SocialFi · Review
ActiveYay! Review 2026: A Social App With Pal NFTs and Staking
Yay! is a social app from nanameue, Inc. that adds NFT Pals, staking and a YAY governance token on Ethereum and Soneium. It is an early SocialFi project with small on-chain TVL, and many of its web3 features are not live yet.
By the DappsAtlas editorial team · Updated
DappsAtlas score
5.8/10
Mixed
Our verdict on Yay!
5.8/10Yay! suits people who want to try a social app that adds web3 rewards, and who are comfortable waiting for features to launch. Its main strength is a working social product with a free route into Pals. The main caveat is that the on-chain side is small and unfinished, with the marketplace, swap and airdrop grants still coming soon. Treat the rewards as experimental, read the white paper, and do not rely on user-growth claims.
Score breakdown
How Yay! scores
- Security
- 5.5/10
- Ease of use
- 6.5/10
- Fees
- n/a
- Features
- 6.0/10
Scores run from 0 to 10 and are based only on facts we could verify. Where information was missing we mark the score n/a rather than guess.
What is Yay!?
Yay! is a social platform operated by nanameue, Inc. that mixes everyday social features with web3 tools. DefiLlama lists it as a SocialFi project on Ethereum and Soneium, tracked since October 2024.
The social side covers timelines, group call rooms and interest circles. The web3 side adds Pal NFTs, an Origin asset, staking, bridges and a governance token called YAY. The project says it is heading toward 10 million users, but that figure is a self-reported claim and not independently verified here.
On-chain activity is small, with about $636,000 in TVL and a 1.8% rise over seven days. DefiLlama lists two audits but no token, while the homepage names YAY as its governance token. Several features, such as the Pal marketplace, token swap and airdrop grants, are labelled coming soon.
How Yay! works
Yay! is a social network first. People post on timelines, join interest groups called circles and talk in rooms of up to 18 people. The web3 layer is built around it.
Pals are NFTs. A user can claim a free one from a pool or buy one on the marketplace, which is not yet live. Contributing to the community is meant to earn rewards, and paid Pals are said to earn more. Origin is a second asset described as the heart of the ecosystem, handed out through campaigns and possibly sales.
The YAY token is for governance, so holders can vote on features and decisions. EMPL is an in-app currency that is not on-chain and is used in battles and to earn rewards. A staking page and bridges to Ethereum and Soneium connect the app to the chains. Exact reward rates and token flows are in the white paper, not on the homepage.
7 features
Key features
01
Social timeline
Users can post in real time on a timeline and interact casually, with the stated aim of posting without stress to impress.
02
Call rooms and circles
Call rooms let up to 18 people talk casually, while circles are groups built around interests such as anime and games.
03
Yay! Pal NFTs
Pals are NFTs tied to community contribution. They can come free from a pool or be bought on a marketplace, and they are linked to rewards.
04
Yay! Origin
Origin is described as the heart of the Yay! ecosystem. It is distributed through campaigns on Yay! and X, and possibly sale events.
05
YAY and EMPL
YAY is the governance token, used to vote on future features and decisions. EMPL is an in-app currency used for battles and rewards.
06
Staking and bridges
The homepage links a staking dashboard, an ETH bridge and an LST bridge. A YAY swap is marked as coming soon.
07
Multi-language support
The interface is offered in English, Japanese and simplified and traditional Chinese.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Ties a social app to web3 features, which may ease onboarding for users who are not yet in crypto.
- Offers free Pals from a pool, so there is a no-cost route into the reward system.
- Backed by an operating company (nanameue, Inc.), with a white paper, documentation and a terms page.
- DefiLlama lists two audits for the project.
- The interface supports English, Japanese and two Chinese variants.
- Governance token gives holders a vote on features and decisions.
Watch out for
- TVL is small (about $636,000 on DefiLlama), so the on-chain side is modest next to the user numbers the project claims.
- Several features, including the Pal marketplace, the YAY swap and airdrop grants, are marked as coming soon.
- Requirements and timing for obtaining Pal and Origin are not fixed. Users must wait for announcements on X.
- Rewards depend on tokenomics and in-app mechanics that sit in a white paper, so newcomers may find them hard to evaluate.
- DefiLlama lists no token for the project, so token market data is thin, and no fee schedule is published on the homepage.
- Public reporting for the name mostly return an unrelated ride-hailing app, which makes it easy to land on the wrong product.
Yay! fees
Yay! does not publish a fee schedule on its homepage. The project does not state any staking, bridge, swap or marketplace fees.
Paid Pals from the marketplace cost money, and the marketplace is listed as coming soon. Users should check the in-app dashboard, the white paper and the documentation for costs before buying or bridging. Normal network gas fees on Ethereum or Soneium also apply to on-chain actions.
Is Yay! safe?
