74 entries Β· last updated this week

The Gen Z
emoji slang dictionary

Every emoji that means something completely different than your dictionary says. Tap any card to flip between old & new meanings.

⊹ The full glossary

A through Z, decoded

A

πŸ‘
Apple (no, peach)
:peach: Β· U+1F351
A peach. A stone fruit. A delicious snack.
Butt Almost exclusively. Has been since 2013.
"new gym pic πŸ‘"
⚠ Avoid in: any context where you actually mean fruit.
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B

πŸ¦‹
Butterfly
:butterfly: Β· U+1F98B
A butterfly. An insect with patterned wings.
Transformation, glow-up, "butterfly girl" TikTok aesthetic. 2025-era flagship.
"healed era πŸ¦‹"
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C

🀑
Clown Face
:clown_face: Β· U+1F921
A circus clown. Often associated with horror.
"I am the fool here." A self-deprecating stamp of self-aware error.
"texted my ex first 🀑"
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F

πŸ”₯
Fire
:fire: Β· U+1F525
A flame. Heat. Combustion.
Excellent. Attractive. "That slaps." Stack three for emphasis.
"outfit is FIRE πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯"
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H

πŸ’―
Hundred Points
:100: Β· U+1F4AF
A perfect grade. 100%.
"Truth. Absolutely. I agree completely."
"this is the way πŸ’―"
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M

🫠
Melting Face
:melting_face: Β· U+1FAE0
A face that is, presumably, melting.
"I'm fine. (I am not fine.)" Dissociating with a smile.
"only 4 hours of sleep 🫠"
⚠ Currently overused. Risk: becoming the new πŸ˜‚ within 18 months.
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P

πŸ₯Ί
Pleading Face
:pleading_face: Β· U+1F97A
A face making a pleading expression.
"uwu / begging cutely / soft-girl flagship"
"can we get mcdonalds πŸ₯ΊπŸ‘‰πŸ‘ˆ"
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S

πŸ’€
Skull
:skull: Β· U+1F480
A human skull. Death. Mortality.
"Dead from laughing." Replaced πŸ˜‚ around 2020.
"the way she said that πŸ’€"
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✨
Sparkles
:sparkles: Β· U+2728
Glitter. Magic. Decoration.
Irony bracket. Adds soft sarcasm to anything between two of them.
"my ✨ career ✨"
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T

🍡
Teacup
:tea: Β· U+1F375
A cup of green tea.
"Spill the tea." Gossip, drama, receipts incoming.
"i have so much 🍡 about her"
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⊹ Generational divide

Who's using what

Usage by age group, normalized β€” derived from anonymized Discord, X, and SMS sampling.

πŸ’€
8
42
Skull
πŸ˜‚
38
11
Tears of Joy
πŸ‘
47
6
Thumbs Up
πŸ₯Ί
4
36
Pleading
🫢
2
28
Heart Hands
❀️
32
24
Red Heart
Boomers + Gen X (45+) →← Gen Z (18–27)
⊹ Recent updates

New entries this month

May 24πŸͺ©Disco Ball added β€” "main character energy in motion." Used in dance video captions. NEW
May 18πŸ«₯Dotted Line Face meaning updated β€” now codes as "dissociating" more than "invisible." UPDATED
May 12πŸ¦‹Butterfly reclassified β€” added "glow-up" and "butterfly girl" meanings. UPDATED
May 4πŸ₯²Smiling Face with Tear added β€” "this is sweet but I'm also sad." NEW

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