😭 Loudly Crying Face

😭 Loudly Crying Face is one of the most-used emojis in the world, and one of the most flexible. It covers actual crying, being moved, and – very commonly among younger users – laughing so hard that it hurts.

The reading depends entirely on context. After a joke it means laughter; after bad news it means exactly what it looks like.

• 😭😭 that is too funny
• I miss them so much 😭

The loudly crying face is now mostly not used for grief. In internet usage it signals being overwhelmed in any direction: with laughter, with emotion, with second-hand embarrassment. “I’m dead” and “I’m crying” mean the same thing.

This reinterpretation is typical of how emoji develop: the stronger a sign, the sooner it turns ironic. People who are genuinely sad tend to write 😢, or nothing at all.

• 💀😭 – The current way of saying "I cannot breathe". It has largely replaced 😂.
• 😭😰 – Loudly Crying Face and Anxious Face with Sweat
• 😭😨 – Loudly Crying Face with Fearful Face
• 😭😥 – Loudly Crying Face plus Sad but Relieved Face
• 😭😦 – Loudly Crying Face and Frowning Face with Open Mouth
• 😭😞 – Loudly Crying Face with Disappointed Face

Easy to mix up with 😰 Anxious Face with Sweat, 😨 Fearful Face or 😥 Sad but Relieved Face. They look alike but do not mean the same thing – when in doubt, check the name.