Emoji use has grown from a playful way to illustrate a joke to a language of its own, and it’s how we communicate our emotions and feelings online.  

What were the most popular emojis in 2024? We have the data. 

Emojis play such an interesting role in how we communicate online, and with Consumer Research, we can see how they are shared and why.

For this post, we tracked and analyzed emoji use worldwide in the last 12 months, and here we’ll count down the top 10 most-used emojis on the internet. 

We also wrote extensively about emojis and emoji use in our Emojis and Emotions report.

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Emojis and Emotions

We looked at over 20bn data points to understand how we use emojis and emotional language to express ourselves online.

The most-used emojis in 2024

And how have the rankings changed since 2023?

These are the top few emojis that are the most used on social. We’ve included the official Unicode names, but you might recognize them better by just looking at them. 🙏

10. Person with folded hands 🙏

🙏 has moved down one position in the chart since 2023. The emoji depicting two hands pressed together with fingers pointed up is widely used in online conversations to say thanks, request something, as well as to express hope, praise, and gratitude.

Whether you want to pay respect or spread some much-needed positivity, 🙏 is a win-win as it stimulates an emotional response in users online. 

Side note: It can also be used to signify a high five!

9. White down-pointing backhand index 👇

Since last year, 👇 has moved up one spot, from #10 to #9. This emoji is frequently used to encourage people to take action below, such as reading more in a thread or replying to the original post.  

8. Police car light 🚨

A newcomer in 2024, the revolving police car light emoji made it to the eighth spot on our list. People often use this emoji to draw attention to something, make announcements, or share breaking news and significant updates. 

7. Wrapped present 🎁

The wrapped present emoji has lost three positions in our top-10 list, landing at #7. It's popular in posts celebrating birthdays, and sharing interactive challenges, and it’s often tied to countdowns and exclusive content releases.  

6. Rolling on the floor laughing emoji 🤣

🤣 has moved up one spot since the previous year, grabbing #6 on our list. A visual equivalent of ROFL, or what Urban Dictionary users describe as a common response for “when somebody says something dumb.”  

5. Red heart ❤️

Since 2023, ❤️ has moved up one place, making #5 in the top-10 list. The red heart emoji is universally recognized as a sign of love and gratitude, and we pair ❤️ with positive messages and when expressing good feelings. Many brands use this emoji in conversations to thank their fans for their support.  

4. Fire 🔥

🔥has moved up from #5 to #4 since 2023. An obvious internet favorite, the fire emoji is frequently paired with announcements of achievements or success. When we are doing great and feeling on top of the world, we are “on fire”! 

3. Face with tears of joy 😂

The “face with tears of joy” emoji has remained #3 on our list. While Gen Z users have recently declared that using the laugh-cry emoji makes you out of touch, we still saw plenty of laughter across social media in 2024, often accompanied by 😂.   

2. Loudly crying face 😭

The loudly crying face has also held its spot in the top-10 list, staying at #2. 

Context matters. While a yellow face with an open mouth wailing and streams of heavy tears might initially suggest it conveys grief, it's often used to express positivity or capture tender moments. 

1. Sparkles emoji ✨

Lastly, everybody’s favorite – the sparkle emoji – has remained at the top of the list since 2023. This emoji frequently goes hand in hand with messages of excitement, and it makes sense. Almost cartoonish in its presence and built out of multiple stars, this emoji reminds me of Aladdin riding the clouds of the Agrabah Kingdom on a magic carpet with Jasmine by his side.

In real life, ✨ is used to magnify the feelings of warm connections in conversations, to emphasize newness, and fabulousness in general, and, sometimes, to stress the irony. 

Changes from last year’s rankings

Further reading

Of course, this is a broad analysis that only touches the surface of how we communicate online. Emoji use is different depending on the person typing and the context behind the message.  

Dive deeper into the meaning and use of emojis in our Emojis and Emotions Report and learn about:

  • How emotions are expressed online.
  • How brands use emojis in public-facing conversations.
  • Find out whether consumers feel represented by emojis. 

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