What period of excessive speculation in internet companies peaked in 2000?

The period of excessive speculation in internet companies that peaked in 2000 was the dot-com bubble.

The bubble developed during the late 1990s as investors poured money into Internet-related businesses, often valuing companies on website traffic, growth promises, or a “.com” name rather than proven profits. Venture capital and initial public offerings made it easy for young companies to raise enormous sums, while the spread of the World Wide Web encouraged confidence in a supposedly new economy.

The Nasdaq Composite, heavily weighted toward technology companies, reached a closing peak of 5,048.62 on March 10, 2000. Many businesses were spending aggressively to gain market share while postponing profitability. When confidence weakened, technology shares fell sharply and funding dried up. Companies including Pets.com, Webvan, and Boo.com failed, while others survived only after major restructuring.

The dot-com bubble is not the same as the housing bubble, Tulip mania, or the Roaring Twenties. Those terms describe different speculative episodes. The crash continued for years: by October 2002, the Nasdaq had fallen roughly 78% from its peak.