Music emoji
Notes, headphones, mic and guitar: every music emoji, with which one says “listening” and which says “this is my song”.
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Notes, headphones, mics and guitars
🎵 (musical note) is a single note and means music in the abstract or a snatch of a tune. 🎶 (musical notes) is a run of notes and is used for singing, a song stuck in your head, or quoting lyrics. 🎧 (headphone) is listening: “on repeat 🎧”. 🎤 (microphone) is singing, karaoke, a speech or a podcast, and, dropped, a mic-drop. 🎸 (guitar), 🎹 (musical keyboard), 🥁 (drum) and 🎼 (musical score) cover the instruments and the sheet.
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| musical noteU+1F3B5 | Music generally, a tune | Neutral | |
| musical notesU+1F3B6 | Singing, lyrics, a song in your head | Often wraps a lyric: 🎶 words 🎶 | |
| headphoneU+1F3A7 | Listening, a recommendation | The “now playing” emoji | |
| microphoneU+1F3A4 | Singing, karaoke, a mic drop, podcasts | Also public speaking | |
| guitarU+1F3B8 | Guitar, rock, a gig | Instrument-specific | |
| musical keyboard / drumU+1F3B9 · U+1F941 | Piano, drums | Instrument-specific | |
| speaker high volumeU+1F50A | Volume, “turn it up” | A speaker, not music itself |
Music emoji in captions
- Quoting lyrics: “🎶 we could be heroes 🎶”
- Recommending a track: “new favourite 🎧”
- Gigs: “tonight 🎸🔥”
- Karaoke: 🎤🍻
- Mic drop: a single 🎤 after a decisive line
Every instrument emoji
| Emoji | Instrument | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 🎸 | guitar | Rock, gigs, learning guitar |
| 🎹 | musical keyboard | Piano, keys, producers |
| 🥁 | drum | Drums, drumroll |
| 🎺 | trumpet | Brass, jazz, fanfare |
| 🎷 | saxophone | Jazz, smooth |
| 🎻 | violin | Strings, classical, “tiny violin” sarcasm |
| 🪗 | accordion | Folk |
| 🪕 | banjo | Bluegrass |
| 🪘 | long drum | Percussion |
🎻 has a slang job: the “world’s smallest violin” for mock sympathy (“you had to wait five minutes? 🎻”).
Music notes aesthetic
Music note emojis are a staple of soft, dreamy aesthetics on platforms like Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. Pair 🎵 or 🎶 with gentle symbols such as pastel hearts to create a musical mood. A common aesthetic use is setting off lyrics or song titles in a bio: “🎶 lavender haze 🎶”. You’ll also see music notes used as dividers or background accents in colour‑coded captions. For a cleaner look, use a single 🎵 before a short line of text; for a more expressive feel, wrap the whole phrase in 🎶.
- 🎵✨ for a clean, single-note look
- 🎶☁️ for a soft, cloud-like vibe
- 🎧💭 for a daydreaming-while-listening mood
- 🎤🌙 for late-night karaoke energy
- 🎼📜 for a vintage sheet-music feel
Eighth note, ♬ and EDM
The 🎵 emoji shows an eighth note, though many people simply call it the music note. Its cousin ♬ is a text symbol for beamed sixteenth notes — not an emoji — but it works as a quick alternative in plain-text messages. On platforms that support emoji, 🎶 is the emoji equivalent of two notes together.
For electronic dance music (EDM), there is no dedicated emoji, so fans use the same set: 🎵 for a beat, 🎶 for a drop, 🎧 for listening, and ⚡ for high-energy moments. A caption like “bass drop tonight 🎶⚡” gets the point across without a special symbol.
Chat examples
Real messages with 🎵, and a reply that fits.
new playlist 🎵
link?
concert tonight 🎶🎤
have the best time
headphones on 🎧
focus mode
Questions people ask
What is the difference between 🎵 and 🎶?
🎵 is one note, 🎶 several. 🎶 is used for singing and lyrics; 🎵 for music in general.
Which emoji means listening to music?
🎧 headphones. It is the standard “now playing” emoji.
Is there a mic drop emoji?
No dedicated one; a lone 🎤 at the end of a message is how people write it.
Is there a red music note emoji?
No, there is no red music note emoji. You can create a red-themed look by adding a red emoji such as ❤️ or 🔴 next to the note.
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.
