Elon Musk’s latest profile name change on X has sent ripple effects through the crypto market yet again. After swapping his profile to “Kekius Maximus” with a Roman‑style frog avatar, the meme‑inspired token tied to that name shot up by almost 120% in just 24 hours. Based on Binance data, traders saw KEKIUS climb from an average of 0.025 to 0.0502 overnight. Related Reading: Price Down, Bets Up: Dogecoin Open Interest Climbs To $1.62 Billion Musk Sparks Another Frog Coin Surge According to reports, this isn’t the first time Musk’s social‑media tweaks have moved meme coins. Last December, he adopted the same name and a golden‑armored Pepe image. That move drove KEKIUS nearly 500% higher in a single day before prices tumbled back. His followers treat each change like a buy signal. They pile in fast when they see a new profile name. Then many scramble to exit once the hype dies down. ???? is news by the people for the people. Seeking truth, but always self-critical. — Kekius Maximus (@elonmusk) May 15, 2025 Price Jumps 119% In A Day Binance figures show the token’s value leapt 119% within 24 hours of Musk’s latest switch. CoinMarketCap data confirms it hit 0.0502 at the peak, up from about 0.025 just a day earlier. That level is still far below its initial launch price last year. At one point, speculators were paying 0.25 for a single KEKIUS token before the first big crash. History Of Kekius Maximus Name Kekius Maximus blends several things at once. “Kek” started as gamer slang for laughing. It also links back to an Egyptian frog‑headed god of chaos. Maximus echoes the gladiator hero from a famous movie. The token itself runs on both Ethereum and Solana blockchains. Creators say they wanted to mix memes, myth and pop culture. But there’s no big tech behind it—just a playful mashup that reacts to Elon Musk’s mood swings. Risky Ride For Investors Based on reports, this pattern shows just how wild crypto can get when a celebrity is involved. These tokens offer no real product or service. They live or die on hype alone. When the profile name flips back, they often collapse. Traders who jump in at the peak can face heavy losses. Regulators have flagged such pumps as a concern. They warn that celebrity chatter can mask the true risk under the surface. Related Reading: Analysis: Crypto Heats Up As $35 Billion Enters Market In Under A Month A Wider Trend In Meme Tokens Earlier this month, Musk tried a different name—“Gorklon Rust”—and a related coin, GORK, doubled in value. That name combined his AI chatbot’s name with a programming language used by X’s engineers. Again, traders treated it like an open invitation. GORK saw a 100% spike in 24 hours. But it then gave most of that back when the novelty wore off. What To Watch Next Investors who follow these moves need to stay alert. Such jumps can happen without warning, and they can reverse just as fast. Some see them as short‑term bets, almost like casino plays. Others treat them as entertainment. Either way, it’s clear that Musk’s profile choices remain a powerful crypto driver. And for many tokens, that power can vanish as quickly as it appears. Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView
The Ethereum-based KEKIUS market cap exploded to $380 million on Jan. 1 before falling to $100 million after Musk changed his profile name and photo back.
Need to know what happened in crypto today? Here is the latest news on daily trends and events impacting Bitcoin price, blockchain, DeFi, NFTs, Web3 and crypto regulation.