Meme Stock
what it means
The value comes from coordination and attention. Meme stocks move on forum sentiment, and the disconnect from fundamentals is the defining feature.
A stock whose price is driven by online enthusiasm rather than company fundamentals.
the origin story
The term emerged around the January 2021 GameStop short squeeze, when retail investors organised on Reddit drove extraordinary price movements.
The episode prompted congressional hearings in the US and lasting changes in how brokerages and regulators think about coordinated retail activity. The term stuck as a permanent category in financial vocabulary, which is unusual for slang born on a forum.
in the wild
It's up 400% and the company loses money.
Meme stock.
What's driving it?
A forum. That's genuinely the answer.
how to use it
- Describing sentiment-driven stocks
- Discussing retail investing
- Referencing 2021 market history
- As investment advice
- For any volatile stock
- Professionally without acknowledging the specific mechanism
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
keep scrolling
Glow-Down
The opposite of a glow-up — appearing to have declined rather than improved.
Slept On
Underrated — overlooked despite being genuinely good.
Hot Girl Summer
A season spent being confident, unbothered and out enjoying yourself.
Cheat Code
A trick or advantage that makes something much easier than it should be.