The NFT collective, including 'Bored Ape Kennel Club,' have taken off since May

The Bored Ape Yacht Club is easy to write off — its based entirely on pictures of, well, bored looking apes. That’s it. 

But the BAYC is the leading edge of the NFT avatar movement, which has captivated the market recently with generative, collectible art, often of animals, that people build identities around. NFT avatars, arguably popularized by Larva Labs' Cryptopunks, have grossed at least $150 million in sales since the start of May, according to NFT data website Cryptoslam.io.