In a significant move that has stirred the global streaming community, Twitch executed a major purge of its global emote library. On January 7, the Amazon-owned platform removed 36 Global Emotes, causing many familiar and popular digital expressions to vanish from chats across countless streams.
Which Emotes Got the Axe? The Full List Revealed
The sweeping emote removal was first brought to light by noted livestreaming reporter Zack Bussey, who broke the news on the social media platform X. The list of departed emotes includes several that had become staples in streamer chats. Among the most notable names removed are PotFriend, PoroSad, HungryPaimon, KEKHeim, and WhySoSerious. The purge also claimed two emotes linked to popular streamer Kai Cenat's channel, though Twitch has not provided an official explanation for the removals at this time.
The complete list of 36 removed global emotes is as follows:
- AndalusianCrush
- BangbooBounce
- CaitlynS
- ChewyYAY
- DarthJarJar
- DarkKnight
- FC26GOOOAL
- FallCry
- FallHalp
- FallWinning
- FamilyMan
- FlawlessVictory
- ForSigmar
- Getcamped
- HarleyWInk
- HungryPaimon
- IronmouseLuv
- KEKHeim
- KingWorldCup
- Lechonk
- LionOfYara
- Mafiathon3
- MechaRobot
- McDZombieHamburglar
- MegaphoneZ
- NiceTry
- NRWylder
- PikaRamen
- PogBones
- PopGhost
- PoroSad
- PotFriend
- RyuChamp
- StreamerU
- WhySoSerious
- ZLANsup
Fan Reactions: Outrage, Relief, and Speculation
The community reaction to the Twitch emote purge has been sharply divided. Many users expressed sadness and frustration at losing their favorite digital reactions. X user @hannahvtuber demanded, “BRING BACK POT FRIEND THIS INSTANT.” Streamer Kair echoed the sentiment, posting, “awww I love PoroSad.”
However, not all responses were negative. Some viewers welcomed the cleanup, finding certain emotes intrusive or overused. User @pocks_pocket commented, “I'm so glad that KEKHeim emote is gone, kept getting in the way of KEKW in tab-to-complete.”
Why Did Twitch Remove These Emotes?
While Twitch has remained silent on the specific reasons, reporter Zack Bussey offered a plausible theory. He speculated that the purge might be linked to expiring licensing agreements for third-party character emotes. “Pure Speculation,” Bussey stated on X, “but many of these look like third-party characters that maybe they had some sort of licensing deal with... so that is one possible reason for this purge.”
Despite this significant cleanup, the platform's most popular emotes remain untouched and continue to dominate chat usage. According to data from StreamElements, the emote SMOrc leads by a massive margin, having been used more than 9 billion times. It tops a chart that includes other heavyweights like x0pashL, forsen5G, suwieOwO, homyLol, cuviTest, TriHard, LUL, smolFine, and chipsaKEK.
This move by Twitch highlights the evolving and often contractual nature of digital culture on streaming platforms, where even the smallest pixels can be subject to business deals and platform policy shifts, leaving communities to adapt to the changes.
