Zora Airdrop: Tokenomics, Premarket Price, and What Users Should Know

On 23 April 2025, NFT infrastructure platform Zora officially launches its long-awaited ZORA token via a retroactive airdrop, rewarding users based on their past activity. The launch comes at a critical moment for the NFT industry, as interest in digital collectibles continues to wane. Yet despite the decline, Binance is backing the airdrop, signaling cautious optimism for Zora’s entry into the token economy.

Inside the ZORA Token Airdrop

Zora Network, an NFT protocol built on Base (Coinbase’s layer-2 blockchain), will distribute 1 billion ZORA tokens, or 10% of the total 10 billion token supply, through a retroactive airdrop. The distribution covers two user activity windows:

• Phase 1: 1 Jan 2020 – 3 Mar 2025

• Phase 2: 3 Mar – 20 Apr 2025

As part of the launch, Binance Alpha will airdrop 4,276 ZORA tokens to eligible users who made at least $50 in purchases between 22 March and 20 April 2025.

Read more:

What is Zora Network? Ethereum’s Layer 2 Solution Explained

What is Zora Airdrop? Everything You Need to Know

ZORA Premarket Price and Market Valuation

ZORA tokens are currently price at around $0.03 on premarket platforms. This gives the airdrop a total valuation of $30 million and suggests a fully diluted market cap of approximately $300 million. 

While prices are likely to fluctuate after launch, this early valuation sets the stage for Zora’s market positioning amid an NFT bear market.

Zora Tokenomics: How Supply Is Structured

Zora’s tokenomics reveal a relatively concentrated allocation. Here’s how the 10 billion total supply is distributed:

• 10% (1B): Airdrop to users

• 18.9%: Reserved for Zora core team

• 26%+: Allocated to strategic advisors and ecosystem developers

• Remaining tokens: For liquidity, grants, staking, and community initiatives (specifics pending)

While the airdrop is praised for rewarding early adopters, critics argue that nearly half of the supply is in the hands of insiders, raising concerns about centralization and sell pressure down the road.

Zora’s Ecosystem and Past Controversy

Zora isn’t just launching a token—it operates as both an NFT marketplace and a protocol for third-party NFT minting.

One of its most viral integrations involved tokenizing a post from X (formerly Twitter) titled “Base is for everyone”. The post generated $30 million in volume in 12 hours—before crashing 99% shortly after.

The event led to backlash, with some accusing the project of enabling “pump-and-dump” schemes. Though Base denied wrongdoing, the incident has amplified skepticism around content coins and the speculative nature of tokenized social media.

NFT Market Sentiment and Zora’s Challenges

According to Dune Analytics, Zora Network has processed over 87 million transactions but currently sees just 37,000 daily active addresses, reflecting an 80% drop in activity from the previous year.

A recent Binance report also notes a 12.4% decline in NFT trading volume across the top 10 blockchains. These trends create a challenging backdrop for the airdrop, despite Zora’s strong VC backing and ecosystem integration.

Read more: Understanding the Difference: NFT vs Fungible Token Explained

Conclusion

The Zora airdrop is one of the biggest moments in the NFT space this year—but it’s not without risks. With a pre-market valuation of $300 million and support from Binance, the project clearly has momentum. However, past controversies, cautious market sentiment, and insider-heavy tokenomics mean investors should proceed carefully.

Whether ZORA will be a long-term protocol token or just another speculative hype cycle depends on how Zora navigates this next chapter.

FAQ

What is ZORA token used for?

ZORA will power governance, incentives, and community activity on the Zora Network.

How is the ZORA supply allocated?

10% is reserved for the airdrop, 18.9% for the team, and over 26% for advisors and developers.

What is ZORA’s premarket price?

Currently Zora premarket price around $0.03, giving the airdrop a $30 million valuation and the network a projected $300 million market cap.

Why is Zora controversial?

Zora-powered tokenized content has been linked to highly volatile trading, sparking accusations of pump-and-dump behavior.

Is the NFT market still active?

Activity is down across the board. Even strong platforms like Zora have seen significant drops in user engagement over the past year.