Altcoin Frenzy Builds: Index Jumps 225% in 21 Days—Is Crypto’s Wildest Season Finally Arriving?

Over a span of 21 days, the Altcoin Season Index (ASI)—which rates between 0 and 100, with anything above 75 signaling an altcoin season—climbed significantly, rising from just 12 to 39 by July 16.

From BONK to PENGU: Some Crypto Assets Are Exploding in Value as Altcoins Scream for Attention

As of 11 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, the Altcoin Season Index (ASI) listed on blockchaincenter.net sits at 39 out of 100. It’s not quite altcoin season yet—but it’s inching closer. According to ASI’s criteria, it becomes altcoin season when 75% of the top 50 coins have outperformed bitcoin ( BTC) over the past 90 days (a season).

Source: Altcoin Season Index (ASI) via blockchaincenter.net.

Back on June 25, the ASI score sat at just 12. Fast forward 21 days, and it’s jumped to 39 out of 100—now only 36 points shy of breaching altcoin season territory. This uptick is fueled by a wave of crypto assets that have racked up eye-catching gains over the latest 90-day window.

Leading the charge was PENGU, which rocketed an eye-popping 567.3%. BONK wasn’t far behind with a hefty 183.3% increase, trailed by HYPE at 176.1%. AAVE posted a 133.7% rise, while SEI wasn’t too far off with a 116.4% boost. Ethereum ( ETH) added 95.7%, followed by stellar ( XLM) with a 93.7% gain and SUI climbing 84.6%. PEPE advanced 75%, slightly ahead of UNI’s 72.7%.

Source: Altcoin Season Index (ASI) via blockchaincenter.net.

Other strong performers included TAO, WBT, ARB, and FET, which notched gains of 71.4%, 57.7%, 52.1%, and 51.3%, respectively. Monero ( XMR) inched up 50%, with ALGO close behind at 48.2%. Bitcoin cash ( BCH) moved up 44.7%, HBAR gained 43.2%, and XRP edged out BTC with a 41.8% increase.

It’s been quite some time since a meaningful and lasting altcoin season has come around and some are questioning whether or not it will come at all on crypto forums and social media platforms. One Redditor believes that market shakeups are routine and often lead to a “flight to quality,” where weaker projects disappear and stronger ones survive.

The Reddit user East-Cricket6421 expects each cycle to reduce the number of successful projects, gradually concentrating value around a few blue-chip assets. This pattern has repeated with fewer winners emerging each time. Their experience has brought them full circle—from starting as a bitcoin maximalist, profiting in the altcoin boom, and ultimately returning to bitcoin maximalism based on this consolidation theory.

On the social media platform X, some users are declaring that altcoin season “begins now” and confidently predicting it’s about to deliver face-melting gains. Crypto trader Sensei told its 104,400 X followers that altcoin season is “just getting started—2017. 2021. Now, it’s happening again. The next 6 months could be the most profitable of your life.”

Some people are looking at ethereum’s gains as ETH jumped 23% this week compared to BTC’s 10% run-up. “The last time Ethereum looked this good we hit almost $5,000—Altcoin Season is HERE,” another altcoin proponent wrote on Wednesday. Still, this isn’t the first time traders and altcoin fans have sounded the altcoin season alarm—only for it to fizzle out or never arrive at all. Others argue the era of broad altcoin seasons may be behind us, with only a handful of standout tokens expected to hold their ground against BTC.

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