In just a decade, emojis have transformed from quirky character add-ons to a visual language shaping how we express love, humor, sarcasm—and sometimes chaos. With over 3,700 emojis now in the Unicode Standard and billions used daily across social platforms, emoji trends offer more than just cute graphics. They tell stories about cultural shifts, generational preferences, and the ever-evolving way we communicate online.

We tracked the biggest emoji winners, the surprising dropouts, and what might be coming next.

📈 The Top 10 Most Popular Emojis: Then vs. Now

In 2013, Twitter’s top emojis were led by 😂 Face with Tears of Joy, 😍 Heart-Eyes, and 😘 Face Blowing a Kiss. A decade later, not much has changed—at least on the surface.

🎯 Key Insight:

Old favorites like 😂 and 😍 still dominate, but the rise of ✨ Sparkles and 🥰 Smiling Face with Hearts shows a pivot toward more affectionate and expressive icons, likely driven by platforms like TikTok and changing online aesthetics.

🚀 Emojis That Skyrocketed in Popularity

Some emojis weren’t even in the conversation a few years ago—and now they’re everywhere.

• 🥺 Pleading Face exploded in 2020, quickly becoming a go-to for emotional vulnerability and cute desperation.
• ✨ Sparkles gained ground by 2021, used ironically or to emphasize vibes.
• 🫶🏻 Heart Hands, though newer, became a fan-favorite for TikTok tributes and wholesome replies.
• 🥵 Melting Face, voted the “Most 2022 Emoji,” encapsulated collective burnout with unsettling charm.

📈 Visual Trend:

Between 2020–2023, the use of 🥺 increased dramatically during the height of lockdown, while 🥵 saw a sharp spike during mental health discussions online.

🧠 Why It Matters:

Many of these emojis tap into Gen Z’s affinity for emotionally complex or ironic expression. They’re less about literal meaning and more about feeling the vibe.

📉 Emojis That Faded Away

While some emojis glow up, others quietly exit stage left.

• 👌 OK Hand was once a staple in the emoji keyboard. But due to misuse in meme culture and online misinterpretations, it fell off the top charts.
• 😏 Smirking Face, once a cheeky flirt, now reads “creepy guy in your DMs” and lost its charm.
• ✈️ Airplane and other travel icons dipped sharply during the pandemic, with global restrictions grounding both flights and emoji use.
• 😒 Unamused Face, once shorthand for sarcasm, has largely been replaced by 🙄 Eye Roll or 😐 Neutral Face.

🔍 Cultural Shift:

Many of these fade-outs are tied not just to declining usage—but to evolving digital tone. What once read cool or witty now reads outdated or inappropriate in newer contexts.

🌍 How Culture and Technology Shaped Emoji Trends

Emoji use isn’t just spontaneous—it’s shaped by global events, platform trends, and technological shifts.

• Pandemic-Era Spikes: Emojis like 🧴, 😷, and 💉 saw massive use spikes starting in late 2020, while ✈️ and 🏝 dropped.
• World Emoji Day: Every July 17, the world celebrates emojis with over 100 tweets per minute at peak, generating more than 4 billion Twitter impressions.
• Meme Culture: Emojis now take on layered meanings. Case in point: 😭, originally sad, is now commonly used to express intense laughter, dethroning 😂 in many contexts.
• Platform Influence: TikTok comment sections made ✨ Sparkles ironic. Twitter memes turned 🥵 into existential commentary. Instagram DMs boosted 🥰 and ❤️ into constant rotation.

🗣 Generational Shift:

Emojis are now emotional punctuation. While millennials favored 😘 and 🙃, Gen Z leans into 🫶, 😭, and 🥁—often used sarcastically or as meme glue.

Emojis aren’t just decorative—they reflect our cultural moment. They evolve with language, social media, and even world crises. Tracking emoji trends is like reading the internet’s mood board in real time.

As we move toward even more personalized, inclusive, and animated emoji experiences, one thing’s for sure: our screens may change, but emojis will keep finding new ways to say what words can’t.