You see it everywhere. It's the little yellow face with the huge grin and those two oversized blue tears pooling at the corners of its eyes. Formally known by the Unicode Consortium as "Face with Tears of Joy," the crying laughing face emoji (😂) has been the reigning king of digital communication for over a decade. It’s the default reaction for a funny meme, a sarcastic jab, or that awkward moment when you don't know what else to say.
But things are changing.
If you’re still using it every five minutes, you might be accidentally telling the world exactly how old you are. For Gen Z, this emoji is basically the "skinny jeans" of digital icons. It’s "cheugy." It’s dated. It’s what your mom sends when she finds a minion meme on Facebook.
The birth of a digital juggernaut
The crying laughing face emoji didn't just appear out of nowhere. It was part of the original wave of emoji sets in Japan, heavily influenced by the aesthetic of 1990s manga and anime, where exaggerated facial features—like giant sweat drops or massive tears—denoted intense emotion. When Apple integrated the emoji keyboard into iOS 5 back in 2011, this specific icon took off like a rocket.
By 2015, the Oxford English Dictionary did something that made linguists lose their minds: they named 😂 the "Word of the Year." They didn't pick a word. They picked a picture. They argued that the emoji best captured the "ethos, mood, and preoccupations" of the time.
It was peak efficiency.
Why type "that is hilarious" when one character does the job? It bridges the gap between text and face-to-face nuance.
The generational rift: Why Gen Z "killed" the joy
If you ask a 20-year-old why they don't use the crying laughing face emoji, they’ll probably tell you it feels "performative" or "too loud." Younger internet users have shifted toward a more nihilistic or "deadpan" sense of humor. They prefer the 💀 (Skull) or 😭 (Loudly Crying Face) to signal that something is funny.
Basically, "I’m dead" or "I’m sobbing" has replaced "I am laughing with joy."
Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia, has tracked these shifts for years. He’s noted that while the crying laughing face emoji remains statistically the most used emoji on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and across most of the web, its "cool factor" has plummeted. It’s a victim of its own success. When everyone from your boss to your grand-uncle uses a symbol, it loses its edge.
It’s the digital equivalent of a joke that’s been told too many times.
Context is everything (and it's easy to mess up)
Using 😂 isn't just about laughter anymore. It has evolved. Sometimes, it’s used to soften a blow. If you text someone "You're so annoying 😂," the emoji acts as a safety net. It says, "I'm kidding, please don't be mad."
Without it? "You're so annoying." That sounds like a breakup text.
But there is a dark side to the crying laughing face emoji. It’s frequently used in online arguments to mock opponents. It has become a tool of derision. When someone makes a serious point and a commenter responds with a string of five 😂 emojis, they aren't laughing. They are dismissing. They are being condescending. This "toxic" usage is part of why some users have moved away from it entirely, preferring more sincere or truly chaotic icons.
The technical side: Why it looks different on your friend’s phone
Have you ever sent an emoji and wondered why your friend reacted weirdly? It’s probably because of cross-platform fragmentation.
Unicode sets the standard—basically the "DNA" of the emoji—but companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft get to design the "skin." On Apple devices, the crying laughing face emoji has a very specific tilt and a certain shade of yellow. On older Samsung devices, the face used to be more slanted, looking almost manic. If you’re on a Google Pixel, the tears might look more like droplets than pools.
These tiny design choices change the "vibe." A slightly different eye shape can turn a "joyful laugh" into a "mocking cackle."
Is it actually "dead"?
The short answer: no.
The long answer: it's just becoming a "standard" rather than a "trend." According to data from the Unicode Consortium, 😂 and ❤️ (Red Heart) consistently occupy the top two spots in global usage. It’s universal. It transcends language barriers. A person in Tokyo and a person in Rio de Janeiro both understand exactly what that face means without a single word of translation.
That kind of utility doesn't just disappear because some teenagers on TikTok started using a skull icon.
How to use emoji without looking like a "boomer"
If you want to stay current but you can't give up the crying laughing face emoji, balance is key. You don't have to delete it. Just don't overdo it.
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- Mix it up. Try the 🤣 (Rolling on the Floor Laughing) if you want a slight variation, though some argue this is even more "dated" than the original.
- Embrace the Skull. If you’re talking to someone under 25, 💀 is the universal sign for "that's funny."
- The "Loudly Crying" Face. 😭 is now the go-to for almost any intense emotion: "This is so cute 😭," "I'm so hungry 😭," or "That's hilarious 😭."
- Less is more. A single 😂 is often more effective than a string of ten.
Honestly, the "rules" of emoji are mostly made up anyway. Digital linguistics is a fluid thing. What’s cool today will be embarrassing tomorrow. The most important thing is that the person on the other end of the screen understands your intent.
Practical Next Steps
- Audit your "Frequently Used" section. Check your keyboard. If the crying laughing face emoji is the only thing there, try incorporating one or two new icons to diversify your "digital tone of voice."
- Match the energy. When texting, look at what the other person is using. If they send 💀, they’re likely in a more "internet-native" headspace. If they send 😂, they’re keeping it classic.
- Use for irony. If you really want to lean into the "dated" vibe, use the emoji ironically. It’s a great way to signal that you’re in on the joke.
- Watch the platforms. Remember that 😂 is still the king of Instagram and Facebook, while TikTok and Discord favor the "Skull" or custom-made community emojis. Adapt your usage to the platform you're on to avoid looking out of place.
The crying laughing face emoji isn't going anywhere. It’s the "LOL" of the 21st century—a bit cliché, maybe a little tired, but fundamentally human. We like to see people laugh. We like to share joy. And as long as humans find things funny, we’ll need a way to show those tears of laughter, even if we’re just staring blankly at our screens in a dark room.