A publicly traded equity that is popular because a post on social media goes viral. For example, in 2021, GameStop jumped from $20 a share to nearly $350 in two weeks because hedge funds had shorted the stock and a Reddit post encouraged people to buy it out of revenge. The stock dropped precipitously into the $40's but rose into the 200+ range within a couple months. The early adopters who cash out of meme stocks make the money. See
meme and
meme coin.