In the cryptocurrency market, meme coins are creating wave after wave of excitement, attracting the attention of countless investors. Did you know that in early 2025, a meme coin project called PAIN raised an astonishing $39 million in just 48 hours, setting a historical record for meme coin presales! Even more surprisingly, the project team subsequently announced they would return 80% of the raised funds, immediately sparking discussions throughout the industry.
PAIN coin quickly became the focus of the crypto world with its unique market strategy and cultural background. What exactly makes this meme coin based on “Hide the Pain Harold” so special? Let’s unveil the mystery behind PAIN coin together and explore the story of how an internet meme transformed into a multi-million dollar cryptocurrency phenomenon.
What is PAIN Coin?
PAIN is a meme coin based on the Solana blockchain, inspired by the widely known internet meme “Hide the Pain Harold.” The original person behind this meme is Hungarian engineer András Arató (Harold himself), whose expression of “smiling while hiding pain” resonated strongly on the internet, becoming an iconic symbol in meme culture.
Unlike many cryptocurrencies, PAIN wasn’t created to solve any specific technical problem. Instead, it’s a cultural phenomenon, a product that combines internet meme culture with the cryptocurrency market. PAIN coin quickly gained followers in the crypto community through its humor and empathy for life’s struggles.
What makes PAIN unique is its marketing strategy and community interaction. After a successful presale, the project team made an unexpected decision: returning 80% of the raised funds, keeping only 20% (approximately $7.6 million) for launch, providing liquidity, and paying exchange listing fees. This strategy immediately sparked widespread discussion in the crypto community, with some viewing it as a reflection of the project’s “integrity,” in stark contrast to most meme projects that “raise and run.”
Some skeptics raised two points of concern: First, when the project team returned the SOL tokens, due to market price drops, the value of SOL received by investors was lower than their initial investment; Second, even though the project kept only 20% of the funds, this amount of about $7.6 million is still much more than what typical meme coin projects need for launching, leading these skeptics to believe that returning 80% might not be entirely out of generosity, but might have other considerations.
Regardless of the motives, this event created a secondary promotion opportunity for PAIN, achieving significant success in terms of publicity, further consolidating its position in the meme coin market.
The Origin Story of PAIN Coin
It all began in 2011, when András Arató was on vacation and was approached by a photographer who invited him for a photoshoot. These photos initially seemed ordinary, but internet users captured a certain sense of pain hidden behind his smile and began adding humorous text and background stories to the photos, transforming them into internet memes. Subsequently, “Hide the Pain Harold” quickly went viral on platforms like Facebook, Reddit, 4chan, and Imgur, becoming a global meme phenomenon.
Over the past decade, Harold’s image has been widely used to express life’s helplessness and forced smiles, with Arató himself humorously accepting this identity, becoming a “living meme.” By 2016, Arató publicly revealed his true identity, which made him even more popular. In 2020, Harold’s meme was even voted as Imgur’s “Meme of the Decade,” surpassing other iconic memes like “Grumpy Cat.”
When the Memeland team decided to transform this famous meme into a cryptocurrency, the concept of PAIN coin was officially born. On February 2, 2025, the PAIN project launched its presale, raising 186,000 SOL (approximately $38 million) in just 48 hours, becoming one of the largest meme coin presales in history.
Surprisingly, the PAIN project didn’t continue to expand its fundraising scale like most crypto projects. Instead, the project team announced they would return 80% of the raised funds, keeping only 20% for launch and liquidity, quickly making PAIN the focus of attention in the crypto community.
The glamorous meme origin, combined with Memeland’s resources and unique marketing strategy, helped PAIN quickly gain popularity and secure a special market position, all stemming from the unusual story of an ordinary person accidentally becoming an internet meme.
What Are the Features of PAIN Coin?
What makes PAIN coin so different? Let’s explore 5 key features of PAIN coin:
1. PAIN Coin is Built on the Solana Blockchain
The Solana blockchain is known for its high-speed transactions and low fees, providing PAIN coin with a solid technical foundation. Compared to other blockchains, Solana can process more transactions while maintaining lower costs, making PAIN coin trading experience smoother and more efficient.
