Common Solana meme coin Dogwifhat confirmed, retracted, after which implied that it was going to be marketed on the Las Vegas Sphere by way of social media, prompting the token to leap double digits in a single day. “Formally confirmed. Viva hat Vegas,” a now-deleted X submit learn, accompanied by a photograph of the mascot carrying the Sphere as a hat.

However after Decrypt wrote in regards to the submit, Sphere PR reached out to say that, truly, there was no deal to promote Dogwifhat on the Sphere. Certainly, the venue’s crew was “distressed” the meme coin was utilizing its identify for “fraudulent functions.”

The Dogwifhat crew rapidly retreated from their place and refunded everybody who had helped increase $700,000 for the hopeful promoting marketing campaign.

13. Yu gotta be kidding

Jeff Yu, the creator of an AI musician, faked his demise and created a supposedly posthumous legacy coin, or legacoin, accompanied by a prolonged weblog submit. The token soared to a $105 million market cap earlier than it crashed 87% in simply an hour.

Simply days later, Yu was discovered alive at his mother and father’ home.