Cringe emoji
😬 is the face for “yikes”. Copy it here and see when 🫣 or 🙈 says the cringe better.
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What the cringe emoji means
😬 (grimacing face) shows clenched teeth in a wide, tense mouth. It is the face for yikes: an awkward moment, secondhand embarrassment, bad news delivered with a wince, “this is going to hurt”. It was added in Emoji 1.0 (2015) and is one of the most used reaction faces because so many situations are simply awkward. Snapchat also uses it as a friend emoji, meaning your best friend is also someone else’s best friend, which the Snapchat guide explains.
Its neighbours split the cringe: 🫣 (face with peeking eye) is “I can’t watch”, 🙈 the see-no-evil monkey is a playful cover-your-eyes, 😅 is the awkward laugh, and 🤢 is cringe that has tipped into disgust.
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| grimacing faceU+1F62C | Yikes, awkward, wincing | Reads as nervous as often as cringe | |
| face with peeking eyeU+1FAE3 | Secondhand embarrassment, suspense | Newer (Emoji 14.0) | |
| see-no-evil monkeyU+1F648 | Playful embarrassment | See the monkey emoji guide | |
| grinning face with sweatU+1F605 | Awkward laugh | See the nervous emoji guide | |
| nauseated faceU+1F922 | Disgust | See the disgusted emoji guide |
Cringe in practice
- Reacting to a story: “he called his teacher mum 😬”
- Delivering bad news: “so… the car has a dent 😬”
- Watching a cringe video: 🫣😬
- Your own past: “found my 2013 tweets 😬”
The grimace also does duty as “sorry in advance” — “can I borrow your car again 😬” — where it admits the ask is a lot. That softening use is friendlier than the cringe reading and worth having in reserve.
Chat examples
Real messages with 😬, and a reply that fits.
I waved back at someone waving at the person behind me 😬
oh no
read my old poems 🫣
brave
😬 sent it to the wrong chat
which chat??
Questions people ask
What does 😬 mean?
Grimacing face: awkwardness, “yikes”, wincing at something uncomfortable. It can also mean nervous tension.
What does 😬 mean on Snapchat?
As a friend emoji it means your number one best friend is also that person’s number one best friend. See the Snapchat emoji meanings guide.
Which emoji means cringe?
😬 is the standard one. 🫣 adds “I can’t look” and 🙈 keeps it playful.
About this guide
Written and maintained by the Emoji Directory editorial team, without ads or sponsorship. Meanings describe how the emoji is commonly used in public posts and messages, not an official definition. Names, code points, versions, keywords and translations come from the Unicode Emoji 18.0 and CLDR data; shortcodes from the gemoji project. Last reviewed . Spotted a mistake or a new usage? Tell us, or read how the directory is made.