2. PAIN Coin Has Strong Discussion Value
Unlike many cryptocurrency projects, PAIN coin was built from the beginning on a globally recognized internet cultural symbol, already having a large fan base worldwide, giving PAIN coin substantial discussion value. The project team actively promotes through social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), successfully bringing together meme enthusiasts and cryptocurrency investors to form an active community.
3. PAIN Coin’s Unique Marketing Strategy
After the record-breaking presale, the project team made a rare decision: returning 80% of the raised funds, which sparked widespread discussion in the cryptocurrency industry and was seen by many as a demonstration of the project team’s sincerity. From a rational analysis, this 80% refund amount is the largest among similar meme projects, and these funds can be viewed as potential purchasing power after PAIN launches, objectively protecting the returns of existing investors.
4. PAIN Coin Also Utilized Celebrity Effect for Promotion
In October 2024, photos of András Arató (Harold himself) with Binance founder CZ were widely circulated online. Considering that Memeland’s token MEME is already listed on Binance, this photo opportunity was undoubtedly facilitated behind the scenes by Memeland. This celebrity interaction greatly enhanced PAIN coin’s visibility and credibility.
5. PAIN Coin’s Value Primarily Comes from Collective Humor and Shared Experiences
Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, PAIN coin doesn’t have specific utility functions. Instead, its value comes from the community’s collective sense of humor and shared experiences. It resonates with those who have experienced losses and fluctuations in investment, its essence lying in empathizing with financial mistakes while finding them tragicomic, becoming a symbol of perseverance and laughter.
What Problem Does PAIN Aim to Solve?
Basically, PAIN doesn’t aim to solve any particular problem; it’s purely a meme symbol. Unlike mainstream cryptocurrencies that target specific technical challenges, PAIN coin is more of a cultural and community phenomenon. It’s not designed to improve blockchain technology or create new financial tools, but instead focuses on the emotional and psychological aspects often overlooked in the crypto world.
If we were to speak of PAIN’s value, in some ways, PAIN attempts to address the community cohesion issue in the cryptocurrency world. By combining meme culture with blockchain technology, PAIN has created a community based on shared emotional experiences, where people can share their joys and sorrows in crypto investing and face market uncertainties together.
So while PAIN hasn’t tried to solve technical problems in the traditional sense, it has explored new paths for cryptocurrency community building, emotional connection, and industry ethical standards, which is why it stands out in the meme coin market.
PAIN Token Economics
According to official PAIN information, the total supply of PAIN tokens is 10 million tokens. This relatively small supply helps maintain the token’s scarcity, potentially providing support for its price. These 10 million PAIN tokens are allocated according to the following percentages:
- Harold Lock-up (50%): A total of 5,000,000 PAIN, representing 50% of the total supply, will be locked until July 11, 2045. This long-term lock-up mechanism demonstrates the project team’s confidence in PAIN’s long-term development while reducing the risk of a massive token influx into the market in the short term.
- PAINSALE (20%): 2,000,000 PAIN tokens, accounting for 20% of the total supply, are dedicated to the initial token sale to provide startup funding. Notably, after raising approximately $39 million during the pre-sale phase, the PAIN project chose to return 80% of the funds, retaining only around $7.6 million for launch, liquidity provision, and potential exchange listing fees.
- Liquidity (15%): 1,500,000 PAIN tokens, representing 15% of the total supply, will be used to ensure market liquidity, enabling investors to easily buy and sell PAIN tokens. Sufficient liquidity is crucial for reducing price volatility and improving market stability.
- Community (10%): 1,000,000 PAIN tokens, comprising 10% of the total supply, will be utilized for community building, marketing activities, and user incentive programs, helping to expand PAIN’s community influence.
- Partners (5%): 500,000 PAIN tokens, making up 5% of the total supply, will be used for strategic collaborations, ecosystem development, and potential business partnerships.
