Google Trends Report Reveals Most Popular Emojis by Year

A recent report from Google Trends has unveiled the most frequently used emojis across different years, charting the evolution of digital expression from 2020 to 2026. The data highlights shifts in how people communicate non-verbally through digital platforms.

For 2026, the emoji depicting a face crying with laughter was the most popular, signifying widespread uncontrollable laughter. In 2025, the pinching hand emoji gained prominence, often used to convey a sense of perfection or to playfully ask for something.

The year 2024 saw the horizontally shaking head emoji emerge as the top choice, commonly used to express a negative response or a playful "hard pass." In 2023, the classic pink heart emoji led in popularity, typically used to express gentle or platonic affection, distinct from the more emotionally charged red heart emoji.

The melting face emoji captured the top spot in 2022, frequently employed to describe unpleasant situations, burnout, or intense heat. Some users have also adopted it in romantic contexts to express a "melting" heart while flirting.

In 2021, the face exhaling emoji, characterized by a small puff of air, was the most used, often signifying something or someone that takes one's breath away. The year 2020 was dominated by a combination of the eye, mouth, and eye emojis, which Know Your Meme suggests conveys an acceptance of an undesirable outcome or a feeling of speechlessness.

Reports from Pumble and Amra & Elma indicate a substantial increase in emoji usage, with a 775% rise in the last three years. Psychotherapist Lauren Tetenbaum advises intentional emoji use in romantic communication, cautioning against excessive use of highly expressive emojis like the laugh-cry face unless truly warranted, and discouraging the use of overly sexual emojis in serious contexts, particularly early in a relationship.