10 Best Meme Stocks to Trade in December 2025

The GameStop stock craze of 2021 was only the opening salvo in the rise of meme stocks. Stocks that are driven by social-media hype and stock-related chat room banter are now a fixed part of the financial landscape.

Meme stocks are a risky bet, at best, because they’re often unprofitable, and meme investors could easily see their shares crash in a moment of volatility. Meme stocks remain highly speculative and require a cautious approach when trading or investing in them. However, in some cases, if approached carefully, meme stocks can be good investments.

For the purpose of this article, we limited the list to stocks that rank among the top trending stocks on Robinhood or other platforms, such as WallStreetBets, Reddit and StockTwits as a measure of popularity. They are also either unprofitable or trading at valuations more than 100 times earnings. Read on for our picks of the top meme stocks worth watching:

A closer look at these trending meme stocks

Sometimes, retail investors create hype around stocks that are heavily shorted, i.e., professional investors like hedge funds have positioned for their decline. The retail investors are trying to drive up the price, forcing short sellers to buy them, creating a short squeeze. This is what happened to GameStop in 2021.

Now, let’s take a deep dive into the popular target stocks by short sellers you could consider trading in 2025. But be aware of the high risk and do your due diligence before you do.

1. Tesla: More than a car company

Part of Tesla’s status as a meme stock stems from its phenomenal growth and the lightning-rod status of its CEO, Elon Musk. The company, which focuses on electric vehicles (EVs), robotics and is in the AI space, just announced plans for more affordable electric vehicles, including two models that will retail for under $40,000.

The US company’s full third-quarter financials are expected Oct. 22. However, it released preliminary results that said that it made a record 447,000 vehicles in the quarter and delivered a record 497,000 vehicles, as well as a record 12.5 GWh of energy storage products.

In the second quarter, Tesla reported $22.5 billion in revenue, down 16%y ear over year, and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.12, which fell 18%. Another reason the stock is a meme favorite is the company’s history of innovation. Investors are waiting to see how the company’s rollout of Cybercab robotaxi and Optimus humanoid robots works out. 

One legitimate concern for its EV sales is the US government’s $7,500 rebate for EVs just expired, making Tesla’s cars less affordable in the US. In addition, overseas, it’s facing intense pressure from Chinese EV makers.

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2. Palantir Technologies: Expanding beyond government revenue

Palantir’s stock has climbed more than 1,700% since its IPO five years ago. The company’s shares had been riding high this year until a report by Reuters that called into question the security of a battlefield communications system it worked on with defense tech firm Anduril Industries Inc.

Still, the company’s position as a data analytics software company with government contracts remains relatively solid.

It also has an early-mover advantage in the AI space, though it’s seeing competition for contracts from Open AI. A key for Palantir will be how well it’s going to be able to diversify its revenue base beyond government contracts.

In the second quarter, Palantir said it had revenue of $1.004 billion, up 48% year over year. EPS totaled $0.13, rising 116% over the same period last year. The revenue increase led the company to raise its full-year revenue guidance to between $4.142 billion and $4.150 billion. That’s up from an earlier estimates of between $3.890 billion and $3.902 billion.

A big key for the company has been its growth outside of government contracts, thanks to its AI platforms designed to promote security. In the second quarter, it saw US commercial revenue rise 93% year over year to $306 million.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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3. Lithium Americas: Enjoying a Trump bump

Lithium Americas is developing the Thacker Pass mine in northern Nevada, which it says has the largest-known measured lithium resource and reserve in the world. It also co-owns the Cauchari-Olaroz mine in Argentina along with Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium.

The Canadian company, which isn’t bringing in any revenue yet, saw its shares jump 184% in the past month. On top of that, LAC has strong partnerships, including a $625 million investment from General Motors and a $2.26 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

While the Thacker Pass isn’t expected to become operational until 2026, the Trump Administration recently said it would defer the DOE loan in return for a 5% equity stake in LAC.

As of the second quarter, Lithium Americas said it had $509.1 million in cash, and it had an EPS loss of $0.11. The need for lithium for batteries, especially for EV batteries means that the miner will be able to sell whatever lithium it’s able to extract.

That cash position could change dramatically as LAC said that, just from the Cauchari-Olaroz mine, it’s aiming to produce 85,000 metric tons of the battery metal annually by around 2029. That’s more than triple last year’s output.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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4. Reddit: Turning its large user base into revenue

Reddit is at the center of the meme stock phenomenon because its users help hype stocks, including its own. The social media site is a little more than a year old as a publicly traded company. Its shares have risen more than 353% since its IPO on March 20, 2024. Its shares are up more than 27% so far this year.

One concern for investors is that the US social media platform may see a reduced presence, thanks to the rise of AI. A Promptwatch study recently showed that ChatGPT cited Reddit content in just 2% of the time on September 30 compared to a 9.7% on average on August 31.

In the second quarter, Reddit reported revenue of $500 million, up 78% year over year, while EPS was $0.45 compared to a per-share loss of $0.06 in the same quarter a year earlier.

