The NYT published interesting findings from a sample of 665 million emojis typed on Android keyboards during 2025.
To my surprise (but I’m 35, so not that surprising), the fastest-growing one was the wilted flower 🥀 (heartbreak), up 190%. And the moai 🗿, which means deadpan, also went from 482nd place in 2021 to 33rd. The finger heart 🫰 (K-pop) and the Brazilian flag 🇧🇷 (gaming) both climbed even faster than the moai. Face with bags under eyes only arrived in September 2024 and already sits at 127, almost all of it from Gen Z and Alpha.