As the crypto market gears up toward its next major upswing, new opportunities are emerging that may outperform the well-known names. Most attention is given to established assets, but lesser-known projects often carry the potential for rapid growth.
Before diving into what’s new, it’s essential to consider that accessibility and listing status are crucial: The ease with which a token appears on a reputable platform like LeveX can significantly impact its early momentum and visibility.
The following article highlights eight emerging cryptos worth watching ahead of the next bull cycle — and each one brings something different to the table.
While these are not guaranteed successes, they’re projects with innovative use cases, growing ecosystems, and timing that may align with the broader bullish market. Understanding them now could provide a meaningful advantage when sentiment shifts.
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Starknet (STRK): ZK-Rollup Momentum on Ethereum
Starknet is a zero-knowledge rollup built with the Cairo programming language, designed to scale Ethereum while preserving security guarantees. In February 2024, the Starknet Foundation initiated a broad distribution of the STRK token to approximately 1.3 million eligible wallets, acting as a catalyst for governance participation and ecosystem growth.
The scale of this distribution, paired with a growing set of developer tools and dApps, positions Starknet as a leading ZK-rollup to watch.
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LayerZero (ZRO): Cross-Chain Messaging for Omnichain Apps
LayerZero provides a generalized messaging layer that enables applications to pass instructions and data between multiple blockchains, allowing for features such as cross-chain swaps, unified liquidity, and multi-chain NFTs.
In June 2024, LayerZero launched the ZRO token with a “Proof-of-Donation” claiming model, which directed contributions to public goods development while distributing tokens to eligible users. The launch expanded awareness and incentivized builders to integrate omnichain capabilities.
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Wormhole (W): Interoperability With Active Governance
A wormhole connects major networks and facilitates cross-chain communication for assets and messages. In April 2024, the protocol introduced the W governance token, accompanied by exchange listings that expanded access and community participation.
Binance and other top venues opened W spot markets, and an airdrop targeted hundreds of thousands of eligible wallets, aligning governance with an already active user base.
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ZKsync (ZK): ZK-Rollup With Wide User Distribution
ZKsync focuses on providing cheaper and faster Ethereum transactions using zero-knowledge proofs. In June 2024, the project began distributing its ZK token to users and contributors, marking a key step in decentralizing governance and incentivizing ecosystem activity.
Claims opened mid-June and proceeded in phases, reflecting significant community engagement around the rollup’s token launch and roadmap.
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Blast (BLAST): Yield-Bearing Ethereum L2
Blast is an Ethereum Layer 2 that natively passes through yield on bridged assets, aiming to make holding on the network economically attractive for users and developers. The BLAST token rollout and exchange listings, scheduled for late June 2024, drew liquidity and attention, with trading support announced by multiple major platforms.
Key variables to monitor include security posture, asset custody mechanics, and the durability of yield incentives as the ecosystem matures.
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ZetaChain (ZETA): Omnichain Smart Contracts, Including Bitcoin Connectivity
ZetaChain launched mainnet in January 2024 with a design that enables smart contracts to read and write across many blockchains without wrapping assets, including functionality aimed at Bitcoin interoperability.
By abstracting cross-chain complexity behind omnichain contracts and message passing, the network aims to provide simpler user experiences and broader connectivity for developers building multi-chain applications.
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Saga (SAGA): App-Specific “Chainlets” for Games and Consumer Apps
Saga’s mainnet went live in April 2024, offering developers app-dedicated, parallelized “chainlets” that can be spun up with automated deployment. This architecture targets high-throughput use cases, such as gaming, while keeping operational overhead low for teams. The project’s documentation outlines practical steps for launching chainlets on mainnet, signaling a clear path from concept to production for new studios and consumer apps.
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Celestia (TIA): Modular Data Availability for Rollups
Celestia separates data availability and consensus from execution, allowing rollups and modular chains to post data to an external DA layer rather than running monolithic stacks.
The Mainnet beta and the TIA token went live in October 2023, accompanied by a large airdrop to early users. As more L2s and L3s adopt modular architectures, reliable DA services like Celestia can become key infrastructure in the scaling landscape.
Your Next-Cycle Watchlist, Simplified
The next bull run will reward projects that have shipped, attracted users, and aligned incentives with builders and communities.
StarkNet and ZKSync enhance Ethereum scalability with zero-knowledge proofs. LayerZero and Wormhole prioritize seamless interoperability. Blast explores yield-aware L2 design. ZetaChain and Saga streamline multi-chain and app-specific deployments, and Celestia adds data availability that modular stacks can rely on.
A disciplined process that verifies mainnet status, token unlock schedules, security assumptions, and genuine developer traction will help separate durable innovation from hype. Use this shortlist as a starting point, then validate each claim against primary sources before making any moves.
