There is no doubt that the blockchain world, specifically the realm of cryptocurrency, has just experienced one of its biggest years yet. Between DeFi and NFTs, there's been a lot happening. However, there are some crypto projects that have attracted even more attention. These five cryptocurrencies were the ones that captivated the world in 2021.

Dogecoin (DOGE) One of the most stunning developments in 2021 was the rise of DOGE. Although the meme coin may not offer as much as some other coins when it comes to tech developments, it does boast its fair share of celebrity fans. Mark Cuban and Elon Musk are two of the people credited with making the coin rise an astronomical 23,746% this year.

Axie Infinity (AXS) When Axie Infinity toped over $17 million of revenue one day last summer, people in the crypto world sat up and took notice. AXS, which is the game's token, has generated a lot of interest from the public these days. Collecting Axies is one of the hottest new hobbies one can have.

Curve (CRV) These days, it's all about liquidity. For this reason, it should probably come as no surprise that CRV has attracted such attention from the DeFi world. With the goal of seamlessly incorporating stablecoins into the mix, the is indeed a very promising project.

Aave (AAVE) This is one of the projects that seemed to singlehandedly dominate Twitter chatter and YouTube crypto influencers' videos in 2021 — and it's easy to see why. There is a lot to love about AAVE. With many people excited about the possibilities of decentralized finance (DeFi), there seems to be no limit to what this project can achieve.

Uniswap (UNI) Another ubiquitous project when it comes to mentions by influencers and Crypto Twitter, UNI uses a decentralized exchange to make a point about truly democratizing the crypto space. The fact that it became wildly popular is certainly no mystery.