😂 Crying Laughing
Declining⏳OutdatedDefinition
Once the #1 most-used emoji in the world. Now considered a generational marker. If you use 😂, you're probably over 30. Gen Z and Gen Alpha switched to 💀 (skull) or 😭 (sobbing face) to express 'that's funny.' Using 😂 unironically is the emoji equivalent of wearing cargo shorts.
Translation for Parents
You probably use this all the time. Your kids definitely do not. It still means 'that's funny,' but using it signals your age like nothing else. It's the digital equivalent of saying 'that's rad.'
Examples
“when your dad uses 😂 in the group chat”
“A moment of secondhand embarrassment for everyone involved”
Cringe Score
Please don't
The cringe isn't that it's a bad emoji. It's that using it immediately broadcasts that you're Over 30. It's facial recognition for age. The emoji equivalent of asking 'what's a TikTok?'
Category
emoji
Peak
2019-01
Last Verified
2026-02-25
Sources
editorial, reddit