Looking back at the most impactful airdrops across recent years gives us interesting patterns to track:

The standout distributions have been:
→ 2020: Uniswap's DEX revolution
→ 2021: ENS domain governance
→ 2022: Aptos network expansion
→ 2023: Arbitrum layer-2 scaling
→ 2024: Hyperliquid derivatives platform
→ 2025: Lighter Protocol entry

Each wave demonstrated how early adopters could benefit from emerging protocols gaining market traction. The pattern shows airdrops increasingly tied to actual platform usage and community participation rather than purely speculative distribution.

With 2026 approaching, the question becomes: which emerging protocols or layer-2 solutions will capture enough ecosystem momentum to deliver the next significant token event? The space continues evolving rapidly, and the next major airdrop candidate could come from unexpected corners of Web3 infrastructure or DeFi innovation.