Does PAIN Have a Future?
Is PAIN truly poised for future success? Let’s analyze it from multiple perspectives:
PAIN’s Early Success is Undeniable
The remarkable pre-sale achievement of raising $39 million in just 48 hours undoubtedly demonstrates the market’s immense interest in this project. This provides PAIN with substantial funding and widespread attention, which is critically important for the early development of any crypto project.
PAIN Boasts Strong Engagement
As a meme coin based on a famous internet meme, PAIN has cultivated a loyal fan base. The success of cryptocurrencies largely depends on community support and participation, and PAIN has a clear advantage in this regard. Particularly with Memeland’s resource support and community momentum, PAIN has been provided with an expansive user foundation.
However, PAIN Faces Challenges Common to Meme Coins
PAIN’s short-term success relies on Memeland’s community dynamics and the natural propagation of meme culture (and benefits from meme traders’ speculative behaviors). Nevertheless, long-term development faces significant challenges: if Harold’s “pain” core becomes excessively commercialized, it might dilute its inherent charm. Moreover, meme coins are dependent on market enthusiasm and could be among the first casualties during a bear market.
From a Market Competition Perspective
The meme coin market is already quite saturated, and PAIN needs continuous innovation to maintain its competitive edge. According to a Coingecko report, out of 27 similar projects, 12 were abandoned after the pre-sale stage, causing substantial investor losses. While PAIN’s record-breaking pre-sale is a positive signal, it does not guarantee long-term success.
From a Technical Foundation Standpoint
PAIN is built on the Solana blockchain, offering efficient transaction processing and low fees – a technical advantage. However, like many meme coins, PAIN lacks a clear utility function, with its value primarily derived from community consensus and speculative behavior, potentially limiting its long-term developmental potential.
Overall, PAIN’s future will depend on multiple factors: the project team’s ability to continue innovating and maintain enthusiasm; the market’s ongoing attitude towards meme coins; and whether PAIN can distinguish itself among numerous meme coins by developing more substantive functionalities and application scenarios. As with all crypto investments, investors should remain vigilant, only investing funds they can afford to lose, while closely monitoring the project’s developmental trajectory.
PAIN Token vs. Other Popular Meme Coins
As a rising meme coin, how does PAIN compare to two of the biggest names in the space—Dogecoin (DOGE) and Pepe (PEPE)? Let’s break down the similarities and differences.
PAIN Token vs. Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin is one of the earliest and most successful meme coins, having established a strong market presence over the years. Compared to PAIN, the two tokens have several key differences:
- Origins: Dogecoin was created as a joke based on the “Doge” meme, while PAIN originates from the “Hide the Pain Harold” meme and was strategically launched by the Memeland team.
- Market Maturity: Dogecoin has been around for years, boasting a massive community and widespread recognition. PAIN, on the other hand, is a new entrant—despite an impressive presale, its market position is still developing.
- Celebrity Endorsements: Dogecoin has gained significant support from influential figures like Elon Musk. PAIN, however, relies on the involvement of András Arató (the real-life Harold) and the backing of Memeland.
- Presale Strategy: PAIN introduced an unprecedented approach by refunding 80% of its presale funds, whereas Dogecoin never went through such a presale phase.
PAIN Token vs. Pepe (PEPE)
Pepe is another meme coin that has surged in popularity in recent years, drawing inspiration from the well-known “Pepe the Frog” meme. Here’s how it compares to PAIN:
- Blockchain Platform: PAIN is built on the Solana blockchain, while Pepe operates as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. This means PAIN benefits from Solana’s high-speed transactions and lower fees, whereas Pepe is tied to Ethereum’s broader ecosystem.
- Community Structure: Pepe’s community is more decentralized and organically driven, whereas PAIN enjoys strong centralized backing from Memeland.
- Cultural Tone: Pepe is deeply embedded in various internet subcultures, often with more niche appeal. In contrast, PAIN resonates with a broader audience through its “laugh-through-the-pain” sentiment, making it more accessible.
