Dog-themed cryptocurrency Dogecoin (DOGE) is in the spotlight as alternative cryptocurrencies referred to as altcoins see a price surge at 2026’s start, with meme coins leading the charge.

On-chain analytics platform Santiment spotlights coins that are generating the most attention to start the weekend, including Dogecoin.

According to Santiment, Dogecoin is on the radar with numerous discussions about it, especially surrounding its recent market activity.

Santiment observed that discussions on Reddit currently surround Dogecoin’s market performance in comparison with other cryptocurrencies.

The discussion about Dogecoin on Telegram highlights price surges, market rallies and support from figures like Elon Musk, emphasizing strong market momentum and volatility. X discussions note large whale purchases, price jumps and bullish technical patterns, contributing to Dogecoin’s prominence in crypto discussions.

DOGE jumps at 2026’s start

Dogecoin jumped at 2026’s start as meme coins led the surge in the markets, with traders leaning into “meme season” talk as the year gets underway.

At the time of writing, Dogecoin was up 11% in the last 24 hours and up 16% weekly. Dogecoin saw a sharp rise on Friday, reaching $0.144, extending a rise from the Jan. 1 low of $0.117. The rise continued on Saturday with the DOGE price reaching $0.1444 before slightly declining.

Dogecoin surpassed the daily MA 50, currently at $0.139, for the first time in weeks; the last time it traded above here was Oct. 9.

Buyers surged above this level on the strongest volume in weeks, turning what had been a compression zone into a breakout and shifting near-term focus to whether DOGE can hold above the $0.14 level. The breakout was supported by spot activity, with Dogecoin trading volumes rising.

In the last 24 hours, Dogecoin’s trading volume was up 57.3% to $3.08 billion, indicating a healthier market move.

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