meme stock
Very CommonA stock driven by social media hype and retail trader momentum rather than company fundamentals.
Carries an implication of speculative risk and community-driven momentum. Not inherently negative, though often used skeptically by traditional finance.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | GME is the original meme stock. everything else is just following the blueprint | GameStop is the defining example of the phenomenon. | reddit, 2021 |
| 02 | bought a meme stock for fun with money i was willing to lose. up 40% somehow lmao | Profiting on a speculative trade that was never meant to be serious. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | this new AI startup is trading like a meme stock. nothing but vibes and retail momentum | Skepticism about a stock rising on hype without substance. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | held a meme stock for two years. it's a personality trait at this point | Still holding a meme stock long after the initial hype, now an identity. | reddit, 2023 |
Use it when
- A stock is moving based on community hype rather than financials.
- Explaining or describing the GameStop or AMC phenomenon.
- Warning someone that a stock move is driven by social media, not fundamentals.
Do not use it when
- A stock is growing based on strong business results.
- You just mean a stock is popular.
Origin and context
Popularized during the January 2021 GameStop short squeeze, when r/WallStreetBets coordinated retail buying that drove GameStop stock from under $20 to nearly $500. The term quickly spread to mainstream financial media.
- First seen
- 2021
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/meme-stockUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0