Alt season—the period where altcoins outperform Bitcoin—has long been a focus for traders aiming to capitalize on capital rotation. But with shifting market dynamics and more sector-specific narratives driving rallies, analysts are reconsidering what “alt season” even looks like today. In response to our latest pitch, five crypto market participants shared their frameworks and whether they believe we’re currently in a true alt season, alongside the markers they monitor and recent examples that inform their views.
Fragmented Momentum, Not a Broad Rally
Eugene Musienko of Merehead doesn’t believe we’re experiencing a classic alt season. He defines alt season as broad participation from mid and small-cap coins, which is currently lacking.
“I don’t believe we’re in a classic ‘alt season’ today. To me, that phrase means broad participation across altcoins, where money is flowing beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum into mid and small caps. Right now, the picture is more fragmented.
One example that stood out recently was Solana’s rally. It had healthy spot volume and strong price action, but most other alts didn’t follow. That tells me we’re seeing isolated runs rather than the across-the-board lift that defines an alt season.”
Corina Tham of CheapForexVPS shares a similar view. While some altcoins are breaking out, she sees the current market as defined more by selective strength than a market-wide alt rally.
“I believe we are not currently in a full-fledged ‘alt season,’ but there are hints of potential for certain altcoins to outperform in isolated trends. A recent example is the notable breakout of SOL from a major resistance level, showing a strong trend supported by both spot demand and consistent volume. However, without further confirmation from the broader market, I would classify the current environment as selective opportunities rather than a traditional ‘alt season.'”
Rotations Within Narratives, Not Across the Board
Tornike Asatiani of Edumentors emphasizes that a few token surges don’t make an alt season. For him, real confirmation comes when multiple indicators align alongside market-wide strength.
“Altseason isn’t a myth, but the way people chase it often is. I don’t call it ‘altseason’ just because a few meme coins pump. Right now, we’re seeing fragmented rotations—like the AI basket spiking (e.g., RNDR, FET) while most of the market stays flat. That’s not a true altseason. A real one needs breadth, not just narrative.”
Yuri Berg of FinchTrade argues that alt season may look different today—less about market-wide pumps and more about narrative-driven rotations that occur in rapid cycles.
“As I see it, an alt season is happening, but the playbook has been rewritten. Forget the days when every coin would pump at once. Today’s market doesn’t lift all boats; it launches specific rockets. Capital now rotates quickly between distinct narratives, like Real World Assets or DePIN, creating short and intense sector-specific rallies.”
Early Signals Suggest a Shift Is Underway
Ahmed Yousuf of CoinTime sees early signs of rotation into altcoins, supported by technical shifts in dominance and ETH/BTC performance, though he stops short of calling it a full-fledged alt season.
“We’re not in full alt season yet, but the shift has begun. BTC dominance just dropped to 59.7% and flashed a Death Cross, a bearish sign that often precedes capital rotation into altcoins. ETH/BTC is up ~16% month-over-month, now around 0.0372, showing early large-cap strength.”
Across the board, analysts agree that today’s crypto market doesn’t show the same synchronized altcoin rallies once associated with past alt seasons. While some see early indicators of capital rotation, others view current price action as isolated or narrative-driven. Most agree on the need for broader market breadth and stronger confirmation across technical markers before declaring a definitive cycle shift.