First of all, PEPE isn't a coin, its a token. SHIB is a token, all of the copycat garbage is also tokens.
DOGE on the other hand is a coin, because it has its own blockchain. There's a big difference here. The media and pump n dump influencers like to play down the difference, but its actually quite substantial.
It is also good to observe the condition - to buy when the coin is not known to everyone and when there is fear.
Buying when its unknown might be a good idea _if_ it ends up going on a tear, like PEPE. But buying PEPE "when there is fear" is probably a bad idea, because the fear is real. Its a useless token that serves no purpose, it will likely trend to zero for the remainder of its existence.