- Growth Potential: Given that Pepe has already seen significant market cap expansion, some analysts believe PAIN—being a new entrant—could have greater upside potential. However, it also carries higher risk due to its early-stage status.
PAIN blends aspects of established meme coins while introducing its own unique elements. Compared to Dogecoin and Pepe, its biggest advantage lies in its innovative presale strategy and strong backing from Memeland. However, whether it can replicate the success of these giants remains to be seen, as only time and market dynamics will tell.
How to Buy PAIN Token?
Interested in investing in PAIN but not sure where to start? No worries—MEXC provides a simple and convenient way to purchase PAIN tokens! If you’re new to the crypto space, the buying process may seem overwhelming, but in reality, acquiring PAIN on the MEXC exchange is straightforward. Below is a step-by-step guide to purchasing PAIN on MEXC.
Step-by-Step Guide to Buying PAIN on MEXC
MEXC is an ideal platform for purchasing PAIN tokens. Follow these steps to get started:
- Register a MEXC Account – Visit the official MEXC website and complete the registration process. Make sure to complete the KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, as it is required for purchasing crypto, enhances account security, and unlocks more trading features.
- Deposit Funds – After successfully registering and logging in, you’ll need to fund your account. You can deposit USDT, BTC, or other supported cryptocurrencies into your MEXC wallet.
- Find the PAIN Trading Pair – Use the search bar on MEXC’s trading platform and type in “PAIN.” You will see trading pairs like PAIN/USDT—select the pair you want to trade.
- Place an Order – Decide how much PAIN you want to buy and at what price. You can choose a market order (buy instantly at the current market price) or a limit order (set your desired price, and the order will be executed when the market reaches it).
- Secure Your Tokens – After purchasing, it’s recommended to transfer your PAIN tokens to a personal wallet for added security.
With MEXC, buying PAIN tokens is easy and hassle-free, helping you embark on your crypto investment journey. Ready to join the PAIN investor community? Head over to MEXC and start your PAIN token investment today!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is PAIN Token Legitimate and Reliable?
PAIN is a meme coin built on the Solana blockchain, making it a legitimate crypto asset from a technical standpoint. In terms of reliability, PAIN has several positive indicators: it was incubated by the well-known Memeland team, raised approximately $39 million during its presale, and made the unprecedented decision to refund 80% of the raised funds. This level of transparency and investor consideration is generally seen as a positive sign.
2. Which Exchanges List PAIN Token?
Currently, PAIN is available for trading on MEXC and other crypto exchanges. As one of the leading global cryptocurrency exchanges, MEXC offers a seamless and convenient trading experience for PAIN.
For investors, it is recommended to follow MEXC’s official announcements and PAIN’s social media channels to stay updated on new exchange listings and other important updates.
3. When is the Best Time to Buy PAIN Token?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as the cryptocurrency market is influenced by multiple factors, making price predictions difficult. However, here are some key points to consider when making a more informed decision:
- Monitor Market Trends – The crypto market operates in cycles. Entering during an upward trend with strong market sentiment often reduces risk.
- Analyze Price Movements and Trading Volume – A stable price with increasing trading volume can indicate a good entry point, while extreme volatility may require caution.
- Follow Project Developments and Community Engagement – New feature launches, strategic partnerships, or significant community growth can positively impact PAIN’s value.
Conclusion
PAIN is a meme coin inspired by the Hide the Pain Harold meme, and it has achieved remarkable success in a short period. Leveraging Solana’s technical foundation, an innovative marketing strategy, and strong community engagement, PAIN has quickly established itself in the meme coin market. While PAIN differs from traditional cryptocurrencies designed to solve real-world problems, it introduces a new dimension to the crypto space by bridging emotions and culture.
When investing in PAIN, it’s important to recognize that its value is primarily driven by community consensus rather than utility. Investors should stay informed about market trends, project developments, and risk management strategies. Whether you’re a newcomer or an experienced trader, conducting thorough research and risk assessment is crucial before embarking on this painfully fun investment journey.
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