Definition
A small, custom image or animation used in live streaming platforms — particularly Twitch — as a form of expressive communication in chat. Emotes are created by creators or professional emote artists and unlocked by subscribers at different subscription tiers, serving as both a community identity marker and a subscriber incentive. Twitch's emote culture has become a significant part of streaming community identity, with popular emotes spreading beyond their originating channels to become widely recognized internet cultural references. For creators, custom emotes are a community-building tool that rewards subscriber loyalty.