The key for Reddit is finding more ways to drive revenue from its large user base. It grew daily active users by 21% year over year in the quarter to 110.4 million. Looking ahead, it expects third quarter revenue to be between $535 million and $545 million, and adjusted EBITDA to be between $185 million and $195 million.

The company remains bullish on its future with annual sales predicted to climb 57% this year and 34% in 2026 to $2.74 billion.

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5. DoorDash: Delivering revenue growth in the post-pandemic world

DoorDash, known as a food delivery platform, is expanding into delivering supplies and groceries beyond its core restaurant delivery system. It also is venturing into robotic delivery with its new service, Dot, a compact robot designed to navigate streets, sidewalks and bike paths.

The US company also focuses on growth through acquisitions. It spent roughly $3.7 billion to acquire London-based Deliveroo, a delivery service with roughly 7 million monthly active consumers across 9 countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Ireland, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The company is coming off a second quarter where it had record numbers for total orders, marketplace GOV (total value of marketplace orders), revenue, and net income. It reported revenue of $3.3 billion, up 25% year over year.

Total orders rose 20% over the same quarter a year ago to 761 million. After losing $187 in net income in the second quarter of 2024, the company had $285 in net income this quarter. Marketplace GOV was $24.2 billion, up 23% year over year.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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6. Snap: Growing but still not close to being profitable

The parent company of the visual messaging App Snapchat has more than 932 monthly active daily users. TikTok’s continued difficulty in the US also helps Snap’s business model.

However, the US tariffs on China has also led to a decline in ad revenue as many smaller Chinese e-commerce companies are among the company’s top advertisers. Snap is also seeing potential competition from OpenAI, which has recently unveiled a social media short-form video app.

In the second quarter, Snap had revenue of $1.34 billion, up 9% year over year. However, the company is still losing money and had a net income loss of $263 million compared to a loss of $249 million in the same period a year ago.

A key area of potential growth is in augmented reality. The company’s Spectacles division is set to launch the company’s AR-enabled functional glasses sometime early next year, giving it a head start over larger competitors such as Meta and Apple.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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7. Spotify: The sound of money and music

Streaming represents 84% of all recorded music revenue in the world, and Spotify is at the pinnacle of streaming services, with 696 million total monthly active users (MAUs.) Its library includes more than 100 million songs and 7 million podcast titles, from record labels and media companies.

The Swedish company has both a free service, with advertisements and limited control for users and paid subscriptions that allow unlimited commercial-free listening to its music and podcasts.

The stock is a meme stock, both because of Spotify’s popularity with younger investors and because it has big momentum, with its shares up more than 51% so far this year. It trades for an incredibly high price/earnings ratio of 150.45.

In the second quarter, Spotify had revenue of €4.193 billion, up 10% year over year, despite a small decline in advertising revenue. That’s because Spotify Premium revenue climbed 12% over the same period last year to €3.74 billion.

However, the company reported a net loss of €86 million after making €274 million in the same period a year ago. It attributed the drop in profitability to increased costs for personnel, marketing and professional services.

In the third quarter, the company is predicting revenue of €4.2 billion and 710 million MAUs as well as operating income of €485 million.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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8. Archer Aviation: The sky is the limit for air taxi company

The California-based company just had a public test flight of one of its electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) at the California International Airshow in Monterey County. The company’s goal is to use its eVTOLs to reduce commute times in heavily populated cities.

The prospect of its flying taxis and rumors of a possible connection with Tesla have driven up the company’s stock by more than 30% so far this year. It already has a conditional order for 200 of its eVTOLs with the US government.

Archer’s lead eVTOL, Midnight, will carry four passengers and a pilot over short routes, possibly in connection with other airflights or ground travel.

The company, pending Federal Aviation Administration approval, is hoping to have its first commercial flights next year.

In the second quarter, Archer said it had $1.7 billion in cash and six Midnight aircraft in production. The company isn’t making any revenue yet and lost $206.5 million in the quarter. It may be a while until the company is profitable, but the prospect of flying taxis drives its meme status.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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9. Virgin Galactic: Speculative play is looking at space tourism

Virgin Galactic, an aerospace and space travel company based in California, recently said that the first flight of its new Delta-class SpaceShip, designed for research, is still on track for a launch next year.

The prospects of space travel for private citizens cements this company’s status as a meme stock with plenty of speculative appeal for investors.

In the second quarter, the company had cash of $508 million and revenue of $400,000, compared to revenue of $4.2 million in the same period last year. It also had a net loss of $67 million, compared to a net loss of $95 million in the same period last year.

The drop in revenue is due to the company pausing its human spaceflights on the VSS Unity spaceplane, part of its reusable suborbital fleet. The pause is meant to allow Virgin Galactic to focus on producing its Delta Class SpaceShips.

