Expert says Taylor Swift will be behind 2026’s most used emojis

By Amy Reast

An emoji expert has shared his predictions for 2026's emoji trends - and why Taylor Swift might have influenced this without even knowing.

Keith Broni, 36, is an expert in all things emoji - and has shared what's hot and what's not for the coming year.

He said the crying laughing face and fire emoji are here to stay - although the skull emoji and 'pleading' face will drop off altogether, after falling out of favor this year.

The editor-in-chief of Emojipedia said that the 'TNT' or 'dynamite' emoji is more popular than ever due to Taylor Swift featuring it in her engagement announcement - to represent 'Travis N Taylor'.

While he expects the trend to pass quickly, he expects the burst of usage will "have a higher usage than before" as it reminds people that the emoji exists on the keyboard.

Keith, from Dublin, Ireland, said: "The skull emoji for laughing is beginning to wane - it might still be used, but is no longer 'the cutting edge of cool'.

"We saw this with the crying laughing emoji - it's still the most popular in the world, but it peaked in 2019.

"The most popular in the world are very stable and broad symbols for positive expression.

"Like the fire emoji - in my day it was used to mean 'lit' - nobody says that anymore, but there remains a positive association.

"The red heart too - it has become a catch-all positive semantic marker."

Keith said as Generation Alpha are introduced into the emoji keyboard, things will likely change again.

He believes it's "entirely possible" that the skull emoji, used to represent laughter, may fall out of favor if it is considered "cringe" by Gen Alpha.

He said: "They may revert back to the 'tears of joy' face - or one of the lesser-used laughing ones."

Keith said one of the newer emojis, which is "bubbling in the top 20 to 30" is the tired face with bags under its eyes - and another consistent hit is the sparkle emoji.

One trend that has changed through 2025 is the 'laughing through the pain' symbolism.

This has existed in the form of the broken heart, wilted flower and low battery - but it will "almost certainly fade and new emojis will emerge", Keith said.

He said emoji use will be "crystallized" for Gen Z soon, as it has with millennials - as they will transition from "cultural endeavors to workplace matters" as the generations and their priorities change.

He said it's impossible to predict with certainty what will be topping the lists a year from now, because - like with the TNT emoji - there is often a "lightening rod moment that bolsters it immediately" when it goes viral.

Keith explained that typically people use between three and seven emojis regularly as part of their "personal lexicon" which they don't stray too far from.

So it is these viral moments that can alter this and bring new emojis to the forefront of people's minds.

He added: "It's the big pop culture moments that introduce people to things.

"Like with the pleading face with the two fingers pointing in on themselves. That was definitively a trend and that is now done.

"The pleading face was once top three, and now it's only top 20."

"IN" AND RISING EMOJIS FOR 2026:

• Crying laughing
• Fire
• Red heart
• Sparkle
• Dynamite/TNT
• Tired face with eye bags

"OUT" AND FALLING EMOJIS FOR 2026:

• Skull and crossbones
• Pleading face