You’ve seen it. You’ve used it. You’ve probably used it wrong. Digital communication is a mess because of the smiley face crying emoji, or more specifically, the two distinct icons that people constantly mix up. I’m talking about the "Face with Tears of Joy" (😂) and the "Loudly Crying Face" (😭). It sounds simple, right? One is happy, one is sad.
Except that’s not how people actually use them anymore.
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Language evolves. It happens fast. In the world of Unicode standards and Gen Z slang, the smiley face crying emoji has become a symbol of generational warfare. If you send a 😂 to your niece, she might think you’re a "boomer" (even if you’re thirty). If you send 😭 to your boss after they tell you a joke, they might think you’re having a mental breakdown. Honestly, the nuance is everything.
The Official History of the Smiley Face Crying Emoji
Let's look at the data. According to the Unicode Consortium, the organization that actually decides which emojis make it onto your phone, the "Face with Tears of Joy" was added in 2010. It didn't just appear; it was part of the Unicode 6.0 release. It was an instant hit. By 2015, Oxford Languages didn't just name it the word of the year—they named the emoji the word of the year.
That was a turning point.
It was the first time a pictograph was recognized as a legitimate linguistic unit by a major academic institution. At the time, Caspar Grathwohl, President of Oxford Dictionaries, noted that the emoji captured the "playfulness and intimacy" of digital culture. It was everywhere. It was the peak of the smiley face crying emoji era.
But being popular usually leads to being uncool.
Why Gen Z Killed the Traditional Laughing Emoji
If you look at platforms like TikTok or X, the 😂 is basically dead among anyone under twenty-five. They call it the "boomer emoji." It’s become a victim of its own success. When something is used by everyone—from your grandmother to your local car dealership’s social media manager—it loses its "edge."
So, what replaced it? The 😭.
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Technically, the "Loudly Crying Face" is supposed to represent grief or intense sadness. But in 2026, it is the primary way young people express laughter. It signifies "I'm dead" or "I'm screaming." It’s hyperbolic. Digital natives prefer the extreme. A simple "tears of joy" doesn't feel like enough anymore when something is truly hilarious. You need to show total emotional destruction.
This isn't just a vibe; it's documented. Emojipedia, the world's leading emoji reference site, has tracked the rise of the 😭 emoji as a substitute for laughter for years. In 2021, they reported it had officially overtaken 😂 as the most-used emoji on Twitter (now X). This shift represents a massive change in how we signal tone online.
The Problem with "Face with Open Mouth and Cold Sweat" 😅
Then there’s the awkward cousin. The 😅 emoji.
Officially called "Grinning Face with Sweat," it’s often confused with the smiley face crying emoji because it also has a little droplet. But the meaning is totally different. This is the "oops" emoji. It’s the "I’m stressed but pretending I’m fine" emoji.
If you use this when you’re trying to be funny, you’re sending a weird signal. It’s the digital equivalent of a nervous laugh after a bad joke. It’s useful, sure, but it isn't part of the "laughing" pantheon. It’s part of the "anxiety" pantheon.
Psychological Impact and Digital Tone
Why do we care so much about a yellow circle?
Because text is toneless. When you type "That's so funny," it could be a compliment, or it could be the most sarcastic thing someone has ever said to you. We need the smiley face crying emoji to act as a "tone modifier."
Linguists like Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet, explain that emojis aren't just pictures; they are gestures. They are the digital version of waving your hands or widening your eyes while you speak. Without them, we are effectively communicating with our hands tied behind our backs.
The struggle is that gestures aren't universal. A "thumbs up" is a positive sign in the US but can be an insult in parts of the Middle East. Similarly, the smiley face crying emoji is a Rorschach test for your age and internet literacy.
Cross-Platform Discrepancies
Another reason people get confused is that emojis look different depending on your phone.
- Apple: The 😂 is very rounded and bright.
- Google: The "tears" used to look like blobs; now they are more stylized.
- Samsung: These often have more exaggerated expressions.
If you send a 😂 from an iPhone to an older Samsung device, the expression might look slightly more "manic" or "sad" than you intended. This is known as "cross-platform semantic friction." It’s a fancy way of saying your message got lost in translation because of a software update.
The "Joy" vs. "Crying" Data Points
Wait. Let’s look at the actual rankings.
Even though Gen Z claims to hate the 😂, it remains incredibly high in overall usage statistics. Why? Because there are billions of people on the internet who aren't trying to be trendy. They just want to show they are happy.
According to 2025-2026 data from the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, "Face with Tears of Joy" still consistently ranks in the top three most-used emojis globally. It is the "Honda Civic" of emojis. It’s reliable. It works. It gets the job done, even if it’s not flashy.
The 😭 emoji, however, has more "velocity." Its usage is growing faster in specific demographics. If you are marketing a product to teenagers, you avoid the 😂 at all costs. You use the 💀 (skull) or the 😭.
Context Matters: When to Use Which?
If you're still confused about which smiley face crying emoji to use, think about your audience.
- Work Emails: Honestly, probably neither. But if you must, the 😂 is safer because it’s "standard." The 😭 can look like you’re actually having a crisis.
- Family Group Chat: Use 😂. Your parents will understand it.
- Dating Apps: This is a minefield. Too many 😂 emojis can make you look like you’re trying too hard. A well-placed 😭 or even a 💀 shows you’re current.
- Sympathy Situations: Never use 😂. Obviously. But be careful with 😭 too. If someone says their dog died, and you send 😭, it can feel performative or even "meme-y" because of how the emoji is used for laughter now.
It’s messy.
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The Future of the Crying Smiley
We are already seeing the next evolution. Emojis are being replaced by stickers, GIFs, and custom "reactions." On platforms like Discord or Slack, the standard smiley face crying emoji is often customized into "blob" versions or animated versions that shake.
The core idea remains the same: humans have an deep-seated need to show emotion when they can't be seen. We are visual creatures. We aren't built for pure text communication.
The 😂 isn't going to disappear. It will likely just become a "classic." Like the "LOL" of the early 2000s, it will persist as a baseline for digital laughter, even as newer, more chaotic versions of the smiley face crying emoji take over the cultural conversation.
Actionable Tips for Better Digital Communication
To avoid looking out of touch or being misunderstood, follow these steps for managing your emoji usage:
- Audit your most-used list. Look at your frequently used emojis. If 😂 is your #1, and you're under 30, you're officially "uncool" in the eyes of the current internet. If you don't care, carry on.
- Match the energy. If someone sends you a 😭, they aren't sad. They are laughing. Don't respond with "Oh no, what happened?" unless there is a very clear reason to think they are upset.
- Check the platform. Use "Loudly Crying" on TikTok and "Tears of Joy" on Facebook. This is the simplest way to blend in.
- When in doubt, use words. If a situation is sensitive, emojis are risky. If you aren't sure if someone is laughing or crying, ask.
The smiley face crying emoji is a tool. Like any tool, it’s only as good as the person using it. Whether you’re crying because you’re sad or crying because you’re laughing, just make sure the person on the other end knows the difference. Otherwise, you’re just a person staring at a screen, sending yellow dots into the void.
The most important thing to remember is that emoji meanings aren't fixed in stone. They are fluid. What meant "laughter" yesterday might mean "ironic detachment" tomorrow. Stay observant of how your specific peer group uses these symbols. If you see your friends shifting from 😂 to 💀 or 😭, it might be time to update your own digital vocabulary to ensure your tone isn't being misread. Keep your software updated so you see the newest versions of these icons, as older rendering can sometimes strip away the subtle facial expressions that define the difference between a laugh and a sob.