Many investors are playing a wait-and-see approach to see if these Delta Class SpaceShips will improve the company’s profitability. They are said to be capable of eight missions a month, with 12 times the payload and human capacity of the VSS Unity spaceplane.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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10. AMC Entertainment: Experiencing a comeback

AMC, thanks to meme stock mania, that has at times help prop up its share price, has been able to improve its financial situation, including paying down its debt.

When Taylor Swift recently released “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl” at AMC and Odeon theaters, it became the only “non-film” theatrical show in 25 years to top the weekend box office rankings.

AMC hasn’t been profitable, but if it can follow up its second quarter with a strong third quarter, its stock would likely shoot up.

In the second quarter, the company reported revenue of $1.39 billion, up 35% year over year. It lost $4.7 million in net income in the quarter, but that was an improvement of 85% over the same period last year.

If the movie industry can continue to rebound from its pandemic and strike-related doldrums, AMC will benefit. It owns 860 theatres and 9,700 screens across the globe.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

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What is a meme stock?

A meme stock is a company whose shares rise in popularity and price, primarily due to online hype and social media buzz rather than traditional financial analysis.

Online communities, such as Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets, often rally around certain meme stocks in hopes of creating a short squeeze, where short sellers are forced to buy back shares at higher prices. Interestingly, many meme stocks also fall into the category of stocks under $10, making them more accessible to retail traders fueling the hype.

The name “meme stock” comes from the phenomenon of viral memes that trend online. Meme stocks can take off in a dramatically short period and plummet just as quickly.

While not all meme stocks are of companies that are underperforming, the term is generally attached to soaring stocks whose price rise isn’t supported by its earnings or profitability.

The meme phenomenon exists in the world of cryptocurrencies, too, with meme coins getting investors’ attention on the back of viral social media posts and discussions.

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The history of meme stocks

Irrational exuberance over certain shares has been around as long the fear of missing out has had an impact on markets. The best early example was the rise and fall of the Tulip Mania in the Dutch Republic from 1634 to 1637.

However, modern meme investing got its start when Robinhood introduced commission-free trading in 2015. Other brokerages soon followed suit and that opened the door for younger, less-affluent investors.

During the early part of the pandemic in 2020, more people were stuck at home due to lockdowns. People had more extra cash with little to spend it on.

Reddit, WallStreetBets and StockTwits

A lot of them developed an interest in retail investing, fueled by social media sites such as Reddit or Stocktwits – sparking interest in both meme stocks and some of the best tech stocks to buy that were trending at the time.

Some of those investors, including Gill “Roaring Kitty,” in a concerted effort, targeted heavily shorted companies, such as GameStop, AMC Entertainment, BlackBerry and Bed, Bath & Beyond, to create a short squeeze.

That means, they forced hedge funds that were consistently short-selling these stocks anticipating that their prices would drop, to cover their positions, as the exact opposite happened. The short sellers had to quickly buy these shares to limit their losses.

An example — AMC Entertainment

AMC Entertainment, in early 2021, for example, was close to bankruptcy, thanks to COVID-19 lockdowns and needed capital. Its shares fell to as low as $1.91.

From Jan. 25 to Jan. 27, the stock was prominently talked about on Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets. Retail investors urged each other on to bet against short sellers of the stock, triggering a short squeeze that lifted it by more than 300%.

AMC was able to capitalize on its stock’s rise by selling additional shares and ultimately was able to stave off bankruptcy.

The revival of the meme stock mania

What triggered the return of the meme stock phenomenon in 2024 was a new social media post by investor Gill, “Roaring Kitty,” who helped create the first meme surge in 2021. His reemergence after a three-year hiatus stoked rallies in the prices of the original and some new meme stocks that had high levels of short interest.

In addition to the video game retailer GameStop, the stock prices of AMC Entertainment, Blackberry, Hertz and SunPower also surged. Subsequently, repeated posts by the meme-stock influencer also lifted the prices of pet product retailer Chewy and video game development firm Unity Software.

Meme stocks are here to stay

One caveat, though, is that hedge funds are better prepared for dealing with short squeezes this time around. Many funds use algorithms to capture price momentum and are better suited to jump in and benefit from the rallies before they are well known, then get out before a stock’s price collapses.

While meme stocks can offer explosive gains, investors looking for long-term growth might also explore the best blockchain stocks, which are backed by real-world applications and innovation in digital infrastructure.

_{Your capital is at risk. Past performance does not indicate future results.}

Conclusion

Meme stocks come in all shapes and sizes. While there is a lot of risk with any stock that has seen huge share gains in a short time, being a meme stock doesn’t inherently make it a bad long-term investment. Some of the AI-driven stocks are also seeing huge share price growth, and investors have caught on to that.

The key to investing in web3 stocks is to approach it with extensive research rather than a FOMO mindset. These shares, much like meme stocks, can be highly speculative, and a lot of caution is warranted.

Make sure the reason for a stock’s surge is sustainable and grounded in real fundamentals rather than just hype around a sector. If the growth is justified and the company has a competitive edge, a high price-to-earnings ratio alone isn’t necessarily a reason to stay away from a promising stock. It’s, though, often wise to wait for a dip before buying in.

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