Shiba Inu

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is an Ethereum-based ERC-20 token launched in 2020 as a community-driven memecoin. SHIB serves as the flagship token of the broader Shiba Inu ecosystem and is held across millions of wallets, with trading and utility extending across centralised exchanges and decentralised applications.

The ecosystem includes additional tokens with distinct roles. BONE functions as the governance token of Doggy DAO and is used for gas fees on the project's Layer 2 network. LEASH operates as a limited-supply token granting holders access to specific ecosystem features. ShibaSwap provides a decentralised exchange for token swaps, staking — known internally as burying — and liquidity provision.

Shibarium, the project's Layer 2 blockchain, processes transactions at lower cost than the Ethereum mainnet and supports decentralised applications built within the Shiba Inu environment. Within the broader landscape, Shiba Inu represents one of the larger and more active community-led memecoin ecosystems, illustrating how meme-origin tokens can extend into wider infrastructure including DEXes, scaling solutions and governance frameworks.

Memecoins form a distinct segment of the digital asset market, defined by community ownership, viral identity and cultural references rather than traditional product roadmaps. Many projects in this category have grown beyond their initial branding to include exchanges, scaling layers and governance structures. Readers tracking how community-led tokens evolve into wider ecosystems can explore broader developments across the memecoin space.