Meteora, one of Solana’s fastest-growing decentralized exchanges (DEXs), has witnessed a dramatic surge in trading activity after the launch of Kanye West’s highly publicized memecoin, YZY. According to on-chain data, Meteora processed approximately $1.183 billion in trades over a 24-hour period, marking one of its most significant single-day performances to date.
The YZY token, tied to West’s broader “YZY Money” ecosystem, captured market attention with an immediate explosion in market capitalization, at one point touching the $2–3 billion range within hours of its debut. Meteora quickly became one of the primary trading venues for YZY, with liquidity providers and traders rushing to capitalize on the sudden wave of demand. The spike in activity highlights both the influence of celebrity-backed tokens and the increasing relevance of Solana’s DeFi ecosystem in absorbing rapid surges in volume.
Meteora’s Role in the Solana DEX Arena
While the YZY-driven frenzy boosted Meteora’s short-term performance, the exchange has already been gaining ground as a serious contender in Solana’s decentralized trading landscape. In July 2025, Meteora secured a 21.8% share of Solana’s total DEX trading volume, second only to Raydium, which maintained a leading 32.2% share. The platform also demonstrated a 145.9% month-over-month increase in trading volume, making it one of the most rapidly expanding DeFi protocols on Solana.
A core driver behind Meteora’s rise is its Dynamic Liquidity Market Maker (DLMM) technology, which allows for more efficient liquidity provisioning compared to traditional automated market maker models. This innovation has attracted a steady stream of liquidity providers, creating deeper markets that enable the platform to handle high-volume surges—such as those triggered by the YZY launch—without major slippage or disruptions.
Celebrity-Driven Momentum Meets DeFi Infrastructure
The YZY launch underscores a recurring theme in crypto markets: the outsized impact of cultural figures in driving speculative demand. Previous celebrity-linked tokens, from entertainers to internet personalities, have demonstrated similar short-term bursts in activity. However, Meteora’s ability to capture and sustain liquidity during such a surge sets it apart. The DEX’s infrastructure allowed it to channel the YZY hype into real volume growth, rather than short-lived activity that often disperses across smaller platforms.
Industry analysts suggest that while YZY’s long-term sustainability remains uncertain, the event highlights how Solana-based DEXs like Meteora are now equipped to rival Ethereum-based venues in handling spikes of retail-driven speculation. This positioning could help accelerate Solana’s reputation as the chain of choice for high-throughput, retail-heavy trading activity.
The question now is whether Meteora can convert this momentum into longer-term dominance within the Solana ecosystem. Although the exchange remains second to Raydium, its rapid growth trajectory and ability to capture headline-driven surges could shift the balance in coming months. If similar events continue to funnel traffic through Meteora, it may soon challenge Raydium’s leading position.
For now, Meteora’s $1.183 billion 24-hour trading volume stands as a milestone in Solana’s DeFi growth story, reflecting both the speculative power of celebrity-backed memecoins and the increasing maturity of decentralized exchanges competing for market share.