DefiLlama lists two audits, but the project does not name the auditors or the scope, so readers should look for the reports in the documentation. The project does not describe custody terms, admin keys or incident history. Smart-contract risk applies to staking, NFTs and bridges, as with any web3 product.
The project does not mention a regulatory licence. Rewards, NFTs and tokens carry price and liquidity risk, and several features are not live. Minors need legal-representative consent under the stated terms. Check the Terms of Use, and confirm that token and NFT activity is permitted where you live.
6 steps
How to get started with Yay!
- 1
Confirm you are on the official site and the official X accounts (Yay_Global, Yay_JP, Yay_Update) listed on the homepage.
- 2
Read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, noting the rules for minors.
- 3
Open the Yay! app or dashboard and join timelines, circles or call rooms to see how the social side works.
- 4
Read the white paper and documentation before buying any NFT or token.
- 5
If you want on-chain features, use a wallet on Ethereum or Soneium and check the ETH bridge and LST bridge pages first.
- 6
Wait for official announcements on requirements and timing for Pal, Origin and the marketplace.
Who Yay! is for
Yay! is for users interested in SocialFi who like community-based apps built around games, anime and music, and who can tolerate early-stage web3 features. It is less suited to anyone who wants established liquidity, published fee tables or fully live token markets.
Yay! FAQs
What is Yay!?
Yay! is a social platform with timelines, group call rooms and interest-based circles. It adds web3 features such as Pal NFTs, staking, a bridge and a governance token. DefiLlama files it under SocialFi.
What is the YAY token used for?
YAY is described as the one official crypto token and a governance token. Holders can vote on future features and decisions for the ecosystem. EMPL is a separate in-app currency that is not an on-chain token.
How do I get a Yay! Pal?
Per the homepage, a Pal can be obtained for free from a pool, or bought on a marketplace. Paid Pals are said to earn more rewards. The marketplace is listed as coming soon.
Which blockchains does Yay! run on?
Public sources list Ethereum and Soneium. The homepage also links an ETH bridge and an LST bridge.
Is there an age limit for Yay!?
The homepage says anyone can use Pal and Origin, but minors need the consent of a legal representative. The Terms of Use give the details, so read them before signing up.
Is Yay! the same as YAY Portal the taxi app?
No. Public reporting for similar names mostly show YAY Portal, a taxi and ride-hailing service in Dubai. That is a different product, so use the official site and the official X accounts listed there.
Compare
Yay! alternatives
Tomo is a social crypto wallet offered as a Telegram bot, app, browser extension and developer SDK, tracked on DefiLlama under SocialFi on Linea.
Tribe.run is a Solana SocialFi app for launching and trading markets tied to GitHub repos and alpha rooms, aimed at risk-tolerant crypto users.
friend.tech V1 is an ETH-based SocialFi app on Base where users trade keys tied to social profiles, now alongside a FRIEND-token v2 Clubs product.
Friend3 is a social dApp on BNB Chain and opBNB for paid, customizable-price group chats with tradable tickets and creator donations.
Arena SocialFi (The Arena, formerly StarShares) is an Avalanche social app for creators and traders with a feed, messaging, live content and a wallet.
Arkada is a reputation-based quest platform on Soneium where users complete on-chain tasks for partner projects and earn ETH, points or tokens.
Same category
More SocialFi dApps
Lens is an open onchain social protocol where one account and social graph work across many apps, built for developers, creators and web3 users.
Lyvely is a creator platform for paid content, memberships, live sessions and community features, with M-Pesa payouts in Kenya.
Access Protocol is a Solana content monetization protocol where supporters stake ACS tokens to unlock creator and media content.
UXLINK is a Web3 social platform with wallet, identity and group tools for users and communities.
CyberConnect (Cyber) is an Ethereum Layer 2 for Web3 social apps with CYBER token governance and AI crypto tools, for developers and active crypto users.
Arena Launch is the token launchpad for The Arena, a SocialFi app for creators and traders on Avalanche.
Same chain
More on Ethereum
Lido is a liquid staking protocol where users stake ETH and receive stETH, a reward-earning token usable across DeFi, governed by LDO holders.
Aave V3 is a non-custodial DeFi lending protocol on 21 chains where users earn interest on deposits or borrow against collateral.
Uniswap V4 is the latest Uniswap DEX version with hooks and concentrated liquidity, running on 22 chains for self-custody token swaps and liquidity provision.
Uniswap V3 is a non-custodial decentralized exchange protocol for token swaps and concentrated liquidity provision across 40+ chains.
DeFi Saver is a non-custodial tool for managing and automating leveraged lending positions across major DeFi protocols on Ethereum and layer-2 networks.
OKX is a major centralized crypto exchange for spot and derivatives trading, earn products and a Web3 wallet, with its own OKB token.
How we checked
Sources
Last updated . Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.