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? 🎻”).
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.
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.
